Pressure.
If one word could so neatly define the Gold Coast vs. Port Adelaide clash at People First Stadium, it’s pressure.
After dropping a game they REALLY should’ve banked, and the subsequent swear jar contribution from Damien Hardwick in the post-match presser, the pressure was well and truly on the Suns. To keep their finals hopes alive, they simply had to keep their home fortress intact. A loss here would end their season, and the inevitable questions would once again surround this club, as they have after every postseason.
But no one knows pressure like Ken Hinkley and the Power. Supporters have been calling for Hinkley’s head for most of the year, and their inconsistencies have done little to put out those spot fires. They’ve got a nice mix of youth and experience, addressed glaring needs at the end of last season, and somehow things have gotten worse, to the point where the Power are clinging to a spot in the top eight, yet just seven days ago, they produced some of their best football all season, leading us all to question where that level of performance had been.
So, on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, it was a genuine eight-point game. A tight tussle with momentum swings, lead changes, and a touch of the status quo, as the Suns kept their September dreams alive with a gritty 14-point win. And here’s how it happened.
THE BACK STORY
What do they put in the water in Queensland? Since Damien Hardwick came out of “retirement” last season, anticipation skyrocketed for the Suns. According to Dimma, 80% of Gold Coast’s inaugural premiership team was already on the list, and a maiden finals appearance in 2024 was the expectation. At home, they’re simply brilliant, and damn near unbeatable. But whenever they get on the plane, that unbeatable team sits in their cramped seats, chows down on the complimentary peanuts, and when they touch down, a rebuilding rabble steps onto the tarmac.
It genuinely defies belief how the Suns can look so incredible at home (or at their home away from home in the NT), but so hideous anywhere else.
At home, the statistics look amazing, and away it turns sour. I can’t remember a team that is so Jekyll and Hyde than the 2024 Suns. We all thought last week would break the curse, but then the Suns inexplicably fell over against the Kangaroos, and Hardwick implored the entire club to, in his words, “grow the f**k up”. Truer words have never been spoken about a club that continues to throw out far too many excuses as to why they’ve been such a disappointment their entire existence.
Over at Alberton, things are getting a little frosty. Ken Hinkley is now the longest-serving coach in history without a Grand Final appearance, and boy do Port Adelaide supporters love telling us all about it. Booed off the ground after a disastrous thumping at the hands of Brisbane, Hinkley has managed to fix things slightly, with two completely different wins giving them back a spot in the top eight. But you never know which version of Port Adelaide will turn up. The one that got so roundly destroyed by Brisbane, or the one that handed a belting to the Western Bulldogs.
And this is where the unrest comes from. Most will put the blame squarely on Hinkley, and it’s likely that if he can’t make finals, or even do any damage should they make it, the powers that be will strongly consider moving Hinkley on, perhaps in favour of coach-in-waiting Josh Carr. With West Coast moving on Adam Simpson, these decisions will be accelerated, with Carr considered a strong candidate for the job out west. Carving out a win on the Gold Coast, a venue that teams find so difficult to steal four points from, will relieve the pressure on Hinkley slightly, but as we found out last season, it’s September where Hinkley and the Power will ultimately be judged.
They have to find a way to make it there first.
THE GAME
It was an even start to the match, neither side could gain the ascendency, and the ball pinged between the two forward arcs. It was the Power who settled themselves first, and if not for a diving Maclom Rosas, Darcy Byrne-Jones would’ve had the first goal. But it was a teammate, Ollie Wines, who drew maximum first blood, and Port took the lead. Gold Coast needed to turn the pressure up on the Power who were using the ball better, and a stunning holding-the-ball tackle, followed by a couple of stinging passes, saw the Suns answer straight back through Jack Lukosius.
But Port had all the answers to Gold Coast’s pressure. Thanks to more superior ball use, the Power were able to cut through Gold Coast’s team defence, and they built themselves a handy mini break. The Suns needed to get themselves going, and they managed to keep the ball inside their own 50 with some fantastic forward half pressure. Ben King put the Suns in front, and the margin could’ve been extended further if not for some errant kicking, and when Ollie Lord nailed a goal from the boundary, the Power had re-taken the lead, a four-point buffer going into quarter time. It was a feisty start to the game, made even more lively thanks to a mistimed bump from Alex Davies on Lachie Jones, a slide into a contest that forced Port to sub Jones out of the game, and that will likely cost Davies a few weeks on the sidelines.
