AFL Suns youngsters may need break:McKenna

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says teenage duo Kade Kolodjashnij and Sean Lemmens will be rested if needed despite impressive starts to their AFL careers.

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna admits he's contemplating resting youngsters Kade Kolodjashnij and Sean Lemmens.

Wary of overexposing the pair in their debut AFL campaigns, McKenna says he's set to be more conservative in his approach than he was last year with Jaeger O'Meara, who played all 22 matches in 2013.

Kolodjashnij has made six starts for the Suns since making his debut in round two against Fremantle.

South Australian product Lemmens has been ever present for the Suns in 2014, as McKenna's team has risen to fifth position with five wins and two losses going into this weekend's bye.

Taken at pick No.5 in last year's draft, 18-year-old Kolodjashnij picked up a career-high 25 disposals in the impressive 43-point win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium last Sunday.

But the Tasmanian also suffered a knock to his knee in the second quarter of the match and will need the bye to regain fitness in time for the Suns' next fixture on the road against St Kilda.

McKenna says Lemmens was also looking fatigued following the Kangaroos' clash and admits he'll be watching the fitness of both teenagers for the remainder of the campaign.

"Sean looked like his wheels were wobbling a little bit so we have to manage them - the bye has come at a good period," McKenna told the Suns' website.

"Kade did lose a bit of fitness around the NAB Cup when he had a tight hamstring ... playing against boys like he did last year compared to cracking in against men so it does take its toll.

"We'll manage them like we have had to do in the past with our first-year players."


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Source: AAP


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