The news that Joel Jeffrey had ruled for the rest of the season dampened the Gold Coast Suns’s re-signing of Jack Lukosius.
The Gold Coast Suns lost Joel Jeffrey for the rest of the AFL season, with the talented young forward undergoing surgery on his right knee.
He is believed to have suffered a minor injury in the Suns’ victory over Adelaide last Sunday, which turned out to be much worse than expected, with scans revealing a ruptured lateral meniscus that ended his campaign.
“It’s really unfortunate,” Suns coach Stewart Dewey said on Thursday.
“Joel added something to our side and he was comfortable on the level.
“He’s one we were surprised by, as he was not very painful (after the game), but when he came in on Monday, my heart sank because I was just disappointed in him because he did a lot of work to get there. where is he.”
The news of Jeffrey’s injury at the end of the season became known after the horrible fracture of the ankle and the dislocation of his teammate Will Powell from the same match that also ended his 2022 campaign.
“You just want your youngsters to play,” Dewey said.
In the best news for the informed Suns in view of Sunday’s away match against Port Adelaide, Jack Lucousius has signed a four-year contract extension.
“I could not be happier committing to the Suns for another four years,” said 21-year-old Lukosius, the second choice in the 2018 Draft AFL.
“I am really grateful that they showed me the faith to play here and I would not want to be anywhere else.
“We have done a lot of hard work in recent years. We are starting to see some rewards now and I think that is really exciting. ”
Currently, away from home with a knee injury, the diverse Lucousius is going to return in the next two weeks.
“I just want to get back on the pitch and I hope to play my part in taking the club forward where we want to go,” he said.
The Suns are not distracted by suggestions that their hopes for the AFL finals are on the verge of Sunday’s clash at Adelaide Oval.
With his team just four points clear of the top eight with more than a third of the regular season remaining, Dew was surprised by the discussion that this weekend’s battle was considered a “do-or-die” meeting.
“We have nine games ahead of us,” Diu said.
“One of our strengths this year was to keep our eyes low enough for next weekend.
“We will continue with our issue. That worked. We certainly do not look ahead.
“I have good experience in the whole championship for many years.
“I’m guilty of it as a player and it does not help you at all. “I can certainly educate the team on the implications of this.”
The Suns, aiming for their fourth straight victory on Sunday, are wary of a Power team just four points behind them on the ladder.
“It’s a big challenge,” Dew said.
“(Port Adelaide) played in a qualifying final last year. We have been watching them for the last few weeks and they are building and they have returned to their best. ”
Power has won six of its last eight games, including a 23-point win over the Sydney Swans last Saturday.
“They really did Sydney at the weekend, and that’s hard to do,” Dewey said.
“It’s a big test for us. Big away world, we look forward to it. They play a hard style footy.
“Our children really want to get there. We have real faith, not false, and that is why we are looking forward to Sunday “.
Suns star Matt Rowell echoed Dew’s feelings “game-game” despite his strong desire to be part of the first Suns team in the history of the club to play football finals.
“We want to win finals and we know we have to win a lot, but we only look at one week at a time,” Rowell said.
“That’s all we can do – focus on those we have this week and prepare as best we can.”