It was clear that the big tactic from the Suns was to get under the skin of Jason Horne-Francis and Zak Butters, and that tactic paid dividends straight away, with Horne-Francis giving away a 50-metre penalty that cost his team the first goal of the quarter and got him dragged with a stern talking to from his coach. Port were becoming the walking wounded, with Dan Houston copping an errant knee to the head, and Todd Marshall suffering a hamstring strain all within 30 seconds of each other. In all the commotion, Lloyd Johnstone gave the Suns a multiple-score lead, but there were even more alarm bells brewing for the Power.
Port’s ball use inside 50 was becoming a concern, they simply kept bombing it long hoping for a mark, and each time the ball would be intercepted. Even worse were some poor efforts defensively, and through Lukosius, the Suns opened up the biggest lead in the game. Port ruled Marshall out of the game, but the Suns couldn’t take absolute advantage, as Port’s back six stood up to ensure Gold Coast couldn’t hit the scoreboard more than they should’ve.
But it became a goal fest in the latter stages of the quarter. After a long layoff, Rosas was welcomed back with a beautiful, before Jackson Mead answered straight back. Ben Ainsworth pushed the margin back out, before a brilliant finish from Horne-Francis. And if that wasn’t enough, Port defenders got in each other’s, allowing Rosas to bob up once again, giving the Suns a 17-point lead going into the main break.
But if the Suns thought the momentum would simply roll on, they were mistaken. Just 90 seconds into the second half, Port had two majors on the board through Quinten Narkle and sub Francis Evans, and the Power had their tails firmly up. But the Suns settled, and two quick goals of their own gave them back their three-goal buffer. Port were full of running, and Gold Coast tried their best to match it, but the Power cut through their defences to give themselves plenty of chances to fight their way back. With Collins controlling things in the air, it was up to Port’s mosquito fleet that did all the damage, both inside 50 and up the ground, and the pressure of the Suns was being absorbed magnificently.
It was Jordon Sweet of all people with a quick goal out of a stoppage, before the Suns pulled away again. Noah Anderson and Ben Long hit the scoreboard, and it looked like momentum was going their way if they could take it, and even though some slick ball movement got Horne-Francis his second, Gold Coast had the better of the quarter, and should’ve extended their lead further. However, Port hung tight, and with less than a minute on the clock, Butters nailed a vital goal to bring the three-quarter time margin under three goals.
Neither side could get the game on their terms in the last quarter. Every time Port had the momentum to bring them back into the game, they couldn’t get any closer than three goals down, but on the flip side, Gold Coast couldn’t put enough distance on the scoreboard to feel comfortable. Each team pressed hard, but both sides could only manage a solitary goal. The Suns were being far more wasteful, with plenty of opportunities to ice the game, and one by one they stepped up, but simply couldn’t convert.
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher became the third Power player forced from the field, and the Suns could smell blood. Team defence had kept Port at arm’s length as time ticked away, and the Power became more frantic and daring. They kept pushing and pushing but with each minute that passed, the task ahead grew more difficult. Gold Coast’s defence stood up time and time again, but they too couldn’t completely nail the coffin shut.
With three minutes left, Travis Boak finally nailed a goal after he missed 15 straight shots, and Port weren’t done with just yet. But this was the making of the Suns, who weren’t to be denied. Gold Coast went into shutdown mode and settled things down by taking as much time off the clock as they could. Rosas had the chance to kill the game but missed from long range, and Port had one final chance to pull themselves back from the dead. With a minute left, Jeremy Finlayson marked inside 50, but his set shot veered left, and there was no time left to mount a big enough charge, giving the Suns a 14-point victory, which keeps their finals hopes alive while denting the Power’s September dreams.
THE PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
Despite the score line, this match was defined by defence. Let’s start with the winners, and although it rarely happens, full back Sam Collins rightly deserves three Brownlow votes for his performance. Opposed to Charlie Dixon, Collins was the wall that Port couldn’t penetrate. Dixon’s stat line of nine disposals, three marks and one goal would give the point to Collins on every occasion, but it’s what Collins did when he had the ball that makes him best on ground. Collins gathered 15 possessions (at 87% efficiency), nine marks, nine intercept possessions, and 11 one-percenters.
With Charlie Ballard having an uncharacteristic off day, Wil Powell stepped up to play a vital role in the victory. Settled into his role at half-back/back pocket, Powell was the driving force behind many Gold Coast forward forays. Gathering 21 disposals (which included 18 kicks, and at over 80% efficiency), Powell also registered seven defensive rebounds, nine marks and 613 metres gained. Joel Jeffrey played a similarly excellent game, with 20 possessions, seven score involvements, five marks and five defensive rebounds.
