Gold Coast Suns meet GWS Giants at Metricon Stadium today with potentially the Brownlow medal, Coleman medal, wooden spoon and Kevin Sheedy’s legacy at stake (am I selling the game well or what?). Join us today from 1.10pm AEST for live scores and commentary.
It’s the battle of the babies, the little-league grand final, the expansion-team exhibition.
These teams might be down the wrong end of the ladder, but there’ll be no tanking in this one.
Both sides have just about overdosed on high draft picks the last few years, and have very real reasons to win today anyway.
For the Suns, a loss to the Giants would be about as humiliating as getting beaten up by your little brother.
The men from the Sunshine Strip were top eight contenders earlier this year, but they’ve had a dramatic fall from grace with just two wins from their final ten games.
A loss here wouldn’t look good on Guy McKenna’s coaching CV, that’s for sure.
GWS on the other hand will be looking to help score their young superstar Jeremy Cameron a Coleman Medal, but more importantly send off a certain Kevin Sheedy – maybe you’ve heard of him – with an against-the-odds victory.
Considering Sheedy’s decorated career, he deserves a better effort than the 121-point shellacking against Richmond last week.
To put that loss into context, it was Richmond’s first win by over a hundred points since they toppled mighty Fitzroy back in 1995.
There’s one other carrot dangling in front of GWS today – win this, they leapfrog Melbourne and avoid back-to-back wooden spoons (assuming the Dees lose to the Bulldogs).
Sure, that means the Giants miss out on the number one pick in the draft, but hey, they don’t need Tom Boyd anyway, what with Cameron, Patton and possibly Lance Franklin clogging up their forward line next year.
Both sides have rung in plenty of changes, perhaps under the mistaken impression they need to rest key players for finals next week.
Jarrod Harbrow, Maverick Weller, Joel Wilkinson, Sam Day and Sebastian Tape come in for the Suns, who lose Greg Broughton (Achilles), Leigh Osborne (calf), Steven May (suspension), Daniel Gorringe (abdominal) and Jackson Allen (omitted).
Meanwhile, GWS bring in Stephen Gilham, Matthew Buntine, Shaun Edwards, Mark Whiley, Lachie Whitfield and James Stewart, and dropping Dean Brogan (retired), Callan Ward (hip), Adam Treloar (ankle), Tomas Bugg (omitted), Nathan Wilson (quad) and Nicholas Haynes (omitted).
The biggest change there is GWS losing inspirational leader Callan Ward, but then again the Gold Coast Suns might as well have been without theirs lately with Gary Ablett a mere shadow of his former self the last few weeks.
Suns fans (and fantasy coaches) will be praying like mad that the Son of God returns from his three matches in the wilderness – if nothing else, my Dreamteam grand final a Brownlow medal could be at stake.
The Suns at their home fortress go in favourites, but neutral fans will surely will be rooting for the underdogs in this one – after all, a victory here will be the last chance for Kevin Sheedy to do a Cossack dance to the Giants wonderfully Russian-sounding club song.
JR Salazar
Guest
Time for GWS to clean up house and schedule friendlies with international club teams.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
FULL TIME STATS GOALS: Gold Coast: Ablett 4, Boston 4, Bennell 2, Rishitelli 2, Dixon 2, Harbrow 2, Stanley 2, Prestia 2, Gillbee, Hall, Hunt Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 2, Sumner, Kennedy, Giles, Tomlinson, Adams, Coniglio, Hampton BEST: Gold Coast: Ablett, Stanley, Prestia, Weller, Bennell, Boston Greater Western Sydney: Adams, Greene, Tomlinson SUBSTITUTES: Gold Coast: Karmichael Hunt on for Joel Wilkinson in the third quarter Greater Western Sydney: Kristian Jaksch on for James Stewart in the third quarter Injuries: None Reports: None Umpires: Leppard, Findlay, Mitchell Official crowd: 13,080
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
SUNS WIN GC 21.14 (146) GWS 8.9(63) The Suns song blares around Metricon and the players flock to the enthusiastic local crowd. They haven’t had a lot to cheer about these first three years but things are certainly looking up. Should be fighting for a spot in the eight next year, if they have a good run with injury. And while the season might be over for the Suns as a collective, there should be some individual honours coming their way with Ablett the Brownlow favourite after another brilliant game and O’Meara surely a shoe-in for the Rising Star. The Giants meanwhile… well, at least it wasn’t another 100 point belting, but this one was arguably more disappointing than last week. So long Sheedy, and thanks for the memories… surely you don’t want to give up your coaching career like this? Go back to Victoria, I hear your old club might need you for a year.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 0 MINS LEFT GC 21.14 (146) GWS 8.9(63) A bit of Bennell magic pressed up against the boundary on the wing, keeping the ball in play while he runs around in the third row before taking the ball inboard to Stanley, who finds Boston 15 out on a slight angle. Siren goes and Boston gets his fourth, nice game from the youngster and the Suns will be beaming.