The men in orange pushed past Eltham Redbacks 3-1 in wet and wild conditions on Saturday, doing enough to satisfy coach Craig Carley.
“I thought it was a decent performance overall,” Carley said.
“I believe we played our brand of football and controlled the majority of the game and didn’t get sucked into a physical battle out there.
“At times we probably gave the ball away a bit too cheaply and looked to go forward quicker than we needed to, but that gives us plenty to work on moving forward.”
An incisive Vani Shamoon through ball was latched on to by Willie Sauiluma early on, with the winger coolly converting for 1-0 inside 10 minutes.
Parity was restored by Eltham in the following minutes, however, as Stefan Cardamone finished off a swift counter to level the pegging.
The match was held in the balance for the rest of the half — but the Suns would enter the break a goal to the good thanks to Adam Gatcum.
A fleeting move from left to right was converted by the fullback, who danced around his marker before slamming home the side's second with the whistle looming.
Heading from the sheds, Carley shored things up by bringing on fresh legs at the break.
The decision paid off, with substitutes George Murilly and Brandon Giaccherini linking up for the coup de grace to capitalise on Eltham’s increasingly panicked forward attempts.
Winning the ball on the left flank, Murilly conjured an oil painting of an assist, leaving three markers for dead before flashing a wicked ball across the face of goal for Giaccherini to tap home.
With the win sealed, Carley relished the chance to get started as the National Premier League Two competition begins on Saturday.
“I’m really looking forward to the first league game against Bulleen this weekend,” he said.
“I think last week’s competitive game was an increase in intensity after a long pre-season and added with something to actually play for.
“We obviously want to get off to a good start in the league and get points on the board, but we understand that every game is going to be difficult so need to be at our best to get the points.”
● Two familiar Suns faces have signed on the dotted line for 2021.
Club stalwart Greg Nash will again lend his services to the Orangemen, with the no-nonsense defender expected to do a job at fullback.
Another name synonymous with the club to commit is tenacious midfielder Matt Lelliott.
Lelliott has been an integral member of the Suns’ core throughout past seasons and will add to the side’s deep midfield stocks with round one arriving on Saturday.
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