On the other side of the field, and it was a similar story. Both Aliir Aliir and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher consistently stood up when their team needed them, and they were helped by rebounders Dan Houston and Kane Farrell. Aliir was the pick of the bunch, as he kept Ben King relatively quiet, while amassing 22 disposals of his own. As usual, Aliir was also an intercepting machine, with a staggering 14 marks, 11 of which were uncontested, and he had 366 metres gained, an excellent number for a key defender. Zerk-Thatcher was also good opposed to Jack Lukosius. Lukosius had his moments, just like King, but BZT was a wall in the last quarter as the Suns threatened to pull away.
After copping an errant knee from teammate Jase Burgoyne, Houston could’ve been forgiven for being down on form, but as usual, he was one of Port’s best attacking from the back half. Floating up the ground at times, Houston was everywhere, with 34 disposals, 12 pressure acts, nine marks, nine defensive rebounds, and 551 metres gained. Kane Farrell had plenty of the ball, 27 times to be exact, and kicked it beautifully, while also taking nine marks and registering 627 metres gained.
Forward of the ball was a real battle, and both sides had standouts without anyone completely taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Ben King and Jack Lukosius were the picks of the key forwards with two goals each, but both were beaten by their opponents in the end. Having said that, Malcolm Rosas was a welcome re-addition to the forward half, and he always looked like he could take the game away from the Power. His two goals were vital, and he arguably should’ve hit the scoreboard more, but he’ll be better for the run, and come back even stronger next week. Bailey Humphrey also bobbed up to contribute multiple goals, and Ben Long gave Port headaches with his run and carry.
For Port, Todd Marshall went off injured in the second quarter, leaving Charlie Dixon and Ollie Lord the task of taking the big marks and kicking the big bags. Do that, they did not, and although the spread of goal kickers would please Port’s forward coach, only Jason Horne-Francis and Jackson Mead, kicked multiple majors. Horne-Francis was a strong marking presence, but too often he let Gold Coast’s players get under his skin and gave away silly free kicks and a 50-metre penalty. Mead was a consistent threat, and whenever the ball went to ground, Mead was around to mop up the loose ball. Evans, who came into the game early when Lachie Jones was subbed out, was lively all over the ground with 18 disposals, eight marks and one goal, but he missed two gettable shots and should be included in the starting 18 next week.
In the middle, I want to pay particular attention to the two ruckmen, and a midfield duo on each side. With Jarrod Witts still out, Ned Moyle had another chance to prove he belongs at AFL level, and his battle with fellow journeyman Jordon Sweet was a compelling one. Both players had their time to dominate, and the contest was so even that I couldn’t find a winner. Moyle finished with 14 disposals, 30 hitouts, three marks and two tackles, while Sweet had less of the ball, roughly the same amount of hitouts, but he did kick an important goal, and he laid six tackles.
For the Suns, it was Noah Anderson and Sam Flanders who stood up when the team needed them most. Anderson was the more contested of the twosome, and 16 of his 29 touches were contested. Anderson also had 528 metres gained, 11 clearances, 24 pressure acts, nine score involvements and eight inside 50s. Flanders amassed a team-high 30 disposals, at 81% efficiency (Anderson’s efficiency was 79%), had an equal number of touches in the forward and defensive half, had 16 pressure acts and 430 metres gained.
For the Power, it was the dynamic duo featuring the new superstar and the wily veteran doing the damage. Zak Butters was everywhere, and with Nick Holman blanketing Horne-Francis whenever he went into the middle, Butters was free to play at his brilliant best. Gathering a game-high 35 disposals, Butters also took 12 marks, had 14 pressure acts, eight score involvements and had 554 metres gained. Boak was more of a threat in front of goal, and after 15 misses, Boak finally broke his drought. He also gathered 25 disposals, took nine marks and had six inside 50s.
It was a typical dogfight between two teams desperate to prove their doubters wrong. This was a strong win from a Suns team many consider the best array of talent ever assembled in the club’s 13-year history. A Port Adelaide team came to their territory, and the Suns managed to weather every storm the Power could throw at them, their home fortress survived another barrage to remain intact for season 2024.
On the other side, Port let one slip against a team below them, and they’ve left themselves vulnerable. They’ve got a tough run home, and this was a win that would’ve been vital considering their opponents still to come. I commented before the bounce that this was season over if Gold Coast lost this game, but when you look ahead for Port, it could now be season over for them. And if Ken can’t make it out of the home-and-away season with his team still alive, the vultures will circle the carcass.
But we’ll end things with the winners, who just need to clear one final hurdle to be full taken seriously. It’s now a mental battle that once they overcome, there’ll be no stopping them. I agree with Dimma. 80% of their next premiership team is already on their list. And with more superstars to arrive in the coming drafts, they’re only getting better.
And we should all be very afraid.
