"Next shift."
Two words that speak volumes for an ice hockey coach without needing to say much at all. The average NHL player has probably heard the simple phrase tens of thousands of time in their lifetime and almost certainly have used it themself.
An AFL player? Maybe not as much. But it's this motto - and the psychology behind it - that's driving the Suns toward their first Finals appearance in club history and potentially a tilt at the premiership cup.
A shift in ice hockey can be defined as the time a player spends on the ice before being replaced on a line change, or to use Aussie Rules terminology, an interchange. These are typically short bursts of intense play, rarely longer than two minutes in duration. The high intensity nature of the sport leads to some electric, fast-paced action where singular moments of desperation are amplified and highly respected.
Take Matthew Tkachuk's dramatic goal line save in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, almost providing Florida one last chance to tie the game, before the hustle of an exhausted Connor McDavid won the free puck and scored on the empty net to force Game 6 for Edmonton.
didnโt matter because mcdavid is inevitable, but this save by tkachuk was absolutely insane ๐คง pic.twitter.com/gF2LswVDfE
โ Conor Hurley (@CHurls13) June 19, 2024
It's these sorts of moments, where everything that has happened prior is forgotten, that Damien Hardwick is aiming to reinforce into his Gold Coast side after spectacular consecutive wins against two of the AFL's heavyweight teams in Darwin.
"Next shift in ice hockey is when it's your turn to train or play or make a moment. We take that approach with our weeks, we move on from the week before and move onto training and then the game," Nick Holman told media on Monday.
"The goal in any organisation is to form an identity. Hopefully, the opposition and our fans and people within the club can see that and what we're trying to build. We're not there yet, but we're always continually building on our identity [each week]."
This play-by-play, week by week mentality Holman speaks of at the club has been evident throughout the course of 2025. Just last week, Touk Miller spoke about the desperation he's seen from his teammates in pivotal moments, regardless of the plays or momentum swings from the opposition leading up to it.
"Will Graham highlights [the mentality] in a nutshell, someone who hurts himself on the field, goes to the next contest and wins the ball for us. Last week, Lachie Weller tore his hamstring chasing someone, which forced the turnover, and it comes the other way. I think [the desperation] has probably been a bit of a change from last year to this year so far," Miller said.
"All you can control is your next action and your next moment," Bodhi Uwland said to the media on Monday. "The next shift philosophy is about thinking what's happened has happened, and it's moving onto the next thing."
That next thing on the Suns' agenda is a danger game against St Kilda, playing under the roof of Marvel Stadium. The Saints will be eager to bounce back from a disastrous loss to West Coast, which has their Finals hopes on edge, but Holman says the group welcomes the challenge.
"We go into every game expecting to win. We want to keep putting our best foot forward. If we play the way we have been and know we can, we'll match it with any team, and this week is no different."
