Australian Football

Match Report

The rise of the Gold Coast Football Club continues unabated as the Suns saw off the Western Bulldogs at Carrara on Sunday, largely on the back of a scintillating eight goal to one third quarter, and moved into third place on the ladder.

Guy McKenna's men kicked off the match in ominous fashion, kicking the first two goals of the match within the first two minutes, both to Charlie Dixon. But the Bulldogs dug in after that and settled in to its defensive style to limit the Suns to just two further goals for the term, while adding 3.3 of their own, to trail by just three points at the first break.

The Bulldogs continued to stifle the Suns throughout the second quarter, restricting the Suns to 3.2, and probably should have held a reasonable lead at the long break, but inefficient use of the ball in the forward line - within play and shooting for goal - prevented full capitalisation of a strong effort in defence and the middle of the ground. The Dogs finished the term with 2.5 and trailed by six points at half time. Tagger Liam Picken played an amazing first two quarters on Gary Ablett, restricting the "Little Master" to just eight first half possessions, his lowest total for a long, long time.

While the game may have appeared to most to be in the balance at half time, the Suns came out and made an utter lie of that concept with a withering eight-goal burst in the third term. The Bulldogs could find only one in response and Gold Coast, in a virtual blink of an eye, took a 53-point lead into the final change of ends.

To the Bulldogs credit, they came out fighting in the last term, outscoring the Suns four goals to three for the quarter, but were left to rue their costly third-quarter lapse as the ultimately succumbed by 45 points.

Dionne Prestia (35 disposals, six tackles), ex-Dog Jarrod Harbrow (26 possessions, eight tackles) and Matt Shaw (23 touches and a goal) played fine games for Gold Coast, while skipper Ryan Griffen (28 disposals, eight tackles) and Tom Liberatore (12 tackles, 27 possessions) were excellent for the Dogs.

In third spot with a 7-2 record, the Suns will face a much sterner test at the MCG next Sunday when they take on reigning premiers Hawthorn, while the Bulldogs will also have a tough assignment on the same day at Docklands when they host the other 2013 Grand Finalists, Fremantle.

GOALS
Gold Coast: Dixon, Lynch 4; Matera 3; Bennell, Russell 2; Swallow, Lynch, Smith
Western Bulldogs: Tutt 2, Cooney 2, Giansiracusa 2, Murphy, Stevens, Griffen, Dahlhaus

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Prestia, Harbrow, Shaw, Dixon, Lynch, O'Meara
Western Bulldogs: Dahlhaus, Picken, Griffen, Boyd, Minson, Liberatore

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Lynch, Shaw, Harbrow, Prestia, Ablett
Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Cooney, Picken, Dahlhaus, Macrae

COACHES' COMMENTS
Guy McKenna (GCo): The Doggies came up here on a mission and I think they probably achieved that to half time. Probably the most pleasing thing out of the game was that we thought out way through the game of football through the players doing that themselves. In the third quarter our boys clearly found a way through. The stoppage work helped that.

Brendan McCartney (WB): In the third quarter, in all areas of the game they lifted and they were really good. We had some great opportunities at the end of the second quarter and at the start of the third quarter to put pressure on them and we went into our shells and away they went. Then they got confident and their intensity lifted. All facets of their game lifted and some good talent took over.

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Sean Lemmons on for Sam Day in the fourth quarter.
Western Bulldogs: Daniel Giansiracusa on for Brett Goodes in the third quarter.

REPORTS: Cooney (high contact)

UMPIRES: Fisher, Nicholls and Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Commetti, Leigh Matthews, Jude Bolton