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The Gold Coast Suns’ hope of playing finals football in 2014 have taken a big hit after a shock 54-point loss to their clash with the Brisbane Lions.
FINAL SCORE:
Lions 16.14 (110)
Suns 8.8 (56)
The Gold Coast Suns will be desperate to show the world they can win without legendary captain Gary Ablett Jr when they face the Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:40 pm (AEST).
The Brisbane Lions have had a tough year, recording just four victories from sixteen matches.
Their last month has been alright though – they snatched a victory over the sixth-placed North Melbourne Kangaroos before pushing both Richmond and West Coast prior to the bye.
They’re hardly dominating, but they will enter the match with at least a small measure of confidence.
The Suns on the other hand were set for a maiden finals campaign until their captain and reigning Brownlow Medallist copped a shoulder injury that has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Before the bye the Suns fell to the Western Bulldogs, a team they were favoured to beat, leading to speculation as to whether or not they can make the eight without Ablett. They are now 0-6 in their short history from games he has missed.
This is the eighth edition of the ‘Q Clash’, the twice-yearly battle between these two Queensland teams. The Suns claimed victory in the first back in 2010, before the Lions went on a rampage, winning the next five meetings. However, a much-improved Suns outfit dominated the Lions in Round 3 this year, winning by 53 points.
The Lions welcome back vice-captain Tom Rockliff from suspension, and are also bringing Jack Crisp into the side. Mitch Golby will miss with a foot injury and Marco Paparone has been omitted.
The Suns have lost Kade Kolodjashnij to a hamstring injury and Tom Murphy to suspension, Luke Russell and Clay Cameron return as replacements.
Two players had a big impact on the match last time these teams met – Gary Ablett had 38 touches and kicked 3 goals, while Tom Rockliff had 35 touches and also kicked 3 goals. Ablett won’t be there this week, but Rockliff will, making his return from suspension. Can the young Lion – who has improved so much this year – put in another big performance and get his team across the line?
Prediction
The Lions are a shot here if they bring their best efforts, and the Gold Coast are a little mentally vulnerable. That said, looking purely at the talent in both teams, I see no reason for the Suns not to win.
Gold Coast by 18 points.
Can the Suns finally claim a win without Gary? Or will it be 0-7 without the skipper as the Lions claim a fifth win for the year? Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:40 PM (AEST).