This is where figuring out the roles for the season may be trickiest. With Weller out for a good chunk of the season, Wil Powell feels like the only guaranteed starter. It’s also one of the positions most affected by the change in game style. The Suns will be moving the ball much faster out of defence and will need to generate much more run and carry. Not to mention the usual defensive duties which will change with I assume a noticeably different zone. To start the year it looks like Sexton is going to get a chance early and Connor Budarick has looked ready to go in the preseason games but I can’t pick a player who will rotate in off the interchange. Here is a run through of pretty much all the options, there are some other names that will come up later.
Will Powell
Age: 24
Games: 87
2 years to go under contract
Powell is probably the best Suns’ player who doesn’t play in the midfield. When fit he is one of the league’s best intercepting small defenders and an underrated kick. If we get a full season out of him he could win a best and fairest or make the AA squad, I think he’s that good of a player. He is one of very few Suns with all the necessary skills. I see no reason he can’t fit right into Hardwick’s system, he has a big tank, can kick on the run and is the most switched-on small defender we’ve got. The only legitimate fear you might have is over fitness, he hasn’t played 20+ games since 2021. But he seems to have had a pretty strong preseason so hopefully he’s ready to go all out from round 1.
Connor Budarick
Age: 22
Games: 28
2 years to go under contract
Connor Budarick was one of the more promising prospects in the Suns defence before his right ACL rupture in 2021 he then showed promise again for half a season before suffering the same injury in 2022. He came all the way back to play the last two rounds of 2023. Its been a long road for Budarick and he deserves a solid run in the first team not just because of what he’s been through but because he is one of the more skilful and athletic small defenders on the list. He is also an Academy product who grew up on the Gold Coast and would have gone in the second round the year he was drafted. It would say a lot about his ability and his work ethic if he were to make the 23 for round 1. I think he is very much capable of fitting into a run and carry style while maintaining the defensive attributes he showed before his injuries. Connor told Michael Whiting that Dimma sees him as a Liam Baker, Jaden Short-type of player bringing the ball out of defence. I think he could do this while trying to lock down the top small forwards.
Alex Sexton
Age: 30
Games: 166
1 year to go under contract
One of the big reveals of preseason was that Sexton had been moved into the backline. Dimma is trying to figure which of his ground level players fit best where. He needs pressuring ballhounds in the forward line and fast but smooth ball-users in the backline. Sexton has clearly been moved back because of his kicking ability and his lacklustre pressure as a forward. This is his path to a late career resurgence. At worst this ends up like the Charlie Constable experiment last year and he goes back to the 2’s and scores 40 in the VFL. But I think there is a decent chance that he can adapt. The defensive side may be a challenge but Sexton could quickly learn to rebound, find opportunities for hand ball receives and then use his vision to find the next link up field. As a fan it would be great to see someone who powered through when the club was really struggling rediscover a spot in the team in his 13th season.
Rory Atkins
Age: 29
Games: 135
2 years to go under contract
We are still very much in the middle of that monster contract Atkins signed before the 2021 season and he hasn’t really shown he deserved such a long deal to this point. Although towards the end of last year I thought he was one of our better players as much of the team crumbled, he performed particularly well in the Swans game at the SCG in R22. Atkins should be a pretty easy fit as one of the running halfbacks in the side but we haven’t heard much about him in preseason so I am unsure he will get a spot straight away. He admitted in an interview with Daniel Cherny last year that the length of his deal made him complacent and the run of games he got last year refocussed him on why he came up to Gold Coast. He is another run and carry player who might not be as reliable defensively but I think if Sexton doesn’t work out he is a pretty strong bench option who could lockdown a role if given the opportunity. We could use someone with his experience in the first team as long as he is up to the standard.
David Swallow
Age: 31
Games: 220
2 years to go under contract
I’m sticking Swallow in defence because I don’t think he will primarily be a midfielder this year. There is every chance he ends up as a pressure forward but I had to talk about him somewhere. I can see hiss great work rate being effective in defence though. He can harass less speedy small forwards and is well-drilled in finding the right handball option to get a rebound started. He may not have the speed of some of his colleagues but good decision-making will get him pretty far. As a pressure forward he is a great tackler and can finish chances better than some of our full-time forwards. The more I think this could suit him best but I suppose I’ll have to wait till round 1 to find out.
Sean Lemmens
Age: 29
Games 145
1 year to go under contract
Lemmens is another Suns equivalent of a veteran whose sole job over the last few seasons has been tagging small forwards. Which he is still pretty good at. He isn’t much of a ball user though so he may not fit into a Hardwick 23. I can see him getting picked against teams with overwhelming high quality small forwards like Brisbane where you need someone to just do a job on one of them. Sean has been a great servant to the club but I’m not sure we will see a lot of him in what is a contract year.
Bodhi Uwland
Age: 20
Games: 3
1 year to go under contract
Uwland is a Gold Coast product who was talked up going into the start of last season where he started three games before becoming a key cog in the VFL side. He is one of the first Suns’ players who is a lifelong fan so I think he could easily become a fan favourite if he can work his way into the side. He has been praised for his intercept marking so he is being groomed as an option in Wil Powell’s role. With his lack of experience its uncertain how close he is to serious time in the first team but the word has been good this preseason. I think there are a few players with a couple more years of development than him who will edge him out of the side for now but if he picks up what Hardwick is asking for quickly he could be in there soon enough.
Lloyd Johnston
Age: 19
Games: 2
1 year to go under contract
In Johnston the Suns have another young player with the right attributes for Hardwick. He is quick off the mark and an aggressive ball-user. Johnston worked hard to earn an AFL debut last year while toiling away in the 2’s premiership campaign. He is a player with the potential of a starting running halfback who will have every chance to make the side as everyone learns what Dimma is after. He looked very green in his two starts last year but it was only his first year at the club. It may take him a bit longer to find his feet like Uwland, but with the volume of young defenders on the list you would think a couple of them will come good and be fixtures in the side maybe even this season.
Lachie Weller
Age: 28
Games: 136
3 years to go under contract
The Suns need to get the absolute most out of their 100+game players if they are going to make finals this year and Weller is one of the most crucial ones, once he gets back to full fitness. Weller reinjured the same knee that he already had reconstructed so is expected to be back in the second half of the year. He is one of few guaranteed kicking talents on the team and really raises the floor of the Suns build up from defence when he plays. The main issue with Lachie is that he hasn’t played 20 games in a season since 2018. Obviously he won’t do it this year but if he can just have a clear run of games through to the end of the season that would fill me with much more confidence for his future at the club.
Will Graham
Age: 18
Games: 0
3 years to go under contract
Will Graham hasn’t gotten the attention that Read and Walter have since they were drafted together this summer since he isn’t the unicorn-type of player the other two look like. But Graham really stood out at the combine and was a significant part of the Allies team last year coming out of defence. At 186cm and with a great vertical leap he is a good marking threat for his size and was also one of the quickest players in his age group. Scouts praised his contested ball work as his big strength so he has all the makings of a great small defender. However I have no idea which line he has been practicing with so I don’t know what the early forecast is. But it would make sense to me for him to learn his trade down back for now where his athletic talents could really make him stand out, even if it’s just in the 2’s for now.
Eyes on the Suns 
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