GOLD Coast tall Daniel Gorringe has a simple goal this year, but believes he might need to reinvent himself to achieve it.
Gorringe was widely regarded as the best junior ruckman in 2010 and the Suns gladly took him at pick No.10 in their inaugural draft that year.
However, the South Australian has struggled to make the transition from junior football to the AFL, and has played just 20 senior games in his four years on the Gold Coast.
After a failed attempt to return home to Adelaide at the end of last season, the 22-year-old has made a strong start to the 2015 pre-season and is determined to prove that the Suns picked wisely back in 2010.
"My main aim now is to prove to the Suns that I can play — and I want to play," Gorringe told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
"I love it here, we have a new coach with ‘Rocket’ (Rodney Eade) and I've enjoyed working with him."
However, with the Suns' ruck division already boasting Zac Smith, Tom Nicholls and pinch-hitting forward Charlie Dixon, Gorringe, 199cm, is eyeing a possible switch to the midfield in 2015.
"I think my best position is probably somewhere in the midfield where I can run and open up and take the game on," Gorringe said.
"I'm not too tall for the middle and I'm pretty mobile, as mobile as the other mids.
"Everyone has this perception that if you're tall you can't run around, but I reckon I'm right to be in there and do what they're doing."
Gorringe is coming off a horror 2014 season. Sidelined for three months early in the year with an Achilles tendon injury, he broke into the Suns' team in round 19 and played three straight games before a knee injury ended his season.
Last October, Gorringe sought a trade home, with Port Adelaide emerging as the keenest suitor.
But the Power's main focus was brokering a deal for Essendon ruckman Patrick Ryder, and when those negotiations dragged into the final day of the trade period, Gorringe's hopes of a move were dashed.
However, since returning to Metricon Stadium for pre-season training in November, Gorringe has totally committed to preparing himself for a 2015 season that he acknowledges could be career-defining.
"I've laid some good foundations through the pre-season, so it's going to be a big year for my future, which is exciting and a bit nerve-racking at the same time," he said.
"But I’m always up for a challenge."
