Australian Football

Match Report

With GWS heading towards a top-four finish and Gold Coast's season largely ruined by injury and inconsistency, few would have expected Saturday's battle between the AFL's two newest sides to be a close encounter but the Suns defied those expectations to push the Giants to their very limits. Gold Coast in fact led at all breaks in the match and were still in front when the final quarter went into time on but two late goals from Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene to see the Giants home narrowly, keeping alive their hopes of a top-four finish. 

The Suns flew out of the blocks and had three goals own the board within six minutes of the game starting, one each to Tom Lynch, Tom Nicholls and Peter Wright. The Giants finally hit the scoreboard with a running goal to Stevie Johnson, and he followed up with another mark and goal soon after as GWS drew within a goal at the 11-minute mark. The Suns came again, though, and a second goal to Wright and a first to Brandon Matera had them out to a 19-point lead before the Giants responded with majors to Jonathon Patton and Cameron cutting the margin to an even goal at quarter time.

After Ryan Davis scored the first major of the second term to put the Suns 12 points clear, goals to Toby Greene and Devon Smith saw GWS and there was an expectation the Giants would take control and kick clear from that point. Gold Coast had other ideas, however, and Mitch Hallahan's goal at the 10-minute mark again had the Suns ahead by that margin. Patton's second goal levelled the scores once more but Matera responded with his second before San Reid kicked his first for the Giants to leave scores tied up for the third time in the quarter going into time on. The only other major to be scored before the long break went the way of the Suns, a loose-ball pick-up giving Jarrod Garlett his first goal to see Gold Coast ahead by six points. 

The see-saw was balanced once more after Cameron marked 35 metres out and kicked truly to level the scores again three minutes into the third term but Lynch's third goal after he received a free kick had the Suns back in front by six points five minutes later. Goals to Callan Ward and Rory Lobb had GWS ahead by seven points going into the time on and it looked like the Giants were finally taking control of the match but late majors to Wright and Davis once again had the Suns ahead and they took a one-goal break into the final change of ends. 

A mark and goal from 40 metres gave Jeremy Cameron his third goal and levelled the scores for the seventh time in the match but the Suns did what they had all day, responded with a major of their own, this time through Lynch, who kicked his fourth after a mark on an angle at the nine-minute mark. They held on grimly for the 12 minutes, as GWS added two behinds to nil, before a snap from Cameron found the mark and put the Giants ahead by two points. Greene followed up with his second goal and the Suns could not find away to goal after that, GWS holding on to a record a narrow but very important victory.

Stephen Coniglio continued his great season, picking up 33 possessions and laying four tackles for the winners, while Steven May stood out for the Suns, taking 14 marks and having 27 touches.

With three rounds to go, the Giants hold a place in the four narrowly by percentage from Geelong and they might need to win all three of their remaining matches - against West Coast and Fremantle at home, and North Melbourne away - to keep it. The Sun are well out of finals contention but their recent form has been good and they will look to finish off the season strongly against Essendon and Collingwood at Docklands, and Port Adelaide at home in round 23. 

GOALS
Gold Coast: Lynch 4; Matera, Davis, Wright 2; Nicholls, Hallahan, Garlett
GWS: Cameron 4; Johnson, Patton, Greene 2; Smith, Reid, Ward, Lobb

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: May, Harbrow, Kolodjashnij, Lynch, Martin, Ah Chee
GWS: Coniglio, Scully, Johnson, Williams, Patton, Greene

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Gold Coast: May, Lynch, Matera, Martin, Thompson, Garlett
GWS: Coniglio, Williams, Scully, Patton, Johnson, Greene

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Sexton (corked quad), Nicholls (knee)
GWS: Nil

UMPIRES: Deboy, Chamberlain, Meredith

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch, Cameron Mooney