Suns ‘kids’ making an impression
He’s only 20 himself, but Brisbane Lions midfielder Jaspa Fletcher can’t help but be impressed by the “young kids” that are standing out at the Gold Coast Suns.
Brisbane and Gold Coast meet on Sunday night at the Gabba, and it’s one of the rare occasions in recent QClash history in which a Suns win would not be considered an upset such is their own form and the Lions’ poor start to the season.
Under new coach Damien Hardwick, the Suns have won four from seven this year, while the Lions have already lost five matches.
“I’m not surprised at all by how the Suns are going,” Fletcher said.
“They have a new coach, a fresh start, they’ve got a couple of great young kids coming in, and people like (Noah) Anderson and (Matt) Rowell are really starting to show themselves.
“They did last year, but they’re going to another level, so the Suns are going to be a really exciting side in the future.”
The Coast’s “kids” include 18-year-old forward Jed Walter, the Palm Beach Currumbin junior who was the third pick in last year’s AFL draft.
Having overcome a collarbone injury he suffered in the pre-season, Walter has looked anything but out of place in his five senior appearances.
“I’ve got to bring my competitiveness and my pressure,” the Suns academy product said.
“Pressuring the ball, bringing the ball to ground, winning or halving contests … as long as I’m doing that, and the goals will come.
“`Dimma’ (Hardwick) is really strong on his role players, and who plays the system and their roles really well.
“We want to be a finals teams and challenging for finals and premierships. We’re on the right track, and we’re going to get stronger as the season goes on.”
Fletcher, who was a part of the Lions academy before making his AFL debut for Brisbane last year, said his side was keen to make up for last Thursday’s 54-point loss to the GWS Giants in Canberra.
“We just didn’t turn up and work as hard as we normally do,” said Fletcher, who added his own form was “down” in the heavy defeat.
“We’ve got to start getting our form back and really stringing some games together.
“We’ve definitely got the belief to go on a big wining streak. We’ve just got to dig in and get the process done.
“I’m sure the 23 that go out there this Sunday are going to give it everything.”
