It didn't pay off immediately but Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna is pretty happy he stuck with his policy of implementing a traditional forward line of three talls.
The policy paid dividends on Sunday as Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon booted four goals apiece for the Suns in a 45-point win over the Western Bulldogs.
Combined with Sam Day, the Suns' in-form forward line has been a key reason for the club's five-match winning run which has lifted them into the AFL top four for the first time in their short history.
Lynch's four goals, his highest haul of the season, lifts his tally to 22 from nine games this year.
The 199cm 21-year-old is six majors behind leader Jack Riewoldt in this year's Coleman Medal race, the first time a Suns player has been in the hunt for the league's goalkicking prize.
For McKenna, it's vindication for his commitment to playing three big men in his forward line despite it taking a while to reap rewards.
"I don't expect all three of them to kick four goals each week and sort of be superheroes but given the quality of those three ... I know one's going to come off the chain," he said.
"Tommy's had a few weeks at it. Charlie when he first came in kicked three goals against North. Sammy Day's kicked four goals and he's also chopping out in the ruck so we've got to give credit where credit's due.
"Those three boys, their output has been enormous defensively and even better on the scoreboard."
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