The twilight fixture lived up to expectations in what was an impressive win by Gold Coast, defeating the reigning premiers to remain undefeated at home.
Perfect conditions meant no excuses. Both sides brought intensity to begin the game with the ball zipping around at speed. You could tell the Suns were switched on and it was clear how both teams intended to play. When the pressure wasn’t up from the Collingwood mids, the handball receives game the Suns looked to play gave them good looks when they went up forward. Due to the lack of pressure from the Pies, the Suns were able to move the ball swiftly. I thought Flanders was nearly the best player in the first quarter. That was until De Goey reminded us that he was back.
The Suns made some adjustments to tighten up their defence to start the second quarter. They went and got to work with their pressure, with the mids running back hard defensively to support their backline. Even the half-forwards of the Suns began to close space a bit quicker and not allow the Pies to transition the ball with ease. Gold Coast’s pressure was simply outstanding, the ball lived inside the Suns’ forward 50. The Suns just looked like the tougher team, which showed in the contested possession numbers. With five minutes to go until half-time, the Suns managed to get up to +15 in contested possession. The home side got out to as much as a 21-point lead. The visitors fought back hard but it wasn’t enough to stop the Suns’ dominance.
To begin the third quarter, I was looking at what levers the Collingwood coaching staff would bring to shake things up. With the ball living very much in the Suns’ forward line and their midfield getting on top, thanks to Flanders and Witts, the move of De Goey into the midfield seemed like the only logical choice for Fly. It helped the Pies a little bit getting a bigger body in the midfield, although the Suns continued to make it hard for the Pies to win the ball. I have to give credit to the Suns defensive unit. They saved four or five Collingwood goals just from sheer work rate and being proactive. Collins held Mihocek well up to this point. Ballard and Andrew were up to the challenge, coming third man up to offer aerial support with timely spoils and intercept marks. It was only Bobby Hill that looked like breaking the game apart but he was wasteful. Once Howe swapped with Hoskin-Elliot and moved forward towards the end of the third, it signalled that Fly wasn’t particularly happy with the forward connection. The Pies needed to buy a few more goals to win.
To start the last quarter, I think everyone knew exactly what was going to happen. The Pies simply weren’t going to go away. I was interested to see how the Suns would respond. Within the first couple of minutes, you could see the intent of the Pies. The move of Howe up forward proved to be important once he got on the scoreboard. After the Pies piled on five goals in quick succession, it started to look like the movie we’ve all seen before. There were some nervous moments towards the end. As you would expect with most Collingwood games, it ended up being an exciting finish. It was a great sign to see the maturity in the Suns when the heat was on, they didn’t go into their shell. Fortunately, the Suns managed to hold on and have done what not many teams have managed to do against Collingwood, and that’s escape the comeback.
Long Time Coming
Since Ben Long made the move to Gold Coast at the end of 2022, he has found it challenging to establish a consistent spot in the side. Under Dew, he was trialled in defence but he never managed to solidify himself as a half-back.
With Hardwick coming in, you sensed players like Long would potentially find a new lease on life and have the best brought out of them, or you saw the opportunity for them to play in different parts of the ground.
He hasn’t been able to solidify his spot in the best 22 but since he has made his return to the side as a defensive forward, he hasn’t missed a beat. We know how important the small and medium forwards are to the way Hardwick wants the Suns to play. We also know how vital their roles are in the Gold Coast system.
Playing the majority of the time on Howe, Long was able to provide a target up forward while keeping Collingwood defenders accountable, not allowing them to get their intercept game going. When the ball was brought down to ground level he was able to be a threat with his pressure and attack on the ball. His first goal came from a clever set play with Witts in a forward 50 stoppage where he lost Howe in traffic, Quaynor wasn’t able to adjust and switch up to cover him quickly enough, and he then ran at speed and crumbed a beautiful tap from Witts, kicking a beautiful goal.
The other players who rotated on him certainly knew they had to keep a close eye on him. They also knew that when they had the ball, they had to get rid of it quickly if Long was in the vicinity. His inclusion in the forward half allows the likes of Ainsworth and Holman to work right up the ground and put maximum pressure on the ball carrier. It also allows Lukusios to fly under the radar a bit more, and even gives King less defenders to worry about.
The Contrasts in Style of Play
It was very clear from the get-go how both teams wanted to play.
The Pies looked to take aggressive kicks through the corridor to then launch into their forward 50 with long kicks to contest. The Suns wanted to find uncontested marks around the ground and work the ball up into the forward line with a chain of handballs from half-back.
Both styles of play were extremely effective, with Gold Coast playing it to near perfection at times. When you thought Suns players had handballed their way into trouble, they were able to find an open player or overlap through the Pies zone. The Gold Coast players were able to support each other when they had the ball and without the footy pressured their way to turn the ball back over. When they had to they’d go slow, patiently building the ball up, until it was time to launch inside 50. The Suns were also helped by winning a fair share of the ball in the middle and got their clearance game going. They won pivotal ground balls and were able to get the ball to the outside to their runners.
Apart from the first quarter and parts of the last term, the Pies never really got much of their game going. Their pressure wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be and their tackling efficiency certainly hurt them at times. The forward connection is a problem that’s continued to plague them throughout the year. They go for long periods in games without scoring. With Pendlebury and De Goey back, you would’ve thought they would’ve had the edge in the midfield but credit to the Suns, they performed well in that part of the game. The Pies looked dangerous when they were able to get the ball out the back and turn it into a foot race, but they weren’t able to punish the Suns on the scoreboard as often as they would’ve liked to.
