This time last year, if you’d said that Gold Coast would be the match of the round, and a potential finals preview, well, you’d probably have your friends and family call for a wellness check. But that’s exactly what this was.
Two teams that played some great footy, showed a lot of spark, and kept swinging haymakers at each other for the whole four quarters.
While a lot of attention will be put on the last three minutes and the calls/non-calls by the umps, we really shouldn’t let that overshadow what a fantastic game it was to watch. Easily the match of the round so far, and in contention for the current match of the year.
Long goals, big marks, snap shots, run-down tackles, long chains of clean possession and sheer, raw intensity to go with a cliffhanger finish that saw the Suns take the win by the barest of margins, 13.13 91 to 14.6 90. Sure, there will be some corners of the media who choose to focus on any negatives that came out of the game, but I’d say anyone who enjoys this great sport would have walked away from their seat thoroughly entertained.
Especially the Suns supporters who made the effort to get there.
Ins and Outs
Gold Coast welcomed back Ben Ainsworth after being rested for the game against the Dees due to a quad complaint, with Nick Holman making way. Holman has been relegated to the fringes of this Gold Coast side, and will need to discover some form if he wants to be part of what looks like a very strong side.
Adelaide were without Matt Crouch, who was managed out of the side, and Josh Rachele, who is expected to miss a month or more with a rib injury received in the win over North Melbourne. Covering their absences were Luke Nankervis and Lachlan Murphy. Losing Rachele hurt the Crows, as his first two games of the season showed how well he can integrate into the potent Adelaide forward line, but if there is any area of the ground where they have coverage, it’s in front of the sticks.
Suns on top early
The Suns came out swinging, with Ben King and Ethan Read flexing their aerial muscles to snag the game’s opening goals. The Suns offensive pressure was helped by an enormous effort from their defensive half, led by a newly nude-nut Sam Collins, whose more aerodynamic style seemed to help him gain a yard of pace to go with a head that looks like it belongs on a bloke who runs security at a biker bar.
The transition play from the Suns paid off handsomely, with the forwards taking marks even while under pressure, but a little bit of inaccuracy gave Adelaide a bit of a let off as they came back at the home side, trading a goal a piece until Riley Thilthorpe decided to crash the party, slotting a goal right before the first break to keep the Crows right in the hunt, just seven points behind.
That sort of see-sawing effort that had both teams wrestling for control of momentum lasted for the whole match, with both teams spending less time in their shell than a cheap oyster.
The second quarter saw the Crows hit back hard with another quick one from Thilthorpe before James Peatling shrugged off defenders like they were some eager Auskickers taking the field early, and the old man of the side Tex Walker slotted one to give his side a ten-point lead. The Suns defensive structure that earlier had seemed impenetrable was now struggling to match the aerial ability and quality of delivery of the Adelaide scoring machine. goal had the Suns’ defense looking as coordinated as a flash mob gone wrong. By halftime, the Crows had edged ahead, but in a nice departure from previous years, it just spurred the loyal Suns fans to find their voices and cheer their team on harder. It’s great to see the Suns fans come of age.
Battle for momentum
Gold Coast came out of the rooms looking like they’d found Elijah Hollands’ wallet in the changeroom toilet, as they stormed into the third quarter with the sort of drive and controlled aggression that their fans have been dying to see since their inception. Jed Walter, must have been feeling every bit of the fifteen Weet-Bix he had for breakfast as he led the way with some strong marking and powerful kicking to a career-high three goals, while Touk Miller and Noah Anderson were busier than mosquitos at a nudist colony, each racking up a plethora of disposals around the contest, as well as being the link in the possession chain that gave their forwards space to take their shots at goal. By half way through the third, the Suns surged to an 18-point lead and threatened to put their foot on the throat of the Adelaide side.
But Adelaide wasn’t done. Thilthorpe, clearly not content with his earlier heroics, added more goals to his tally, finishing with a jaw-dropping five for the match. Taylor Walker chipped in with four, and Darcy Fogarty added three, turning the pressure back on the Suns’ defensive line.
Momentum swung back and forth as time went on until late in the game, the moment that had Adelaide supporters up in arms and Power supporters offering the falsest of sympathetic noises.
With just over a minute left and the Crows trailing by a single point, Izak Rankine ran full throttle to mark the ball with Sam Collins so close behind that Rankine’s proctologist would be hoping he had a flared base. As Rankine pulled the ball into his chest to take a mark, Collins surged forward and attempted to punch it away from close to Rankine’s body.
Now here is where the controversy lies.
Some will argue that Collins having arms around Rankine means he was tackling him, meaning that either the mark should be paid if the tackle was allowed, or the mark wasn’t taken and the tackle was without the ball. Either way—kick to Rankine.
The other side is that it was a spoil, not a mark, and both bodies surged forward. The arm around the body didn’t restrict Rankine’s movement towards the ball, but was aimed at hitting the ball itself.
From comments I’ve seen, most people support the idea that a mark could have been paid, but also that the last three minutes of the game had some astonishing non-calls for both sides. It’ll attract scrutiny, but for my money, it only adds to the spice of the return leg in Round 19.
After the siren, Mac Andrew and Thilthorpe got into it a bit. The commentator claimed no one wanted to see that, but I for one definitely do. The Suns deserve a bit of swagger after that effort, and Adelaide have the form on the board to refuse to let them strut away without a bit of a retort. It suits both sides, and I look forward to seeing this match up being run back in September.
Rivalries are talked about a lot in football, and Gold Coast could have just started a good one with the boys from Adelaide with their thrilling one-point win.
“Timeless” Tex Walker
It seems every time people write-off Tex Walker as too old, too slow, he reminds us that he’s just looking for his moment.
