"He’s done a great job" - Gold Coast star heaps praises on head coach Damien Hardwick as the Suns eye a finals berth

Gold Coast Suns co-captain Touk Miller recently commended the impact of the new coach Damien Hardwick, heaping praises on the changes he has made in the club both on and off the field.

Miller reflecting on the Suns’ impressive start to the season and their hopes for the finals, spoke on Gold Coast's 92.5 Triple M Gold's Flan, Ali & Spida. He said:

"I think the biggest, the one that stands out the most, is the system that we play and I think the ability to adhere to the system and bring that week to week, it's something that we're still learning.

We're still educating ourselves on how to best implement it and execute our roles, but I think that's been a big change from an on-field perspective."

Through Hardwick's tenure, the Gold Coast Suns have powered Into eighth place in the AFL standings, displacing Collingwood after an 11-point win over Essendon on Sunday night.

The win over the Bombers marked their seventh this season, keeping their 2024 unbeaten home-ground streak on — a consistency rarely seen in the club's history.

Miller himself was the match’s star as he made 28 disposals and kicked a pivotal goal in the last minutes following a controversial 50-metre penalty.

Speaking on Hardwick's influence on Gold Coast off-field, Miller stated the head coach has been a unifying factor for various aspects of the club.

"Off field I feel like Dimma's has been huge in how he's brought the whole entire club together.

He has a little bit of a different style to in the past and I feel like he's done a great job of bringing everyone together and getting on board what we're trying to achieve."

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Miller optimistic ahead of Saints clash

Miller optimistic heading into Saints clash

Suns star Touk Miller speaks hopefully about the Suns' future, even nearer the upcoming game against the St Kilda Saints. Speaking to Flan, Ali & Spida on Gold Coast’s 92.5 Triple M, he said:

"We've set ourselves up well. Obviously, we want to win tomorrow, that's our number one focus and lead us into the bye in a really good position going for the last 10 games of the season.

I'm really excited... I feel like we've never been in this type of position where we're really going for the end of the season with finals on the cards and I think it starts with this weekend and putting ourselves in the best position."

Coach Damien Hardwick and the Suns are working tirelessly to extend their current excellent home form to away games and Marvel Stadium just might be the place as they take on the Saints.

In a post-match after Sunday's win over the Essendon Bombers, Hardwick said:

"The challenge is set. We're very good at home and we've got a great understanding of how to play here, but we need to start leaving our mark on the away games”

As the Suns enter the second half of the 2024 season in great form, they are focused on entering the Finals.

With promising young players such as Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, and experienced leaders like Miller, the club seems set for an even more impeccable second half of the season.