Forget being merely hit by the injury stick, Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says the Suns are getting bludgeoned by it.
Eade confirmed on Tuesday defenders Adam Saad (hamstring) and Rory Thompson (hip) will both miss Saturday's AFL clash with in-form West Coast in Perth.
Key forward Tom Lynch is also a serious doubt as he battles a corked calf, in what Eade says is the worst injury list he's experienced in his lengthy coaching career.
With captain Gary Ablett, key midfielders David Swallow and Jaeger O'Meara as well as experienced recruit Nick Malceski and young Jack Martin already sidelined, Eade is scrambling to get a team together for the trip west.
On Tuesday he revealed he only had 20 senior players available for a training session.
"The injury stick, I don't think it's just hitting us, it's bludgeoning us at the moment," Eade said. "We're getting smacked.
"Lucky the seconds haven't got a game this week, I'm not being silly, we'd probably have to forfeit."
The Suns' woes mean Harley Bennell, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie and Danny Stanley will almost certainly come into the team after missing last weekend's loss to Adelaide due to club imposed bans for breaching team alcohol protocols.
The biggest concern for Eade is Thompson's absence leaves him without a key defender to match up with the AFL's leading goalkicker, Eagle Josh Kennedy.
The in-form forward has 23 goals this season from six games and has a habit of kicking bags against Suns, booting seven and eight majors in the corresponding fixtures last year.
Along with Thompson, Steven May is suspended while Sam Day (elbow) is another on the injured list. "Pretty bleak, obviously Steven won't play and Rory Thompson won't play, the two key tall backs," Eade said.
"Sam is probably the third one, fourth at a pinch is Dan Gorringe, so there's all of them unavailable. It's a fairly daunting task for whoever we put down there because Josh Kennedy's obviously is good form, he's a good player and they play their rucks as well.
"As a match committee we'll have some sleepless nights on that and some big discussions."
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