Top pick's setback for Opening Round
Gold Coast Sun top draft pick Leo Lombard is in a race to be fit for Opening Round after he sustained a shoulder injury in Thursday night's practice match.
Lombard, who was firming for an Opening Round debut, was in sparkling touch in the three-team match simulation before leaving the field clutching at his shoulder.
Suns forward coach Brad Miller declared Lombard was '100 per cent in the frame' for an immediate AFL debut before his shoulder concern.
Gold Coast assistant coach Shaun Grigg said Lombard would be sent for scans.
'The only thing we know is obviously shoulder, coming off (the ground), we don't know the severity of it just yet,' he said.
'We will get scans over the next couple of days, hopefully not too serious, he was going well out there.
'We'll get those scans and assess early in the week.'
Gold Coast won both its matches against Brisbane and Collingwood, but it was how that impressed Grigg.
'I think the identifiable thing that came out was probably our pressure, that was really noticeable on the night from us,' he said.
'We were able to win those turnovers and get the ball back to score off them as well. It was great to play against opposition, bashing and crashing against ourselves for a period of time.
'To play some good teams, both the Lions and the Pies, it was good.'
Gold Coast hosts Essendon in Opening Round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott will be next coach of the Suns
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their head coach, opting for a young, emerging leader to rebuild a franchise that has regressed over the last few seasons, a person familiar with the search told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to on condition of anonymity because the hire hasn't officially been announced. Ott will be the team's fourth head coach in four seasons and replaces Mike Budenholzer, who was fired following a miserable 36-46 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs despite the high-priced trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The 40-year-old Ott has worked for the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers. He also worked as a video coordinator under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, which is where Suns owner Mat Ishbia played as a walk-on from 1999 to 2003. It remains to be seen if Durant or Beal will be on next season's roster — both could be moved in trades. Booker seems like the only player on the roster who is truly untouchable after 10 seasons in the desert, including four All-Star appearances. Ott and fellow Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant were the two finalists for the job. Both worked under Kenny Atkinson, helping lead Cleveland to a 64-18 record this season, which was the best record in the Eastern Conference. Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory led a lengthy, deliberate search that lasted 1 1/2 months and included more than a dozen candidates. Gregory also has Michigan State ties as a former assistant coach. Ott takes over a franchise that's had a quick rise and fall over the last five years. The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021 with a core that included Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Chris Paul, Cameron Johnson and coach Monty Williams, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Phoenix had the best record in the NBA the next season before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Ishbia blew up that nucleus shortly after purchasing the team in 2023, trading for superstar Kevin Durant, but the Suns lost again in the second round of the playoffs, this time to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Williams was fired following the season, which started the franchise's sideline shuffle. The Suns traded for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal and hired coach Frank Vogel during the ensuing offseason, but the group never seemed to gel. Phoenix was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs in 2024, leading to Vogel's firing. Budenholzer replaced Vogel before last season, but the Suns didn't even make it to the play-in tournament in 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Suns hire Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as head coach, AP source says
PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their head coach, opting for a young, emerging leader to rebuild a franchise that has regressed over the past few seasons, a person familiar with the search told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the hire hasn't officially been announced. Ott will be the team's fourth head coach in four seasons and replaces Mike Budenholzer, who was fired following a miserable 36-46 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs despite the high-priced trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The 40-year-old Ott has worked for the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers. He also worked as a video coordinator under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, which is where Suns owner Mat Ishbia played as a walk-on from 1999 to 2003. It remains to be seen if Durant or Beal will be on next season's roster — both could be moved in trades. Booker seems like the only player on the roster who is truly untouchable after 10 seasons in the desert, including four All-Star appearances. Ott and fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant were the two finalists for the job. Both worked under Kenny Atkinson, helping lead Cleveland to a 64-18 record this season, which was the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory led a lengthy, deliberate search that lasted 1 1/2 months and included more than a dozen candidates. Gregory also has Michigan State ties as a former assistant coach. ESPN first reported the hiring. Ott takes over a franchise that's had a quick rise and fall over the past five years. The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021 with a core that included Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Chris Paul, Cameron Johnson and coach Monty Williams, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Phoenix had the best record in the NBA the next season before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Ishbia blew up that nucleus shortly after purchasing the team in 2023, trading for superstar Kevin Durant, but the Suns lost again in the postseason's second round, this time to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Williams was fired following the season, which started the franchise's sideline shuffle. The Suns traded for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal and hired coach Frank Vogel during the ensuing offseason, but the group never seemed to gel. Phoenix was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs in 2024, leading to Vogel's firing. Budenholzer replaced Vogel before last season, but the Suns didn't even make it to the play-in tournament in 2025. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Report: Suns hiring Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as head coach
The Phoenix Suns have reportedly found their new head coach — their fourth in as many seasons. Jordan Ott, most recently an assistant on the Cleveland Cavaliers, will be hired as the Suns coach, according to ESPN. The network also reported, citing anonymous sources, that Suns star guard Devin Booker was involved in the coaching search and had favored Ott as his top choice. Advertisement The Cavaliers, under coach Kenny Atkinson, posted a 64-18 record this season, best in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland excelled on both sides of the ball, leading the NBA in offensive rating (121.0) and third in net rating (9.2). The Cavaliers embraced spreading the floor and distributing the ball, but also oversaw the rise of forward Evan Mobley as an elite defender, leading to his winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. Ott also served as an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24) under former coach Darvin Ham and the Nets (2016-22) — where Atkinson coached briefly during his time in Brooklyn. Ott also was the video coordinator of the Atlanta Hawks, interestingly, under former Suns coach Mike Budenholzer, whom the Suns fired Monday, April 14. Under Budenholzer, Phoenix struggled to gain traction in the Western Conference. The Suns, who have been led by the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, finished 36-46, missing out on the play-in window. It marked the first time in four seasons that the franchise missed the playoffs. Jordan Ott Ott be Phoenix's fourth head coach in four seasons. Budenholzer had been Phoenix's third coach in as many seasons — they also fired Monty Williams after the 2022-23 season and Frank Vogel after the 2023-24 campaign. Advertisement Ott will now oversee a team that may be facing some roster overhaul. The Durant-Booker-Beal simply has not yielded satisfactory results, especially considering the salary cap space devoted to the three. The Suns had the highest payroll in the NBA this season, which had the unintended consequence of stripping the team of depth. Team owner Matt Ishbia has been very aggressive about investing money in his team and roster with the aim of bringing a championship to Phoenix. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suns hiring Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as head coach
