The
QUESTION CLASH
My oh my, with the Cats and the Hawks both losing already this round, all eyes now turn to People First Stadium to see if the Suns are ready to throw their hat in the ring and stake a claim for a top four spot, or do the Lions suddenly awaken from their month of May hibernation to remind the rest of the competition they are the back-to-back reigning Premiers?
While it appears at this stage of the season the Dockers and Swans have a strangle hold on the first two spots on the ladder, there is now a real logjam of teams currently third to tenth who will vie for starting positions come September. Just to complicate this situation, there are a number of teams at the next level down who will also fancy their chances of making the cut for the Wildcard Weekend.
Things just got serious.
With a game in hand, and facing a banged-up Lions outfit, it is now time for the Suns to earn the respect of the rest of the football world by grasping this game by the horns by putting the Lions to the sword.
Question: Can the Suns hold their bottle in a game they should win by putting the Lions away?
There is an old saying, beware the wounded beast, and while Lions maybe wounded, they are a proud club, and they will be ready to pounce if the Suns give them half a chance.
Question: Can the wounded pride of Lions put their May madness behind them and again consolidate their reputation as still being the Kings of the Jungle?
Enough waffle, it is now time to let the football do the talking in a game that is suddenly way more interesting than it was before last Thursday night.
Brisbane are all like: ‘Hold my Beer’
The Lions have emphatically answered all the talking heads ‘doomsayers’ who had already written them off after an average May with a performance that has sent a shudder through the upper half of the ladder.
No Hugh McCluggage.
No Dayne Zorko.
No Ryan Lester.
No Keidean Coleman.
No Oscar Allen.
No Jack Payne.
No Eric Hipwood.
No Lincoln McCarthy, and others.
NO WORRIES.
In spite of the above injury list, and running contra to their May form line, the Lions taught the Suns a lesson in what it means to be a top of the table contender.
Don’t get beat by what you know!
Brisbane won this game in the first fifteen minutes, as they jumped the Suns. Kicking the first four goal of the match, they caught the Suns napping and left them chasing their tails for the rest of the match.
It is in the DNA of the Lions that they don’t get beat very often when they lead by four or five goals, and that is exactly what happened in this match. Give or take a goal or two either way, the Suns never had enough dominance in general play throughout the game to threaten the stoic Lions.
Dull is the word I would use to describe the Suns in the first 15 minutes of this game as they stood around dumbfounded as the Lions went bang, bang, bang, bang, as Logan Morris and his fellow forwards put the Suns to sword.
By the time the Gold Coast woke up with a couple of late first quarter goals, the horse had already bolted, and not for the first time in their history, the Suns got beaten by what they knew.
Logan Morris v Mac Andrew, Sam Collins, Bodhi Uwland and Oscar Adams
One of the pleasures of reviewing a game each week is witnessing a young player going to the next level, and in the case of Logan Morris in the Q Clash 31, he elevated his game to another level again.
At the tender age of 21, Morris already has two Premiership medals and over 50 games under his belt, and as spectacular as his early career has been, I don’t think the surface has even been scratched yet as to how good he could be.
Morris had five goals before halftime, comprehensively beating up on Mac Andrew who looked all at sea trying to go one on one with him. By the time Sam Collins was moved onto him, Logan’s confidence was already through the roof.
It would a while since Sam Collins has been made to look second rate, but when it was his turn to stand Logan Morris, he was turned him inside out.
After halftime Bodhi Uwlands was given the daunting task of stopping the irrepressible young forward, before a combination of Andrew, Collins and Uwland tried and failed to double team him.
Morris should have finished the game with more than seven goals, and while the young tyro only kicked two goals after the main break as he shanked a few, that should not distract from his presence and dominance from the first bounce to the final siren as he made the Suns defence look pedestrian.
In the last stanza, the inexperienced Oscar Adams was moved onto Morris, and while he couldn’t stop Logan, he did display pride in his own performance when he got filthy with himself for giving away a 50m penalty. It was a small but important gesture by Adams who is trying to consolidate his place in the Suns team.
With a minute or so left on the clock, Charlie Cameron burnt Logan Morris who was all alone in the goal square as he had a shot from 50m out which missed. In a game where the Lions overall team performance got them over the line, any selfish act stands out, and while I am being pedantic, the Lions have had great success with a team-first orientation.
It wasn’t just Morris’ seven goals haul that made him stand out in this game, it was his ownership of his space in forward fifty, reminiscent of some of the all-time great exponents of forward craft like Lockett, Dunstall and Ablett snr.
Logan Morris was a worthy winner of the Marcus Ashcroft Medal.
