Eade desperate for effort from young Suns

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says follow the leader will be the name of the game ahead of Saturday’s AFL clash with Melbourne.

Eade blasted his charges for a lack of effort in their 72-point loss last round to Port Adelaide and called on the younger players to follow the lead of the experienced Steven May and Jarrod Harbrow.

“We need to get consistent effort, week in, week out. That’s what happens with young teams – we need to bridge the consistency gap,” Eade said.

The Suns’ 2017 season has been full of dramatic highs and lows. They recovered from a round-two 102-point loss to Greater Western Sydney to flog Hawthorn next round by 83 points.

The oldest coach in the AFL had his own ideas on how to get the group to perform consistently but would not offer more publicly other than “a combination of training and individual meetings”.

One thing he was happy to say was how important the impact his senior players had on a game.

“The young guys need someone to follow,” Eade said.

Harbrow is one of those who’s been leading from the front and the coach expects him to step up again during the indigenous round.

“I had him at the Bulldogs as an 18-year-old – he was very quiet, but very determined and very focused on becoming the best player he could be,” Eade said.

“And he’s certainly leading the way with his form at the moment.

“The fact that it’s indigenous round this week will probably add to that. He’s a real indigenous leader in our group. Our young players often seek his counsel and advice – he’s very happy to support our young indigenous footballers.”

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