Suns in the Media - Part II

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Bailey Humphrey opens up on Dustin Martin comparisons after disappointing 2024 season​

Hardwick’s intention was likely to fill Humphrey with confidence in his own abilities but, reflecting on it now, the young Sun says he struggled with living up to the comparison.

“When you get compared to someone like that, it’s pretty tough. For me my mindset was, ‘I have to be him (Martin) now’,” Humphrey said.

“Obviously if I could be half the footballer he was, that would be incredible. So yeah, it took a bit of a toll on me mentally. I felt like I had to be him, having 30 (disposals) and three (goals) every game and when I didn’t do that, I felt like I was letting people down.

“After my first year I had high expectations and I didn’t really reach those.

“It was a massive learning year for me – that’s what I took out of it the most, was learning how to deal with the mental rigours of footy.”
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In the off-season Humphrey joined Will Graham, Ethan Read, Ned Moyle and Sam Clohesy on a two-week trip to Phoenix, Arizona where they trained at the world-renowned Exos Sports Performance centre.

One of Humphrey’s great weapons is his burst from stoppage and ability to create space for himself at a contest and inside 50 with his speed and power.

It was with that in mind he sought to work with the experts at Exos, who have helped NFL, NBA and a host of other professional athletes improve their performance.
“It was all speed and power based,” he said.

“It was a lot of different technique stuff, trying to work on bringing out our speed and power in different ways.

“We used bands, sleds, curve treadmills … it was all about finding ways to bring out your speed when you don’t think you can.

“Last year I felt like I couldn’t find my speed and power toward the start of the season, but I was able to get going toward the back end of the season. So I’m trying to get on the front foot now so that I can head into the start of the season and not have that affect my footy.”
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Ned is on the verge of a proper breakout campaign I think.
Last year he was awesome but think he's on the verge of the next step to be a top 10 player in the league, especially playing in a more suited position
 
Mini GF said:
I’m looking forward actually to Alex Davies going next level.
Huge domino affect for our other stars if he has the season I’m predicting.
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Funny to think Davies is now going to be coached by the guy he was supposed to replace - Hugh Greeenwood. The fact that they've played/trained together and understand strengths/weaknesses should pay dividends next year. I'd like to think something similar is happening with Nick Malceski and the players he's played/trained with in the past. Including the guys he worked with during his local stint like Jake Rogers at Broadbeach in 2023.

Cohesion for players and coaches is a massively underrated stat and I think we're only just starting to tap into what's possible. We're going to see that with Dimma and Rioli next year too.
 
Flanders declared the look was almost certainly staying for Opening Round and so far the feedback has been “more positive than negative, which is a bit of a surprise”.

“I don’t think mum is too big a fan of it … but it will help my nan at home to see me on the TV, which is important.”
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Although he’s looking very much party on top it has been all about business for Flanders so far in pre-season.

The Suns’ reigning best and fairest runner-up will be a popular pick to make the jump to superstar status in 2025 after dominating both on-ball and across halfback in stints last season.

Now with the arrival of Daniel Rioli and John Noble in the trade period, the Suns can unleash the breakout ball-winner as a bona fide midfielder – and Flanders is doing all he can to be ready.

He was an opt-in participant for the dreaded 2km time trial late last month and subsequently topped the time sheet.

“I definitely didn’t need to do that,” Flanders said of the fitness test for the 1-4 year players.

“But our high performance coach, Alex Rigby, loves putting challenges to blokes and a couple of days before he got to me and said he thought it would be a good idea to run the 2km and try to win it.

“He put that challenge to me and I was feeling confident, feeling pretty fit, so I thought why not?”

It was an important statement from one of the Suns’ senior players that if the club was going to get to where it wants to next season, everyone has to be pulling in the same direction.

“That was something in the review at the end of last season that Dimma (coach Damien Hardwick) wanted me to focus on next year, was a lot more leadership, a lot more voice — that’s how we grow as a group.”
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A breakout end to 2023 earned him a four-year extension and last season, the Gippsland Power product averaged a ridiculous 31 disposals and finished the year as arguably the Suns’ most in-form midfielder.

“Upon reflection it was obviously a very positive year for myself. I set some goals at the start of the year and was able to achieve those,” Flanders said.

“The biggest thing for me was being able to accept change — roll with the punches, whatever they may be. So whenever a coach came to me with a different position, instead of looking at it as a negative it was an opportunity.