Tex isn’t the spearhead he once was. Gone are the days of running down the wing to take a shot from 50 and run back to his player to tell them about it. Instead, he’s the leader of the game’s most potent forward line at the moment, providing a steadying influence on the younger teammates.
Whether it was leading into space, crashing packs, or just being the country-footy menace, Tex was vintage. His fourth-quarter goal sparked the late surge and nearly broke the game open for Adelaide. He’s still the emotional core of this Crows side, and when he fires, they fly.
Izak Rankine: The Spark, The Controversy, The Heartbreak
It was always going to be spicy—Rankine returning to the Gold Coast to face his old mob. And he didn’t disappoint. His 21 disposals may not seem impressive, but with 18 of them contested and a game-high 10 clearances, he put his stamp on the match at the coal face of the contest. He was the most explosive player on the ground for large chunks, giving teammates first use of the ball and cutting through the Gold Coast defensifve structure.
Miller Moves Up the Ground
Touk Miller has been the engine for Gold Coast’s midfield for years, but Hardwick’s decision to throw him forward proved to have a lot of benefit to the side.He racked up 24 touches, but what stood out was his class when it mattered most. With the game in the balance, he found space, controlled tempo, and delivered cleaner entries inside 50. His 10 disposals in the last quarter were vital in fending off Adelaide’s late charge. Quietly elite and ruthlessly efficient, Miller might not make the highlight reel, but he’s the reason the Suns didn’t buckle.
Hinge, Dawson and Soligo
I’ll be honest, prior to 2025, I couldn’t have picked Mitch Hinge out of a line up with Derryn Hinch, but geeze he’s having a great year. His stat sheet is good, but it doesn’t tell the story of how well poised he’s been with the ball so far this season, and with Dawson and Soligo, they form a regular three-man weave as Adelaide ran the ball out of defence.
The latter two have been touted as future Adelaide stars for a while now, but it’s Hinge for my mind that has really launched from the fringe to the best 22 on the back of his last few games with strong intercept and score launches from half back, as well as running hard to be part of the forward ball movement.
Jed Walter
The reputation around Walter was that if not for his Academy status,the 19 year old spearhead would have been considered an alternative number one pick to Harley Reid. Whether that would have played out is anyone’s guess, but it’s certain that we’re seeing a lad finding his footing at an AFL level.
He’s a monster of a unit. While the AFL no longer publishes player weights, I think we can safely put him around the 100kg mark, but with the explosive power of a player ten kilos lighter.
His three goal haul was a nice return, but there was a moment in the third where he miskicked the ball with a mongrel punt™ that still sailed 70 metres through goal. You could just here the thump of the kick in your viscera as he made contact. The lad has power in his legs, and a bit of vintage Sav Rocca about him. Great to see.
Ruck Battle
Another great week for ruck contests, as Witts and RO’B went at it all day.
Witts has amassed some great scalps, and this was no different, dominating the taps, generating his own clearances, and even sneaking forward to try and hit the scoreboard.
It’s a tough task for O’Brien to come up against Xerri and Witts in successive weeks, but to my eyes, he’s lost both match ups while Witts has gone from strength to strength.
Now, lets see how this circle completes itself when Xerri and Witts go at it. With Gawn’s current form, there’s an AA jacket for the taking, and these are two of the blokes who seem keen to put their hand up.
The Stats that Sting
- Disposals: Crows 370, Suns 320. Adelaide had more of the ball but couldn’t translate it into scoreboard dominance. Part of this was due to the enormous pressure that every Suns player brought to the table.
- Inside 50s: Suns 60, Crows 53. Gold Coast’s forward entries were more frequent than a teenager’s social media posts, and while they were a bit inefficient, it paid off.
- Clearances: Crows 46, Suns 35. Adelaide dominated the stoppages, with Rankine racking up 10 clearances, despite O’Brien struggling to match Witts.
- Free Kicks: Suns 25, Crows 14. I’m sure some will point to this as a reason for the loss, but the home crowd goading the umps into paying frees for their side has become a hallmark of Adelaide Oval games too. Gotta dance to the tune you play.
In the end, the Suns basked in the glory of victory, while the Crows were left to rue what could have been, but anyone who likes a hard-fought game of footy will be happy to tune in when this pops up on the replay list.
Next up:
Gather round sees everyone heading to South Australia next week, as the city of Adelaide and the surrounding areas put on a show for the nation.
Not that it makes a huge difference to the Crows, as they host Geelong at Adelaide Oval. The Cats have had some tight losses to St Kilda and Brisbane, but utterly smashed Freo and Melbourne when they hosted them at GMHBA. This will be their second trip out of Victoria for 2025, which may play a part as the lads settle into the routine of the regular AFL season (and deal with the frustration that is the current state of air travel in Australia).
Both teams can be absolutely surgical when they get their game going, and a little lost when things aren’t working for them.
But, I’m leaning towards Adelaide here. The home ground, the crowd goading the umps for the 50/50 calls, and the potent forward structure of the Crows looks a little too strong for Geelong to deal with, unless they lift their work rate above what we’ve seen from them so far this season.
This is Geelong, though, so there is every chance they have another gear to get into when the mood strikes. They’re playing to play finals after all.
It’ll be close, but I’m on the Crows. They won’t let two close ones go two weeks in a row.
Adelaide by three points.
Gold Coast head to the Barossa Valley to take on North Melbourne. Based on current form, the most significant challenge this undefeated Suns side will have will be finding the perfect cheese to go with the bottle of Penfold’s they pick up on the way to the ground.
As a North supporter, I wish I could find a way to tip the Roos here, but even the most optimistic part of me can’t see how a team that is struggling so badly to play at an AFL level (or even keep upright when running at times) will be the ones to end the Suns’ streak.
Gold Coast by 50.
