Jack Bowes wants to be in the thick of things for the Gold Coast and he looks set to get his wish against Nat Fyfe's Fremantle.
While it's unlikely to be a full-blown tagging role, the Suns midfielder is set to match up on the Brownlow Medallist at Metricon Stadium on Sunday.
Bowes will give up three centimetres, six years and 126 AFL games to the in-form Dockers captain, but at 187cm boasts height and size his fellow midfielders can't match.
It's a battle the confident 21-year-old has welcomed after relishing his time in the engine room during a tense one-point opening-round loss to St Kilda.
The third-year Sun laid five tackles, while 12 of his 24 possessions were contested as Stuart Dew's side did their best to cope with David Swallow's early midfield exit with a knee injury.
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One of several developing midfielders on the Gold Coast, Bowes said he was keen to take on the big jobs and drew plenty from the Marvel Stadium outing.
"Towards the end of games the midfield can have a massive influence on how the game pans out," the Cairns product said.
"It's where you want to be and (marking the best players) how you learn."
Bowes was full of praise for newcomers Anthony Miles, George Horlin-Smith, Sam Collins and Jack Hombsch, who all put their bodies on the line in a manic final quarter.
"In moments like that you find out about people ... you want to play with these guys, there's a lot of pride in that," he said.
Fremantle sent a statement of their own with an 82-point defeat of North Melbourne last weekend, but the Suns fancied their chances on home turf.
"We've got a lot of belief in what we can do and we're still getting to know each other," Bowes said.