In an era where $2 million contracts are on the table, it would be scary to know what another club would offer Morris for his services, and how much it would cost the Lions to keep him.
Lachie Neale Set the Standards
From the very bounce of this game Lachie Neale set the standards for the rest of his team to follow with a dominant display at the coal face resulting in a fifteen possession first quarter.
In the first half, Neale, along with the always reliable Zac Bailey, Jarrod Berry, Josh Dunkley, Bruce Reville and the Ashcroft’s completely shut down the Suns’ mids and runners.
It is rare Matt Rowell, Christian Petracca, Touk Miller and Noah Anderson all have quiet games on the same day, but such was the pressure applied by Neale and his mates at centre bounces and at around the ground stoppages, that the Suns’ engine room never really had a chance to get started.
Lachie Neale finished the game with 37 possessions, as he carved up his fallow Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell, teaching the young bull to never underestimate the guile and skill of the old bull. he ended just one contewsted disposal of another berth in the 30-20-10 Club (disposals/contested possessions/clearances).
As good as the Lions mids were, their job is always made easier if the big men are giving them silver tray service.
The Tag Team of Sam Draper / Darcy Forte versus Jarrod Witts / Ned Moyle
Sam Draper repaid the faith the Lions had in him as he had his best game to date at this new club, especially early in the game, tapping the ball to the advantage of his teammates. Draper was ably supported by Darcy Fort who has not looked back since being named in the Lions 2024 premiership winning team.
Draper is as awkward as he is dangerous, as in his round ball background means the way he goes about his game is aesthetically unique, and he has learned to use his point of difference to his advantage, bedazzling his opponents.
Draper won the big man battle in tandem with Fort in this game; however, the performance of Ned Moyle should not be overlooked as he more than held his own.
Under the tutelage of Jarrod Witts this year, Moyle has come along in leaps and bounds this season, and in time he will be a more than handy replacement for Witts
I’ve watched Jarrod Witts a number of times this season and in comparisons to seasons past, he is just not as dominant in season 2026.
Witts has been a warrior for the Suns, but the years of toil have slowed him a tad and the days of him being the lone ruckman for the Suns might be in the rear vision mirror now. Having said that, Witts is still a valuable asset for the Suns, not only as a mentor for the up and coming ruckmen like Moyle, but also for his on-field leadership.
Ben King v Harris Andrews
While Logan Morris was coming of age up one end of the ground, at the other end of the ground the battle between Ben King and Harris Andrews was intriguing, and almost as important.
King kicked four goals for the Suns playing the lone hand up forward for the Suns, and it could have been more but for Harris Andrews.
Harris Andrews is a wily old stager who is only interested in the next contest, meaning he is never out of the game, even when he is having a dirty day/night. In his man-on-man battle with King, in which he probably lowered his colours on the night, Andrews’ modus operandi of each contest is the only contest that matters, meant he kept his head in the present to ensure King didn’t kick a fifth or a sixth goal.
This game was probably two goals short of being a good old-fashioned shootout between the two full forwards.
The Tale of John Noble
There are players in the AFL over the years who have had the ability to rack up massive possession numbers, yet they are never considered as being elite, with John Noble being one such player who fits that criteria.
Noble had a 37-possession game against the Lions, but I don’t think Chris Fagan, nor his coaching assistants would have wasted any time trying to stop him.
Noble was debatably the Suns best player with his tradesman-like approach to the game, but therein tells the tale about John Noble, he is a fine grunt player, but he is no ignitor.
Noble is a valuable team player but he is never going to win a game by his own efforts, and for the Suns it is a shame some of his superstar teammates couldn’t rise to occasion on the back of his effort and enthusiasm.
Darcy Wilmot
To a certain degree, Darcy Wilmot is in the same category as John Noble, however that would be to ignore the importance of Wilmot as a quality interceptor.
Wilmot is a stoic, dour, two-way type of defender who can clamp a player while still attacking the game.
In a backline that strangled the life out of the Suns in Q Clash 31, Wilmot was the standout defender, and if Morris hadn’t kick seven goals to win the Marcus Ashcroft Medal, then it would have been a tight count between him and Neale as to the best on ground.
It is a credit to the Lions that with a number of their key defenders sidelined at present, that other players just take up the challenge to maintain the team standards, setting the example for the replacement fringe players to follow.
Brisbane is a lot like Geelong, conditioning talent for a season or two in the Magoos so that when they are selected, they are prepared to play at a standard expected of AFL players.
Nobody gets a game for the Lions until they are game ready.
Ty Gallop – I Apologise
Earlier this season I broke one the standards which set The Mongrel Punt apart from other media forums, in that I wrote negative comments about a player in the infancy of his career.
