GOLD Coast has been steadfast all week that success in the midfield will determine if it can defeat Adelaide on Saturday.
And it's right. If you don't win clearances, contested footy (Adelaide has not lost that stat this season) and control the tempo with smart decisions and good execution, you're likely to face a long day against the slick Crows.
But there's the team that controls Adelaide's forward 50 will go a long way towards bagging the premiership points.
The unbeaten Crows have kicked 77 goals in four games and only need an even share of the ball for the likes of Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts, Tom Lynch and Charlie Cameron to cash in.
The Suns have a vastly revamped back six from the one coach Rodney Eade envisaged during his pre-season, with Steven May (hamstring), Rory Thompson (quad) and swingman Sam Day (season-ending hip) all unavailable.
The task facing Jack Leslie is huge. He will man 'Tex' Walker, while either Jarrod Harbrow or Adam Saad will have the task of stifling Coleman Medal co-leader Betts.
Will they be willing to run off and give the Suns some much-needed dash from defence when Betts is waiting to punish any turnover?
But perhaps the most intriguing Gold Coast defender today is Kade Kolodjashnij.
The Tasmanian, 21, has been named at centre half-back, most likely to stand alongside Andy Otten.
"I'm up for any challenge," Kolodjashnij told AFL.com.au.
"They're a pretty dangerous forward line … it's going to be a tough task, but we're up for it."
Kolodjashnij concedes just 3cm to Otten and has taken the third tall regularly in the past two seasons, so has experience in that area.
After an inconsistent 2016, marred by health problems that forced him to take multiple trips to the hospital, he has started this year in fine form, averaging 24 disposals and eight marks through the first month.
He has played on Betts and Lynch in the past, but just how he handles the taller assignment – and whether he can use his run to expose Otten the other way – will be fascinating.
"‘Maysie’ is a massive loss and it's going to be hard to cover him, but we can work it out and work as a back six," Kolodjashnij said.
Which brings us back to one of footy's classic clichés about matches being won in the midfield.
"We'll be outsized down back and we'll rely on the midfielders a lot to put pressure on the footy and lock it in our forward half," he said.
Suns co-captain Tom Lynch and Eade have expressed the same sentiment this week – and it's true – but how the defence handles Adelaide's all-star forward line will also have a big say in how far the Suns push the Crows.
