It will be the battle of the AFL expansion clubs this Saturday when the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS take on the Gold Coast SUNS reserves at Blacktown Olympic Park.
The GIANTS will be looking to continue their strong form, coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in the Club’s history.
The SUNS are also in strong form, following an impressive showing last weekend, defeating South Port by 36 points in the battle of the Coast.
Saturday’s match will be an exciting display of some of the best 17 and 18-year-old footballers from around Australia, with both the GIANTS and SUNS boasting lists of some of the best young emerging stars.
Don’t miss your chance to see the GIANTS in full flight at Blacktown Olympic Park at 12.15pm on Saturday with Israel Folau kicking seven goals in the last two weeks and AIS AFL Academy member Nathan Wilson playing his first game for the club in Sydney.
West Australian GIANT, Nathan Wilson will play just his second game of the 2011 season after returning from an ankle injury which unfortunately saw him sitting on the sidelines for eight months. GIANTS reporter Beck Mills caught up with Nathan ahead of Saturday’s clash to find out how the side is preparing to face the SUNS, how his first game for the GIANTS went and what he thought of the SUNS first game at Metricon Stadium.
So Nathan, what will the team be focusing on in Saturday’s game against the SUNS?
I’m not really sure what the specifics are yet; we’ll talk about that as a group tonight after our main training session. We won all four quarters last week, which was something that we were really hoping to do so I’m sure that will be a focus again this week.
What about your personal goals?
I’ll just be looking to get through it. I want to make sure that my ankle is good and not get injured again. It felt really good last week so hopefully that continues.
Can you tell us a little bit about what happened when you were injured?
I was playing footy finals back home in WA and I went up in the contest, came back down and saw someone coming at me from the side so I ducked and fell on my leg. I thought my knee had snapped at first but when I went to the hospital they told me it was my ankle.
I fractured the inside of my ankle and tore the ligaments off the bone. It’s a pretty rare injury and it takes a long time to heal.
What went through your head when it happened?
I’d just made the 2011 AIS AFL Academy squad so I was pretty devastated because I knew I wouldn’t be able to play. A few talent scouts spoke to me about it and told me not to worry because it wasn’t over.
When did you find out that you were coming to join the GIANTS?
I found out I’d be coming to Sydney in late December. I was at the AIS in Canberra and my family called me from home to tell me the news.
Has being here and having access to experts like Sports Science Manager, John Quinn helped you with your rehab?
Yeah, if I’d been at home, I would’ve started playing again a while ago. As soon as you can run you want to get back on the field and I would have. My ankle wouldn’t have been properly healed and I might have injured it again. Then I’d be going through the rehab process all over again.
What was eight months of full time rehab like?
It was frustrating, especially once I started running because I just wanted to go out and join the main training session.
They say that you work harder in the rehab group than in the main training session but it’s hard to compare because they are very different. You need to be a lot fitter to be able to play matches; I found that out against Eastlake.
When did you find out that you’d be playing last weekend?
The coaches came to me mid last week and told me that I was a chance to play. They said that if I got through the main training session and my ankle was okay I’d be able to play my first game in eight months, which was very exciting.
How did you go in the game against Eastlake?
They were really physical at the beginning of the game, which was a big challenge for us. It didn’t matter much to me, I just loved being back out on the field.
Was the physicality harder for you than the rest of the team because you haven’t been playing?
Not really, you just have to learn to put it aside and play your normal game.
You came off before the end of the match, was that because of cramping?
Yeah but that was to be expected. I started cramping and getting really tight in my legs at the beginning of the fourth quarter. I came off the ground with about fifteen minutes left in the game and didn’t go back out again.
What will you be doing this week to try to avoid cramping on Saturday?
I’ll be training, stretching and eating a lot of bananas. I’ve eaten three bananas so far this week and I’ll probably eat another three before the game on Saturday.
Did you watch the SUNS first game at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night?
Yeah I did. The stadium and crowd looked great and they had a really solid first half.
Did watching it make you excited about the Sydney Showground’s redevelopment and your first game there next year?
Definitely. Hopefully we get a crowd like that for our first game at the showground and can hold out for all four quarters and win the first game.
GWS GIANTS v GC Suns
Gates open 8am
Match Start: 12.15pm
Location: Blacktown Olympic Park
Click here to chat LIVE during the match and keep up to date on the scores.
Entry to Round 10 at BOP is FREE