Robbed Peter and Paid Paul
Damien Hardwick put it on the record after the loss to Fremantle that he needed to shake things up in the midfield and run more numbers in there. Too much was being asked of Rowell, Anderson and Miller. And to be a top 8 side, you need to be able to have a deep midfield that can go with some of the best. Credit to Dimma, he acknowledged the issue and went about fixing it. It was fixed by putting arguably his best ball winner back in the guts and it paid off.
It was this time last year when Dew was in charge, he saw the need to shake things up and he did this by bringing Sam Flanders into the side and making him a permanent midfielder. Flanders took the transition with both hands and never looked back. When Dimma finally knew he’d be taking over as coach, he was licking his lips at the proposition of having Flanders as a key cog in his midfield. Although, through necessity, Flanders found himself at half-back a few rounds into this season. It was a move that paid off somewhat, but it gave up something to get a different result. When Flanders started playing at half-back, Hardwick had essentially robbed Peter to pay Paul. After the way he performed, surely there’s no way he goes back to half-back. His disposals are more damaging forward of centre than they are in the back half.
When you put up the numbers Flanders put today, it’s hard to see the Suns losing too many games. 33 disposals, 15 of those contested, 8 score involvements and a goal will get you 3 votes more often than not.
To Tag or Not To Tag
Tagging is back in vogue, but not in this game. Every week the opposition coach is asked about what they would do with Nick Daicos and whether or not they’ll try to nullify him. It must get tiring for opposition coaches to have to wrestle with that every time they face the Pies.
Credit to Dimma and the Suns midfield unit, they backed themselves in and went head-to-head against a Collingwood midfield that boasts some A-graders. I love the message it sends to the rest of the comp. You can tag Daicos and still lose, or you can back your system and trust that it’s good enough to help you win.
Gold Coast came into this game falling well away from their usual standards in the middle part of the ground, compared to earlier in the season. They did a lot in this game to show that they are well on their way to being back at their best in this area. Even though Nick finished the game with 32 disposals and 2 goals, apart from De Goey who was inserted into the midfield after starting the game off as a forward, the Collingwood midfield was well beaten. Witts got the better of Cameron at the end of the day. Anderson just found the ball at will, winning vital clearances and doing his damage forward of centre. Miller just ran as he pleased, while Rowell and Graham were serviceable.
If you have a designated tagger on your side that is more than capable of doing the job, then the tag can be effective. Although, if that’s not the way you play, then you back your midfield in.
The Other Tidbits…
I liked what Ainsworth did in this game. There were times in the game when he looked like he was stationed at the wing or half-back because he pushed right up the ground to provide an option. He was important in the way the Suns wanted to play today. When the ball is bounced in the centre, Ainsworth would leave the forward 50, come right about to the stoppage and pressure the ball carrier. Once his team won the ball, he’d work his backside off to become an option going forward. It’s an extremely hard role to play, so to finish up with two goals and 28 touches, proves how tirelessly he worked all afternoon.
De Goey looked lively and certainly looked like he’d rip the game apart at stages. He has been a great midfielder since he became that, but to me, he is just as dangerous as a forward. It gave him the freedom to win one-on-one battles, making Andrew nervous about his brute strength. It also gave him the licence to roam up the field and help his defence, while also being involved in transition. Out of necessity, he had to be injected into the midfield, and his big body helped the Pies win some crucial ball.
It was an even battle between the rucks to start the game until Jarrod Witts took complete control of things. He’s just such a big body that’s hard to move out of the way. His tap work, especially at stoppages, is a feature and it’s no coincidence the Suns midfield group were on top for most of the game. Cameron fought back hard, trying to go with him around the ground but he did most of his damage during the ruck contests.
Josh Daicos did some good things on the wing, he plays that role so well. He knows when to drift forward to get on the scoreboard, and he knows when to get back and help his defence. When he and his brother combine, you certainly know it’s going to lead to something good.
Hats off to the Suns back six/seven. I thought they did well in negating the Pies’ small forwards. At times they were made to work, but they all supported each other very well. A special shout out to Collins for blanketing Mihocek after quarter time. Uwland, Jeffrey and Sexton provided some great run and dash and were composed when the Collingwood small forwards were nipping at their heels. Powell proves to be as important as ever since he’s been back in the side. Andrew looks at home in defence and can play on different matchups. De Goey gave him a bit to think about to start the game, but he continued to go about his business.
Ben King deserves his own section. He was imposing at times up forward with some strong grabs. He finished up with four goals, which is a great return after missing last week. Lukosius and Day were good support for King, bobbing up at times to add to the scoreboard.
In Summary
A very important win for the Suns, who redeemed themselves somewhat after last week. Coming off a six-day break after being on the road, they should be proud of their performance against a star-studded Magpies outfit.
Does it tell you more than what we already know about the Suns? Probably not, but it was a great win nonetheless. Maybe it says more about the reigning premiers.
Is it an important win in the context of the season? Yes, absolutely it is.
Hopefully, the Suns can use this win as motivation that they can match it with the best but until they do it away from home, the footy world will start to take notice.
Unfortunately for the Pies, they get some cattle back and they lose a couple more. McCreery looks like he’ll miss some time with a calf injury and Noble will potentially be missing a game or two with concussion.
It feels like the Pies can’t afford to lose too many more games if they are to claim a top 4 spot. They take on Essendon next week, in what will be a must-win clash.
The Suns head on the road again, to try to get their first away win of the season against a pretty competitive North Melbourne side. I’ll be watching both games with interest.
