GOLD COAST 13.15 (93) def WESTERN BULLDOGS 8.13 (61)
WHILE the second expansion team, Greater Western Sydney, continued to struggle, the powers-that-be at the AFL can take some delight from the performance of the first true expansion team since 1995, Gold Coast.
In each of the Gold Coast’s first two seasons they won three games: against Richmond (twice), Port Adelaide, Brisbane, GWS and Carlton. In eight rounds this year, they’ve already won four – and have added St Kilda, Melbourne and now the Western Bulldogs to the list of teams they’ve beaten.
It is heartening to watch, and it has come from genuine improvement. Gold Coast won’t make the finals this season, and doubtful the year after too, but the improvement is there for all to see.
Jaeger O’Meara has been a revelation so far, the likes of Rory Thompson and Sam Day have been good in defence, and there have been injuries preventing them from putting their best 22 on the park as well.
The win against the hapless Bulldogs was set up during the third quarter. The Suns trailed by five points at half time but turned the game on its head in the third quarter, booting seven goals to one. Campbell Brown kicked three goals and Gary Ablett had 31 touches.
“We spoke about our composure,” said Gold Coast Suns coach Guy McKenna who is now under significantly less pressure after the club’s fourth win of the year..
“We had to keep matching the Dogs in contested footy, which I thought we did. Once we got it out of that contested situation we had to be patient, show some more composure, which we did in that third quarter.
“The thing that kept us in the game all night was the pressure. Our ability to hunt them when they had the ball … was super.”
The Bulldogs meanwhile continue to struggle. Flashes of competitiveness haven’t been enough. Jake Stringer is a promising prospect, and Adam Cooney was very good with 31 disposals, but there’s a long season ahead.
“We didn’t do the basics well enough for long enough, especially in the third quarter,” said Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of people out there that really understand the concept of playing the game contest by contest, minute-by-minute,” he said.
“That’s what the great teams do, that’s what the great players do, they keep going back to the basics, they drive to the ball and move to the next contest.”
For the Suns, who won back-to-back games for the first time in its history, face a huge test in coming weeks with away games to Hawthorn and Geelong while the Doggies will play St Kilda and Port Adelaide.
Here are the highlights from the game:
GOLD COAST 1.3 4.7 11.11 13.15 (93)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.4 5.6 6.10 8.13 (61)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Brown 3, Matera, Shaw, Hall, Stanley, O’Meara, Hall, Harbrow, Day, May, Bennell
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 3, Markovic 2, Giansiracusa, Jones, Murphy
BEST
Gold Coast: Ablett, Brown, O’Meara, Thompson, Lonergan
Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Murphy, Griffen, Boyd, Macrae
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Zac Smith (knee)
Western Bulldogs: None
SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Luke Russell on for Zac Smith at half-time
Western Bulldogs: Clay Smith on for Liam Jones in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hay, Armstrong and Jeffery
Crowd: 13,520