The Suns will welcome Carlton for their last home game of the year on Saturday. It is a great opportunity to spoil the Baggers’ fun and throw a wrench into the finals race. It would also set up the Suns to go for their all-time wins record in round 24.
Carlton will welcome back Harry McKay into the forward line for this one. He and Curnow reawakened the Blues’ attack against the Suns at the MCG earlier this year. Hopefully Gold Coast have learned enough from that performance to limit their effectiveness. I think the Suns defenders should look to force Harry and Charlie to lead towards the boundary as much as possible so that if they are winning their matchups they are only taking marks at tough angles. All it would take is a couple of missed chances and the confidence that Carlton have built up could weaken.
Carlton’s small forwards have looked much more effective in recent weeks compared to when we last played them. Jack Martin, Owies and co. will have to be wrangled. Lemmens, Budarick and Johnston will certainly have their hands full. Lloyd Johnston is making his debut and Budarick hasn’t played seniors for over a year, they will have to hit the ground running and stay switched on to handle the pressure when they have possession, and keep their heads on a swivel when the ball is up for grabs or Carlton win a turnover. Curnow in particular is excellent at finding his teammates inside 50 if he gets the ball up the ground, the defence will have to be matched up or Carlton will find the holes.
The Suns forward line has been shaken up a bit this week too. The coaches have decided not to risk Ben King so Mabior Chol is back in for his first game in a while. It’s a little worrying that King was set to play and they pulled him out. Weller had a similar issue with his knee and ended up having surgery again. Hopefully King is ok and will get to have an uninterrupted and healthy pre-season going into 2024. Chol gets a chance to sell himself to prospective teams, with the draft additions arriving this offseason the Suns’ key position stocks could be quite full and I wouldn’t be shocked if he tries to find a spot on a team that needs an AFL-ready key forward. It seems unlikely that he has a strong relationship with Hardwick after he let him leave to come up to Queensland. Maybe the return of the Chol-Casboult forward line will revitalise the attack they can kick 5 goals between them, that would be a nice mini objective to go for regardless of the result
Alex Sexton also gets a start, he gets to prove whether he is worthy of another run at AFL level. We know he has good goal sense which we desperately need. But can he apply the pressure needed to play small forward, especially in the Hardwick system next year which relies so heavily on forward 50 turnovers? I am happy to see a bit of rotation at the end of the year, it hasn’t seriously weakened the squad and could provide some important evidence as we forecast what the team could look like next year.
Of those that were dropped I was most sorry to see Hollands and Farrar out. I think they are both potentially best-22 players who just need a run of games under their belt to progress in the same way Mac Andrew has. Hollands is so clearly lacking in confidence compared to when he debuted in 2022. I know what Macpherson brings so I am fine with him having a week out and Sam Day shouldn’t have played last week anyway.
I feel like I have to mention the midfield battle after the drubbing they received in Melbourne last time. It should be a point of pride for this group to win the battle and remind everyone why the Gold Coast midfield is a force to be reckoned with. The recent form of Flanders and Rowell bodes well for the game and hopefully Miller brings the missing running edge and leadership needed.
It’s going to be a typical contested midday melee, if Carlton’s game against the Demons is anything to go by the tackle numbers should be sky high. I really hope Rowell and Flanders take the game on and make it theirs, they could really put on a show if they are on a good day. Hopefully the Suns still have the juice in their legs to spiring an upset and give the fans a win to end the year at the Bank.
Eyes on the Suns 
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