Australian Football

Match Report

Gold Coast has ended its third season on a high with a big win over its fellow fledgling team GWS at Carrara on Sunday afternoon. The Suns jumped away to a 21-point quarter time lead with a six-goal-to-two first quarter and then easily outscored the Giants in each of the remaining three quarters to record a runaway 83-point win.

The loss was a disappointing end to the AFL coaching career of legend Kevin Sheedy, who was coaxed out of retirement to become the inaugural GWS coach. He has stepped down after two years at the helm of the Giants and assistant coach Leon Cameron will take over the reins immediately. Though the Giants won only one match in its second season, the general consensus is that Sheedy has help to lay a solid foundation for the future of GWS.

For the Suns, their third season marks an undoubted upward trend. After winning only three games in each of its first two seasons, Gold Coast this year registered eight victories and defeated Collingwood for the first time. Even in the way the lost the Suns were much improved, its heaviest defeat for the year being 52 points.

In Sunday's match, Gary Ablett finished off another fine season in outstanding fashion, collecting the ball 33 times and kicking four goals. He received great support from Dion Prestia (33 touches and a goal) and Danny Stanley (three goals and 25 possessions). The Giants' best included Taylor Adams (33 possessions and a goal), Adam Tomlinson (22 disposals and a goal) and Toby Greene (23 possessions).

GOALS
Gold Coast: Ablett, Boston 4; Bennell, Rishitelli, Dixon, Harbrow, Stanley, Prestia 2; Gillbee, Hall, Hunt
GWS: Cameron 2; Sumner, Kennedy, Giles, Tomlinson, Adams, Coniglio, Hampton

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Ablett, Prestia, O'Meara, Rischitelli, Stanley, Boston, Bennell
GWS: Adams, Shiel, Tomlinson

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Ablett, Stanley, Prestia, Weller, Bennell, Boston
GWS: Adams, Greene, Tomlinson

COACHES' COMMENTS
Guy McKenna (GCo): Good way to finish [the season]. We spoke after last week of a mental letdown, which led to a physical let down which led to a poor result [against St Kilda], so it was important for us to finish off the season well; seven wins, that made it eight. There were milestones along the way: we weren't belted. I think nine times we were belted by more than 10 goals last season. This year there were none of those results.

Kevin Sheedy (GWS): It's been a learning progression for me coming into the Giants platform. The great thing about coming to the Giants and starting the club in general is that we've brought so many people into the club to be included in the development of this new footy club. When you look back and you think these two new franchises [the Giants and Suns] have come in and had to go and find 100 players over three years, it's an enormous amount of effort.

INJURIES
Gold Coast: None
GWS: None

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Karmichael Hunt on for Joel Wilkinson in the third quarter
GWS: Kristian Jaksch on for James Stewart in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Leppard, Findlay, Mitchell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Brad Johnson, Mark Ricciuto, Leigh Colbert