Australian Football

Match Report

The 10th Q Clash has resulted in a hard-fought win to the Gold Coast Suns over Brisbane at the Gabba in a generally free-flowing and high-scoring affair. The Suns won 114 to 100, with the Lions registering just the sixth three-figure losing score of the 2015 season. The win put Gold Coast a game and a half clear of the bottom-placed Lions, and the Suns now appear safely out of the 'wooden-spoon' running.

Gold Coast drew first blood with Tom Lynch scoring the game's opening goal after just 90 seconds. The Suns added two behinds before Brisbane opened its account with a goal to Daniel McStay at the eight-minute mark. Lunch responded with his second and when Matt Shaw added another at the 14-minute mark, the Suns were 11 points clear. But the Lions finished the term strongly and majors to Mitch Robinson and Allen Christensen saw them two points ahead at the first change. 

A free kick and goal to Jarrod Harbrow saw Gold Coast regain the the lead in the second minute of the second quarter but Dayne Zorko responded for Brisbane at the three-minute mark to restore the lead for the Lions. The pattern was to be repeated twice more in the term, with a goal to Jack Martin answered by one to Brisbane's Taylor and another to Sun Touk Miller answered by Tommy Rockliff. A sprinkling of behinds in between the goals was enough to give the Suns a one-point lead at the long break. 

That pattern continued on for the first 15 minutes of the third term, each goal to Gold Coast being answered by the Lions until the Suns finally cracked the game open half-way through the quarter. Lynch, Brando Matera, Charlie Dixon and Nick Malceski added majors in a seven-minute run and the Suns were suddenly 23 points clear. Goals to Pearce Hanley and Luke McGuane cut the margin back to 11 but a late goal to Aaron Hall saw Gold Coast ahead by 17 at the last break.

After an early goal to Harley Bennell, the Lions pushed hard in the final quarter, kicking three of the next four goals to get within two goals, but the Suns steadied with majors to Lynch and Dixon. McGuane scored the final goal of the match for Brisbane but the Suns sneaked home by 14 points. 

Gold Coast's best included Hall (28 possessions, five tackles) and Lynch (five goals, nine marks), while the Lions were well served by Hanley (31 touches and a goal) and Stefan Martin (40 hitouts, 11 marks).

Next up for the Suns is a trip to the MCG on Sunday to take on Richmond, while Brisbane will return to the Gabba to host Carlton on Saturday night, with the loser of that match in line to take out the 2015 wooden spoon. 

GOALS
Brisbane: McGuane, Taylor 3; McStay 2; Adcock, Christensen, Hanley, Robinson, Rockliff, Zorko
Gold Coast: Lynch 5; Dixon 3; Bennell, Day, Hall, Harbrow, Malceski, Martin, Matera, Miller, Shaw

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Brisbane: Hanley, Martin, Zorko, Christensen, Rockliff, McStay
Gold Coast: Hall, Lynch, Matera, Dixon, Martin, Rischitelli

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Brisbane: Hanley, Zorko, Rockliff, Taylor, Christensen, Rich
Gold Coast: Hall, Lynch, Bennell, Harbrow, Dixon, May

INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Zac O'Brien replaced Billy Evans in the fourth quarter.
Gold Coast: Andrew Boston replaced Sean Lemmens in the fourth quarter.

UMPIRES: Foot, H. Ryan, Hay, Armstrong

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Matthew Campbell, Jonathan Brown, Alastair Lynch