Not only do I apologise to Ty Gallop, but I must also admit that what I wrote was not accurate.
The esteem to which Gallop is held in at the Lions is the confidence Chris Fagan has swinging him from defence to forward, depending on the circumstances of the game knowing he will get the job done asked of him.
Ty Gallop is part of an elite group of Lion Cubs who are being groomed as quality future leaders of the club.
For the record Ty, you are a bloody ripper.
Speaking of Young’uns
A bit like Ty Gallop, Levi Ashcroft is another Lion Cub in his infancy who it feels like he has been in the system for a number of seasons given his readiness to not only compete at the senior level but to also have an impact.
I always get Levi and Will Ashcroft mixed up when viewing a Lions game which is credit to both brothers who seem to be spurring each other on to keep improving.
Shadeau Brain (great name) is another young Cub who has performed well at the level deserving of selection.
The Suns also had a few young’uns who performed well against arguably the best team in the competition.
As stated earlier, the endeavour of Oscar Adams to perform at the highest level was impressive, and if he maintains the same intensity to improve his game then he has a bright future.
Lachlan Gulbin is another Sun Ray I had not seen play before who impressed, and it will be interesting to see where his career is in twelve months’ time.
Before I forget, Leonardo Lombard is another player who it feels like he has been in the system for a few seasons already, but I have to check myself to remember he is only 19. Lombard is a real goer who attacks the contest without fear or favour, and he has a very bright future in the game.
Finally, congratulations to Jai Murray who played well in his first game for the Suns in the Q Clash.
It is possible I have failed to mention a player in his infancy, so please let me know and they will get a mention in my midweek article.
Cam Rayner
I might be being a Scrooge saying this, but I would like to witness a home and away game where Cam Rayner just unequivocably stamps his authority on the game and rips the heart out of an opposition team one day.
Rayner has the potential to be the best player in the game in much the same way as Dusty Martin was, however, on a week-to-week basis he is inconsistent especially when things aren’t going his way.
I’m being pedantic, as Rayner is an absolute beast, but in a game where the Lions had a few stars missing from their engine room, Rayner didn’t dominate in a manner he should have.
Are the Suns Overrated?
Like many pundits I believed this was the game the Suns would come of age against a wounded opponent and stake their claim for a potential top four finish come seasons end, but after their lacklustre performance against the Lions, there now arises more questions than answers about how good this Suns team are.
One loss does not make for a season, but Gold Coast have now lost two straight and counting.
The Suns have a horror run of games coming up in the next month and the pressure is now on them to win games in the face of adversity as their once promising season is now falling apart around them.
The Suns win/loss ratio is currently 7/5 and for them to have any chance of even making the finals they need to win at least one, but preferably two games in their next block of four games against the Cats, the Hawks, the all-conquering Dockers and finally the Pies.
So, are the Suns overrated?
The obvious answer is yes; however, come the end of the season the Suns will rue their last quarter capitulation to North before their bye, as well as their lacklustre start against the Lions.
It would fair to say the Suns are paying full price for two bad quarters of football, however, any team with aspirations of September glory find ways to win even when they are having a bad day, and as yet the Gold Coast Suns are not skilled enough to win ugly.
The Suns season is not cooked just yet, but they need a win, preferably on the road against the Cats at the cattery, or the Dockers at Optus, to galvanise them as a team.
Titbits
Damien Hardwick was reluctant in the first half to move the magnets around a bit when Logan Morris and Lachie Neale were running amok early, and by the time he did it was too little too late.
Whilst on Dimma, the Suns centre stoppage set up has become very predictable, and it wouldn’t hurt to mix it up with a few different players like Bodhi Uwland or Joel Jeffrey added to their centre rotations just to mix is up a bit.
Last year it was Bruce Reville who took his game to the next level going from being a fringe player to a Premiership player, and this year it seems James Tunstill might be following he’s example as he is starting to establish himself as a regular in the Lions team.
Fin
This really was an intense game to watch and even more intense to review, and apart from spelling a player’s name wrong, I hope this review does the game credit.
The Brisbane Lion have let the rest of the competition know they are still in the hunt for a threepeat, and regardless of injuries, their list runs deep, so proceed with caution.
Next week the Lions travel to Tassie for a pleasant Sunday afternoon game against an injury riddled Tigers who are struggling to even field a team.
As stated earlier, the Suns now have a doomsday encounter with the Cats at Alphabet Stadium, the stadium formerly known as Kardinia Park.
Finally, buy HB Meyers a coffee, he reviews four games every weekend, and he ensures at least a couple of articles are published each day.
Fearless Leader is a bloody ripper.
Stay bold and stay strong.
