Australian Football

Match Report

The divergent fortunes of the league's newest club was never more evident than in Saturday's twilight match at the Sydney Showground where the confident and ruthless Giants took apart the undermanned and shattered Suns to win by 91 points and jump from fifth up to third on the ladder. Tom Scully put GWS ahead with the first goal of the match at the four-minute mark and it was virtually one-way traffic from that moment on, with Gold Coast rarely putting up a fight.

Displaying the skill and slickness of a side that looks more than ready to compete in its first finals series, and perhaps even threaten for a flag, the Giants followed up Scully's major with goals to Nathan Wilson and Jeremy Cameron to lead by 20 points after just 12 minutes. Gary Ablett pulled one back for the Suns after that but another major to Jonathon Patton had the Giants 21 points clear at the first break.

GWS continued to attack early in the second quarter but could not capitalise, with Dylan Shiel and Rhys Palmer both missing, but Rory Lobb kicked straight at the eight-minute mark and Cameron's second at the 11-minute mark and another from Palmer two minutes later had the Giants seven goals clear. The Suns actually fought back to a degree after that, Bran Matera and Tom Lynch giving them to majors in a row for the only time in the match but the Giants were still a very comfortable 39 points clear at the half.

Lobb and Steve Johnson dispelled any doubt about the result with a goal each in the first 10 minutes of the third term, and the Giants went on to add a further five goals to three before three-quarter time (with Cameron getting his fourth and fifth), to take a 66-point advantage into the final quarter.

Cameron kicked his sixth to start the last term off, and the Giants continued on their merry way after that, with Lobb, Palmer (two), Josh Kelly and Cameron again all adding further majors. Jarrad Grant added the Suns' only two of the last term and GWS charged away to a percentage-boosting win. To make matters worse for the injury-decimated Gold Coast, Ablett suffered a knock just before game's end and will likely miss the Suns' next game with concussion.

Shiel was the Giants' best, with 35 possessions, but GWS unearthed another potential star with Jacob Hopper gleaning 32 touches in his first AFL match. Jesse Lonergan (11 tackles, 19 possessions) played a fine game for the Suns.

GWS will now host the fifth-placed Western Bulldogs at the Sydney Showground next Sunday. With both sides on 6-2, it should be a fascinating affair. Gold Coast meanwhile, having lost five games in a row, will return to Carrara to host the Adelaide Crows on Saturday afternoon.

GOALS
GWS: Cameron 7; Palmer, Lobb 3; Kelly, Scully, Patton 2; Johnson, Steele, Wilson
Gold Coast: Grant, Matera 3; Lynch 2; Ablett

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
GWS: Shiel, Kelly, Williams, Cameron, Coniglio, Shaw, Hopper, Ward
Gold Coast: Hall, Prestia, Schade, Leslie

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
GWS: Shiel, Hopper, Kelly, Cameron, Scully
Gold Coast: Lonergan, Hall, Prestia, Matera, Ablett

INJURIES
GWS: Nil
Gold Coast: Adam Saad (hamstring)

UMPIRES: Rosebury, O'Gorman, Hosking

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Adam Papalia, Brad Johnson, Jason Dunstall, Ben Dixon