Gold Cruise coach Stuart Dew is making ready his charges to assemble down and soiled at a sodden Metricon Stadium in opposition to Fremantle within the Suns’ latest AFL prime-eight challenge.
After opening their 2022 advertising campaign in opposition to West Cruise in Perth, the Suns gather taken on a preference of excessive-flying teams this season including premiers Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda and Sydney.
No topic that hard design, final week’s take hang of over the Swans at the SCG has keep Dew’s personnel 3-5 and on the verge of pushing into the slay eight within the occasion that they would possibly be able to keep some fixed results collectively.
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The 2nd-positioned Dockers, nonetheless, portray a immense hurdle in that quest to the slay discontinue of the standings, with Justin Longmuir’s personnel using excessive in 2nd assert with seven wins and valid one defeat in 2022.
“They’ve been laborious to play in opposition to for a chunk whereas now and clearly JL’s obtained them having fun with a correct system,” Dew said.
“Very organised, successfully coached, successfully drilled and so that they’re having fun with their share.
“It would possibly well possibly well well peaceful be a correct wrestle.
“We gather played quite a lot of teams within the eight which is correct for our construction, but additionally taking a peek to eradicate as many scalps as we are in a position to.”
Sunday’s match is looming to be a moist affair with chronic rain falling all over south-east Queensland for heaps of of the week and the forecast predicting as a lot as 35mm on game day.
The stipulations will add an additional challenge for Longmuir’s men, who gather lost their previous three games at Metricon Stadium in opposition to the Suns.
The Dockers coach is hopeful extra exposure to the venue for the length of the 2020 COVID-19 hub on the Gold Cruise will own certain there aren’t any demons lurking for his personnel.
“Even supposing now we gather got no longer obtained the job carried out at Metricon the last few cases, now we gather played an very good little bit of footy there over the final three years,” Longmuir said.
“We eradicate an very good little bit of confidence from that.
“We know after we ship our footy to that ground, we are in a position to play in point of fact successfully there.”
The Dockers gather lost aged forward Michael Walters to COVID-19 protocols, but Longmuir has recalled Rory Lobb, Blake Acres, Travis Collyer and Michael Frederick to his personnel with Griffin Logue named on the prolonged bench.
The Suns lost Jack Lukosius after he re-aggravated a knee injury in opposition to the Swans, but welcome support younger midfielder Noah Anderson who uncared for final weekend’s take hang of ensuing from illness.