Which Gold Coast player will have the biggest impact?
The Gold Coast have been crowned champions of the AFL Grand Final, but who will be the first to break into the league’s elite ranks?
Read more about the AFL, AFLPA, football, nrl, sport, gd, gold coast source ABC News (AU) title Gold Coast set to host AFL Grand Finals with Gold Coast v West Coast article Gold Coast coach Nathan Buckley is hoping to repeat his title-winning season from 2016, with his side set to play the West Coast Eagles in the grand final on Sunday.
In his second season with the club Buckley was rewarded with the coveted Grand Final captaincy, while he was also given the reins of the Gold Coast midfield, which helped the Suns win the competition in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Now the Cats are hoping to add to the form Buckley enjoyed last year when he played a key role in the club’s premiership run, but it will be a challenge to keep his squad fresh for the big game.
Buckley said the Gold Coasters will be motivated to be competitive this season.
“I’m not worried about them getting hurt,” Buckley said.
“We’ve got some really good players.
We’ve got guys like Sam Mitchell, Matt White, Josh Kelly and Tom Lynch who all have a chance to be playing in finals and I’m really excited about them.”
It’s just a matter of doing everything we can to help them get the job done.
“Buckling the nervesBuckrell said the Cats were in a good position to repeat last season’s finals run, having lost just two of their last 10 games, which also included finals series wins against the Goldfields and St Kilda.”
Our players are really well organised, so we can handle the pressure,” Buckley added.”
Last year was the biggest pressure we’ve faced, but I think we’ve been resilient and we’re going to go out there and do our best to win the game.”BUCKLEY ON HIGHLIGHTS:Bucknell’s team has had a few tough moments during the finals, losing to Fremantle in round nine and the Dockers in round 19.
But Buckley said the team has been resilient, with Mitchell and White, who has played in a handful of finals series, ready to step up and do the job.”
Sam Mitchell has been outstanding all season, he’s been a really solid performer,” Buckley told AFL.com.au.”
Tom Lynch has been an incredible captain this year.
Josh Kelly is a really important player and his impact on the game is enormous.
“Josh’s been playing really well, he had some tough moments last year and he’s got a lot to do with that.”RUNNING BACK:Garrett Sinclair has been a regular for the Cats since arriving in the NAB Challenge as a rookie, but is expected to start in the big win on Sunday night.
The 25-year-old is averaging 14 disposals, five marks and three goals for the season, and he will be desperate to cement his place in the line-up ahead of next year’s AFL finals.
“When we come out here we’re just going to get on the ground and we’ll just try to play our best footy and hopefully win it,” Sinclair said.Read more