Medical room: At this stage, number eight draft pick Josh Caddy looks like being the only Gold Coast player unavailable for the NAB Cup. "He went in and had minor groin surgery in mid-December, but he should be right by the start of the home and away season," Suns football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft said.
Who's burning: Many football watchers were surprised that Gold Coast used its only pick in the pre-season draft to recruit Nathan Ablett, rather than selecting the former Geelong forward in the rookie draft. But while Ablett struggled to win a place in the Suns' VFL side last season, the club insists he's been very impressive at training since his brother Gary arrived in south-east Queensland.
Draftee watch: South Australian key forward Sam Day, who was the Suns' third pick in the national draft, headed off on a pre-planned two-week holiday to the United States shortly after he moved to the Gold Coast. Only a couple of days after his return, Day's holiday became a distant memory as he and his teammates were run ragged at the club's first training camp at Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The camp was overseen by SAS veteran Tony Grant. "We wanted to test the boundaries of their physical and emotional capabilities," Ashcroft said. "They were woken up during two of the nights and when it came to meal-time they had to eat whatever was put in front of them. It was things like raw eggs and sardines. The players couldn't starve so they had to force themselves to eat the food."
Membership: The Suns recently signed their 8000th member and are on track to have more than 12,000 by round one of their first home and away campaign. Gold Coast's players have been doing their bit to help out, and Christmas came early for Suns member Cassandra Stephens when star recruit Michael Rischitelli and Michael Coad surprised her at work with the personal delivery of a club merchandise pack.
After the break: Having already held their training camp, the Suns will be focusing on making sure they all understand McKenna's game plan when they return from their summer break. "We try and incorporate all of our conditioning and running work into our ball work," Ashcroft explained. "It'll be more of the same, although we'll obviously be increasing the loads and the intensity. Training went up a notch in December and it will go up another notch in January."
Telstra Community Camp: Given their need to build support at home, the Suns' community camp will be held on the Gold Coast from February 5-8. Fans will be invited to attend training sessions and watch the AFL's newest team strut its stuff, while the players will spend plenty of time touring local schools and hospitals.
NAB Cup opener: February 19 v Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants at Blacktown Olympic Park.
What they say: "We've had a plan in place for more than two years to get us to this point. Up until now the boys have done really well, and as we go into the Christmas break we know that most of the guys are doing well. They have given themselves a platform to really launch into training in January and then be ready when the games start in February." - football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