“Just to play a game at all was a positive.”
Last year, he spoke candidly with this masthead about the anxiety of being an AFL player and the inherent “fear” that comes with being dropped, or told you are not good enough.

Flanders maintains he never wants to feel “safe” at the selection table, lest he lose the cutting edge drive to continually improve.

Incredibly, he has weaponised an area that could be considered a weakness and turned into a strength. He is, a budding superstar without an ego.

Deep down, he will always be the boy from Fish Creek.

“I definitely put it down to my upbringing. I come from a very good family. Mum and dad raised all of us the right way, so a massive credit to them.

“And as Nick Holman says, ‘it’s free to smile’. I’m just trying to take that into every day and be the best person I can be.”
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Jen2310 said:
A lot of red in that graphic, not exactly great reading.
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Big Red Machine said:
Honestly.

It's two more winning records than what I thought we had.
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I reckon the Bears/Lions table would have looked similar to ours when they were 13 or so years into their existence just before they won three flags in a row. Our time will come and we'll turn around a lot of those losing records.
 
Three tall forward line?
Gold Coast spearhead Ben King has warned the Suns could pull the trigger on a three-headed key forward set up with second-year starters Jed Walter and Ethan Read dominating the early pre-season running.
The off-season exits of Jack Lukosius, Sam Day and Levi Casboult left King, 24, as the senior figure among the Suns’ key forwards and hints at Damien Hardwick’s plans to lean heavily on his young brigade to play crucial roles next season.

Last week Walter told this masthead he was leaving no stone unturned in his quest to become a capable lieutenant inside 50 and King believes the Suns are cooking up something special in the forward half.
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“I’m really excited about what we could do next year,” King said.

“Ethan and Jed have both shown massive improvement over the summer. ‘Ready’ has put on heaps of weight and is looking stronger and sharper. Both of those lads I’m really excited to play more football with them, I think we’ll have a really good forward line with us there.”

Much was made of the Suns’ forward-half profligacy last season, with Hardwick’s side at one point leading the league in inside 50s but struggling to convert the territory dominance on the scoreboard.

Ben Long played a stellar cameo as a medium-forward but the Suns struggled to find a serious goal threat from within its small forward stocks.

Form and injury conspired to cruel Malcolm Rosas’ season after a promising start to the year while pressure specialists Tom Berry and Nick Holman combined for just 16 goals between them.

King is confident the club will find the right forward mix to put its scoring struggles to bed.

“We’re really lucky it’s a competitive list at the moment, especially in that small forward spot,” he said.

“Jake Rogers is heaps fitter this pre-season and then there’s a guy like Leo (Lombard) who has the body of a 25 year old and looks like he can play straight away, too.”
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Lombard, the No. 9 pick in last month’s AFL draft, looks a plug-and-play prospect with two seasons of VFL already under his belt.

The midfielder would likely get his AFL start inside 50 where he can use his elite agility and power to cause all kinds of headaches for opposition defenders.

And after a lower back injury ruined his pre-season preparations last year, second-year Sun Rogers looks primed to make the sophomore jump and add to his nine senior games from 2024.

“(Rogers) would be one of the best kicks in the team,” King said of the 19 year old who has been likened to Brisbane Lions star Dayne Zorko.

“The more we can get the ball in his hands around the arc, the better it will be for us forwards. I’m very excited to see his development this year.”

As for the man himself, King is relishing his first injury-free pre-season since 2021.

After booting a career-best 55 goals in 2024, the 202cm target man says he has another gear to go to next year.

“The last few pre-seasons it’s taken right up until the first practice game to jump in on full drills, so I’ve been quite rushed to get myself ready for round one,” he said.

“I’m hoping this year is a bit different and I can get some consistency in my training and have a really solid summer.

“I feel strong and fit at the moment and quite in tune with my footy. I’m hoping to have a really strong couple of months and make some improvements ahead of the season.”
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I would say 1 would be on the bench for a fair portion of the game, then there's always the sub option later. Read is a great option as he can play luko role but also chop out in ruck.
 
MarcLocksCrustySock said:
Kingy just not even acknowledging there was a lid to be taken off. The house is being trained to the ground and the lid is off, nowhere to be found!
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I found the lid ;)

Jed Walter 19 Yrs 14 Games 11 Goals
Ethan Read 19 Yrs 4 Games 3 Goals
Jake Rogers 19 Yrs 9 Games 2 Goals
Leo Lombard 18 Years 0 Games 0 Goals

They’re all still babies.

But I still want some of that sativa Kingy has been smoking.
 

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Suns in the Media - Part II

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