Gold Coast vs West Coast

WHO WAS THE MATCH WINNER? HODGEY – Touk Miller was immense in this game for the Suns. He copped a tag mostly from Xavier O'Neill but showcased once again his ...

HODGEY – Gold Coast keep their slim finals chances alive with this win, and they travel to UTAS to battle the Hawks in an interesting clash- with Hawthorn copping a pasting in their last matchup. With club legend Josh Kennedy hanging up the boots there is every chance this better form will lead to another win or two on the back of the tidal wave of emotion before they sign off for the year, with a number of younger players given valuable playing experience and the likely #2 draft pick safely in their back pocket you’d expect a springboard off the bottom in 2023. Perhaps a move to half-back could have been on the cards at a point in this game. This is in no way an indictment of the 21-year-old (who I really think has promise) but the role he is being asked to play he is not yet ready for in a normal setting. A livewire throughout, Ryan played probably his best game in an inconsistent season collecting 16 disposals, eight marks, four tackles, two goals and assists, but it was his iconic leap that will be the lasting memory. Matt Rowell loses Luke Shuey and chases down a Naitanui tap- bombing the ball to the Suns attacking 50, Levi Casboult (who had his hands full with Tom Barass for the whole game) charges at the footy and crucially knocks Jumaine Jones down- allowing Miller to swoop and find Rosas for the clincher. TRENT– In a game of literal inches, you can look for the smallest piece of evidence to support a theory on how your team could have ended up in the winner’s column. TRENT – Oft maligned Jack Petrucelle made a significant impression on this match, his speed and goalkicking critical to the Eagles’ charge after the long break. Jack Petrucelle was outstanding in the game, and perhaps Jy Farrar could have been a better matchup then Oleg Markov- who lowered his colours a little bit in the game. The Eagles would be well served reviewing their centre square configuration in the off-season, for most of the first half with Tim Kelly ball hunting, which as the alpha mid is probably within his remit, left Culley and O’Neill badly exposed defensively allowing Miller and Anderson primarily easy access out of the congestion with Witts on top early. In arguably his most commanding performance for the season, the Suns co-captain accumulated a mammoth 16 clearances to go along with 31 disposals (21 contested possessions), ten tackles, three goal assists and seven score involvements. Both teams scoring over 100 points is a rarity in modern AFL, and this outcome today was more reflective of the dare and dominance of the forwards rather than any significant defensive holes.

The Gold Coast's tenuous finals hopes are alive and kicking – but only just – after enigmatic.

The young bloke’s headed for a holiday. Looks like he can play a bit Jai Culley— adrian barich (@adrianbarich) July 31, 2022 The Eagles closed to within 13 points of the Suns on two occasions in the third term with

A career-best five-goal haul by Gold Coast's Mabior Chol in his 50th AFL match has secured the Suns a vital three point win over West Coast.

Darling’s sixth of the day cut the margin to 13 points before Petruccelle kicked his third on the run to put the contest on a knife’s edge. Two goals to Darling and another by Petruccelle reduced the margin to 13 points as the Eagles came out of the sheds firing for the third term. The Eagles kicked seven goals to three in the final term to nearly pinch the win, having trailed by 31 points early in the fourth quarter.