Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade is hopeful key AFL duo Gary Ablett and Steven May will be on deck when the Suns host Richmond on Saturday night.

The absence of May and Ablett, who are both battling hamstring injuries, was felt when the Suns struggled in a heavy loss to Western Bulldogs last weekend.

The pair will train on Thursday night and be given every chance to prove their fitness to play the fourth-placed Tigers.

Palm Beach-Currumbin product Max Spencer, a 19-year-old who is 190cm, is tipped to debut if May does not prove his fitness.

Ablett has been a hit-and-miss proposition of late, Eade explaining that injuries to other players meant he was unable to ease back into full fitness by limiting his game time as planned.

But the coach said it is the absence of imposing defender May that is really hurting the Suns, particularly on the weekend when their undersized and inexperienced defensive unit was exposed.

Richmond, enjoying a return to the top four after starting the season with six straight wins, will happily exploit that weakness again if given the chance.

“We don’t have any tall defenders, so you go in inexperienced and undersized and it puts pressure on the team,” Eade said on Thursday.

“If May doesn’t play this week it’ll probably be the youngest defence ever.”

Eade said both May and Ablett were confident and keen to play despite the Suns being well outside finals contention.

“I think the spirit’s still there, I think they’re still giving everything, they just didn’t have much left in the tank in that last quarter (against the Bulldogs),” he said.

“They’re a chance to play, but we won’t be taking any risks with them either.”