Gold Coast Suns say its ‘our responsibility’ to make most of strong AFL draft hand
A generous AFL handout after a horror year has gifted the Gold Coast Suns with a huge swag of high draft picks. Now its up to them to nail the players they use those picks on.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gold Coast Suns are determined to capitalise on their strong hand in next week’s national draft, with the club accepting it’s “our responsibility” to make the most of a generous AFL assistance package.
The Suns were granted a priority pick at No.1 in this year’s draft, as well as the first pick of the second round (No.19) and the ability to pre-sign any academy members without facing rival club bids.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
Having already held pick No.2 after finishing on the bottom of the ladder this year and Brisbane’s first pick (No.15) as part of a 2018 trade, the Suns have been left with four selections inside the top 20 of what is rated a strong draft.
“It’s up to us now to really utilize that and capitalise on what we’ve got,” Gold Coast recruiting manager Kall Burns told the Herald Sun.
“That’s our responsibility to do that and we’ll just keep supplementing that with really good, mature players.
“Bringing in (Brandon) Ellis, (Hugh) Greenwood, (Zac) Smith this year (in the trade period), who are strong characters and very good footballers, we feel like we’re getting that nice balance now along with the maturity of the group.”
While they have not ruled out trading picks one and two, the Suns are widely-tipped to select Victorian best mates Matthew Rowell and Noah Anderson.
The assistance package also allows Gold Coast to pre-sign their academy team captain Connor Budarick, a midfielder likened to Essendon’s Devon Smith and considered a second-round prospect under normal circumstances.
The Suns made four selections inside the top 23 in last year’s national draft and have had 19 players sign contract extensions in the past 12 months.
“That’s really, really positive signs,” Burns said.
“They’re committing to the club but they’re committing to each other. The real positive to take out is this group think they’ve got something special and they’re really dedicated to each other so that’s extremely positive.
“Our strategy was to go to the draft last year and this year really strongly given the hands that we were dealt. That was no doubt our strategy, ‘Let’s go big in the draft in 2018 and 2019, potentially even 2020 and see where we go from there’.”
MORE AFL NEWS:
Gold Coast says it’s open to trading picks 1 and 2 in 2019 national draft
Melbourne’s No.3 the best pick in this year’s AFL draft, history shows
Patrick Cripps says players should get ‘real world’ jobs if AFL pre-season is cut
Jack Martin is leaving, but Suns believe list exodus is over
Originally published as Gold Coast Suns say its ‘our responsibility’ to make most of strong AFL draft hand
‘Big tick’: Why cult hero Shark deserves second AFL chance
Southport ruckman Brayden Crossley is out to follow in the footsteps of teammate Ben Jepson and earn an AFL list spot. What it means to the club and why he’s ready.
Building brands: How AFL stars are capitalising on fame
Whether it’s a podcast, cooking up a storm or slinging drinks, these AFL stars are making a splash off the field. It’s the new generation – and it’s only the beginning.