Gold Coast manager Stuart Dew prepares his proteges to get dirty in a soggy Metricon Stadium against Fremantle in the Suns’ latest AFL top eight challenge.
After opening their 2022 campaign against the West Coast in Perth, the Suns have faced a number of top flight sides this season including Premiers Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda and Sydney.
Despite that tough draw, last week’s win over the Swans at SCG put Dew’s side 3-5 and on course for a top-eight finish if they can get some consistent results.
The second-placed Dockers, however, pose a big hurdle in that quest to the top of the standings, with Justin Longmuir’s side climbing into second place with seven wins and just one loss in 2022.
“They’ve been tough to play against for a little while now and obviously JL had them playing a good system,” Dew said.
“Very organised, well trained, well trained and they are playing their part.
“It should be a good fight.
“We’ve faced many teams in the eight which is good for our development, but we’re also looking to take as many scalps as possible.”
Sunday’s game promises to be wet with persistent rain falling across south-east Queensland for most of the week and forecasts for up to 35mm on game day.
The conditions will add an additional challenge to Longmuir’s men, who have lost their last three games at Metricon Stadium to the Suns.
The Dockers coach hopes greater exposure to the venue during the 2020 COVID-19 hub on the Gold Coast will ensure there are no demons lurking for his team.
“Although we haven’t done the work at Metricon the last few times, we’ve played quite a bit of footy there over the last three years,” Longmuir said.
“We get a good dose of confidence from it.
“We know that when we bring our football to this pitch, we can play very well there.”
The Dockers lost veteran forward Michael Walters to COVID-19 protocols, but Longmuir recalled Rory Lobb, Blake Acres, Travis Collyer and Michael Frederick to his squad with Griffin Logue named to the extended bench.
The Suns lost Jack Lukosius after aggravating a knee injury against the Swans but welcome young midfielder Noah Anderson who missed last weekend’s win through illness.