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 4 MINS LEFT GC 20.12 (138) GWS 8.9(63) What time is it Suns? It’s PARTY time. Two long range goals in a row to the men in red – the first a beauty from Harbrow on the run, followed up by a Stanley bomb from outside fifty. Giants getting monstered.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 7 MINS LEFT GC 18.11 (125) GWS 8.9(63) Seems to be 22-on-1 at the minute, with Hampton the only Giant not to have clocked off and gone home. He snatches up a loose ball and speeds to the forward fifty arc and goals on the run.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 8 MINS LEFT GC 18.11 (125) GWS 8.9(57) Hunt the sub kicks what looks to be a goal but it goes to video review to see if it was touched off the boot. The video umpires shake their magic eight ball and it comes up with… goal! The players rally around Hunt in scenes reminiscent of his after-the-siren heroics against Richmond last year. Not quite as crucial a goal as that time but a nice reward for the former rugby league champ, he's had a tough run with injury and form this year.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 10 MINS LEFT GC 18.10 (118) GWS 8.9(57) A pair of Gold Coast behinds are bookended by another Boston goal after he marked 35 out. I’d say the heat has gone out of the game, but it was barely lukewarm to begin with.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 14 MINS LEFT GC 17.8 (110) GWS 8.9(57) Giants fumble around in defence and Boston steals the ball and snaps his second from the goalsquare.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q4 18 MINS LEFT GC 15.7 (103) GWS 8.7(55) Cameron starts off the final quarter with a goal – just needs six more in one quarter of footy to claim the Coleman.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
THREE QUARTER TIME - GC 15.7 (103) GWS 7.7(49) Cameron misses on the siren from a tough set shot on a tight angle. Nothing going right for the Giants but at least they showed a bit of mongrel the last ten minutes. It’s been the year of the comeback but a Giants win is looking as likely as a Bombers premiership at the minute.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 4 MINS LEFT - GC 15.4 (100) GWS 7.7(49) GWS press forward and get the ball to number one draft pick Coniglio, who goals from 30m out on a slight angle. Get the ball into their forward fifty again only for Sumner to miss from close range.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 8 MINS LEFT - GC 15.4 (100) GWS 6.6(42) Scintillating football from the Suns as they sweep through the middle, Hall sprints toward goal and kicks it at full pelt from just inside fifty.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 9 MINS LEFT - GC 14.4 (94) GWS 6.6(42) Hampton suddenly remembers he's playing a football match and scrambles for the ball in the middle. He fights off all-comers and launches one to the goalsquare where Adams takes a nice grab and goals. He ends up on the end of another forward foray by the Giants but misses a snap from 30 out.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 11 MINS LEFT - GC 14.4 (94) GWS 5.5(35) Goal - Suns take it down the other end from the kick in. Russell through the middle finds Danny Stanley directly in front. The former Pie slots it.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 13 MINS LEFT - GC 13.4 (88) GWS 5.5(35) Gaz might be on track for a medal, but Cameron won’t be winning the Coleman this year, after missing another from the pocket.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 15 MINS LEFT - GC 13.4 (88) GWS 5.4(34) Ablett wins a free in front of goal for a push from Whiley, and slots the goal. Firming for the Brownlow with every minute that passes.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q3 17 MINS LEFT - GC 12.3 (81) GWS 5.4(34) You’d think the Giants would a little pumped up at least but no. They go forward halfheartedly but cough it up, Suns chip it around in the back half, then a stream of uncontested marks through the middle before the ball ends up in Boston’s lap 35 out. He goals. GWS should be wearing their orange home strip because they are absolute witches hats today.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
HALF TIME Well it was bad enough for the Giants to get slaughtered by Richmond in Sheedy’s last home game, but to be giving in to the fresh-faced Suns just as meekly is a real shame. Mad Monday might involve a group trip to the psychotherapist if this keeps up, a belting from the Suns would be a confidence-shattering way to end the season. As for the Suns, Ablett is back in form with 20 touches and three goals. Forget the Son of God, he is a Sun God up here at Metricon. Not a one man show by any means however, with their young superstars in Bennell, Prestia and O’Meara dominating in the middle.
Max Opray
Roar Rookie
Q2 1 MIN LEFT - GC 11.3 (75) GWS 5.4(34) Whitfield delivers to Tomlinson who marks on a tight angle about 20m out. Mighty tough kick but the young Giant slides it through.