\n Gold Coast SUNS defender Wil Powell\u00a0says it will be a \u201ctremendous honour\u201d to feature in the upcoming AAMI AFL Origin clash for Western Australia.\n <\/p>\n
Gold Coast SUNS defender Wil Powell\u00a0says it will be a \u201ctremendous honour\u201d to feature in the upcoming AAMI AFL Origin clash for Western Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Western Australia will take on Victoria on Saturday February 14 at Optus Stadium. Powell is relishing the opportunity to line up against his club teammates in what promises to be a fiercely competitive contest, as Victoria will feature several familiar faces Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Sam Collin\u2019s, and new addition Ben King.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Powell will put on the WA jumper for the first time since his junior football days, describing the opportunity as a full-circle moment and one he is incredibly proud to achieve as an AFL player.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honour to put on the Western Australian jumper,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo represent your state again and do it at AFL level is something really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The clash will also bring a unique twist, with Powell set to line up against a few SUNS teammates in what promises to be a highly competitive contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe banter has already started in the change rooms,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve\u00a0got their Victorian bags early, so I might be hiding some of their stuff\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that while its all in good fun, he\u2019s genuinely looking forward to testing himself against his teammates on the field and seeing how they perform in a different team setup.<\/p>\n
SUNS Assistant Coach Shaun Grigg will also feature on the Victorian coaching panel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grigg said the return of state representative football adds another layer of anticipation for fans eager to see elite players back in action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe footy community has been starved for this for a long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While preparing for representative duties and establishing\u00a0himself as a reliable defender, Powell has also embraced a new challenge closer to home, spending time training through the midfield during the SUNS\u2019 pre-season program. The 26-year-old is welcoming the opportunity to expand his skillset and add another string to his bow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love playing backline. That’s all I’ve\u00a0ever known and I thrive back there. Wherever I play, I am happy to pull on the WA jumper and just play,\u201d Powell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s brand new and pretty foreign to me, but I\u2019m loving the challenge\u201d<\/p>\n
Grigg made note on the club\u2019s ability to continually grow and adapt to what the game calls for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always looking to evolve and get better,\u201d Grigg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like Will has traits that really suit the midfield – his contest work, pressure and decision-making are all strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can play through the midfield but also go back if we need him on a dangerous forward. That versatility is going to make us better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grigg added Powell\u2019s attitude throughout the transition has stood out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to win and wants to improve his game. He\u2019s been picking the brains of the midfielders and rucks and really embracing the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SUNS will kick start the year with back-to-back home games at People First Stadium, beginning under Friday night lights against Geelong in Opening Round before welcoming West Coast in Round 1.<\/p>\n
Secure your seats with the hottest tickets in town via membership.goldcoastfc.com.au.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gold Coast SUNS defender Wil Powell\u00a0says it will be a \u201ctremendous honour\u201d to feature in the upcoming AAMI…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-470114","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-text"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}