The Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants will play in a match between the AFL’s two most recent expansion teams. Join our live blog with scores and commentary from 1.45pm AEST.
While many experts tipped the Giants to go past the Suns this year as the better team the season hasn’t played out that way thus far.
The Suns have had some good early season results with a win against St Kilda and admirable efforts against Brisbane and Sydney before last week’s 38-point loss to Port Adelaide.
On the other hand the Giants put in a decent performance versus the Swans in Round 1 but have struggled since then, culminating in allowing the Demons to kick 12 goals in the final term last week to give up a 19-point three-quarter time advantage.
This match therefore will be an indicator of whether GWS will go through the second-year blues or will continue to build on their solid base from last year.
While the Giants were overrun by a previously pathetic Melbourne they will have confidence that they can play out the four quarters against the Suns after they outscored Gold Coast by 31-points in the fourth quarter of the inaugural meeting between these teams.
Another twisted positive is Jonathon Patton didn’t play in the Giants’ win against Gold Coast last year, showing GWS can get the job done without their big forward.
Patton will miss the rest of the season after he tore his ACL in Round 3.
Gold Coast suffered a loss at the other end of the ground with Matthew Warnock breaking his arm in the loss to the Power.
In a team also missing former All-Australian defender Nathan Bock this could be a big blow, with a shortage of options to match-up on Jeremy Cameron, Setanta O’hAilpin and Jonathan Giles when he plays forward.
Gary Ablett will be the obvious concern for the Giants.
Despite injuring his hand against the Lions he managed 35 disposals against Port Adelaide the following week.
While a more even spread is ideal for the Suns to win Ablett showed against the Saints that he can drag his team to victory.
Preview written and supplied by Dinny Navaratnam
Allan
Guest
Sorry nearpost, but normal crowds for the giants is about 10-12,000. No other sport in Australian would play a game at 1.30pm.on a saturday when shops, workers etc cannot attend the game. It's the most appalling decision by the AFL. Why couldn't they play it at night is a puzzling. Its surprising they got 6800 considerations the time of the game and played by 2 bottoms sides.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Should have gotten a set of good youngsters, then find as many mature bodies out of the state league as they could, then poached a few stars to leaven it out. They had the access, they just stuffed it up. Bad decision making.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
GWS set up and initial roster and initial choice was, simply, bad. Sheedy was out too long and they should have gone after a Franklin, a Rioli or someone of similar stature. Poach an Aussie Rules player not a rugby player for the love of God. GC taking Ablett was a masterstroke. Folau's recruitment ... well, autocorrect suggested "folly" when I typed his name, that sounds right.
Pollock
Guest
Can't see how getting the best young players in the draft to a team so they can get belted every week is a good thing. Hopefully in a few years the AFL will withdraw the financial lifeline and we can put a line through this expensive mistake. Won't happen with the current AFL boss as he is too arrogant to admit its a mistake.
Bill
Guest
The travesty is this team was set up knowing they were going to fail on the field year after year - who throws hundreds of millions away on intentional failure?
JR Salazar
Guest
Sheedy OUT.
Ratta
Guest
The Suns had 43 attempts at goal, 22 of those were behinds. Imagine if they were more accurate, it could have been embarrassing for GWS... Oh wait.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Association Football in Canberra has lobbied hard for an A-League team. Its been the smaller market teams that have failed (Gold Coast, North Queensland, Newcastle almost, Central Coast despite doing well onfield are a worry off it according to some reports; and some of those areas are larger than Canberra), so the FFA was always going to look towards expanding in the large cities - particularly Sydney, the largest city and one where the "central" team is based a long way to the east, a couple of hours travel away from much of the population.
Bill
Guest
They'll need every cent they can con - they're a management basket case !
Matt
Guest
North/Bulldogs/Demons dying, this black hole being funded & supported to win a flag hence buy support, it's a disgrace! How do the people of Tasmania feel watching this farce of a franchise run around?
nearpost
Guest
Games are played in Canberra because ACT Govt has poured millions into the GWS - $30 million over ten years. Here's the thing. With the same money an A-League team in Canberra would bring in more than 6,000 people plus there would be no Raiders, or Brumbies in summer to take crowds from. But football hasn't lobbied hard enough or smart enough in Canberra to match a blow in team from Sydney.
Titus
Guest
AFL version of doing work in the community, I can see the people of western Sydney really responding to it.
Bill
Guest
They got out of Blacktown because they couldn't use the ground all year due to cricket - so they moved to Homebush where they can't use the ground all year due to the Easter Show -- So they play some games in Canberra --brilliant !
Simon
Guest
Can someone please explain to me why it seems like GWS play all their games in Canberra?
Bill
Guest
Yep - this mob is wasting tens of millions of dollars - someone at the AFL should take responsibility and resign over this embarrassment .
ciudadmarron
Guest
Why are the giants playing one of the few games they have a chance at winning in Canberra? Surely their actual market would be better aided with seeing them win in, um, sort of "west" Sydney? The afl's handling of this continues to be a laughable dogs breakfast.