While injured Suns, captain Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli showed great improvement at training this morning, it remains to be seen whether they will make their comebacks this weekend against Greater Western Sydney. Coach Guy McKenna has said the club don’t want to risk either player’s long-term safety by bringing them back into the team unless it believes they have completely recovered.
Based on today’s session, both Ablett and Rischitelli are expected to play on Saturday, however a final decision will be made in the coming days. David Swallow will also be assessed on Friday and McKenna is is convinced he will play, despite sitting out this morning’s training session.
Michael Coad has been named in this weekend’s line-up to replace Nathan Bock who is recovering from a broken leg.
McKenna has expressed confidence in the proven performance and abilities of his players when Ablett is not able to play. He has revealed details of conversations with Ablett who agreed that him spending some time in the forward line would be a positive experience for his teammates. It would give them the opportunity to learn a lot by taking on more responsibilities in the midfield, particularly Prestia, Swallow and Caddy.