The Gold Coast Suns have begun their new direction under rookie coach Stuart Dew in style, with a 56-point win over the Geelong Cats at Riverway Stadium in Townsville in week two of the JLT Series.
The Suns looked a whole new team from the outset, getting on the board early with captain Tom Lynch scoring a goal in the first two minutes with a strong breeze.
Jarryd Lyons led the way with 22 disposals, while Aaron Hall had 17 disposals and two goals to carry on from outstanding from last year.
Rookie-listed Nick Holman was a surprise packet with 15 touches, eight tackles and one goal for the day in his first match for the Suns, having been delisted by Carlton at the end of 2015.
The AFL heat policy was applied before the match with an extra 2-minute break between quarters, while both clubs used the shade of the changerooms to gather time away from the heat.
With a host of Cats stars out including Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, the Selwood brothers and Harry Taylor, the captaincy was left to Mitch Duncan with support from Tom Hawkins.
Zach Tuohy was busy all day in defence with 24 disposals but unfortunately for Cats fans, there wasn’t a lot to like today with only mature-aged recruit Tim Kelly, Charlie Constable and Esava Ratugolea providing sparks for the side in patches.
The Cats wasted their disposals throughout the day with an over-possessive style of footy and inaccurate goalkicking.
They led the disposal count 349 to 305 and led contested possessions at 136-128. But the run-and-gun style play from the Suns has given a clear new era to life without Gary Ablett.
Gold Coast had eight separate goalkickers with Alex Sexton, Brayden Fiorini, Sean Lemmens and Aaron Hall all contributing with two goals each.
Surprisingly for the Suns, they led the tackle count with 75-61 — a clear indication that their game style has changed in the humid and hot conditions.
The Suns led categories including 17-15 in free kicks, also leading clearances 33-24, inside 50s 46-41, and tackles 77-62.
While the Cats know they have some big inclusions to come, they will face Essendon in Colac on Sunday, while the Suns have a chance to show up their rivals Brisbane in Southport in what could be a thrilling game for two young teams.
Final score
Gold Coast Suns: 12.13 (85)
Geelong Cats: 3.11 (29)
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