The Gold Coast Suns fought off a gallant Brisbane Lions side to claim a 26-point win in the 12th edition of the Q-Clash at Metricon Stadium.
Like all local derbies this one had plenty of momentum swings but the Suns’ talent across the board was too much for the Lions to handle.
» Re-live all the action with our live blog
Jack Martin was the standout for the Suns at half back with as he begins to make that role his own.
The Suns were the dominant side for the majority of the night but a third quarter resurgence by the Lions came thanks to their big men Harris Andrews, Eric Hipwood and Daniel McStay who were marking everything.
The Suns’ big men were also good – Peter Wright having a big night with five goals and Tom Lynch also ended up with five after a good battle with Daniel Merrett.
On a sour note for the Suns, their skipper Gary Ablett left the field in the final term with a suspected shoulder injury that kept him out of the rest of the game. While Michael Rischitelli also went down in the first quarter with a suspected ACL injury and he did not return to the game.
Brisbane mounted something of a comeback in the final term to get the margin back to 20 points but Wright stepped up for the Suns and kicked the sealing goal.
They did put up a fight thanks to their skipper Tom Rockliff and Mitch Robinson in the midfield but the Lions will be disappointed that they couldn’t really push the Suns by getting the margin close.
The Suns will be looking to cause a big upset when they travel to Etihad Stadium next week to take on the Bulldogs.
Things don’t get any easier for the Lions as they get set to host the GWS Giants at the Gabba next week.
Final score
Gold Coast Suns 22.7.139
Brisbane Lions 17.11.113
The Roar’s AFL MVP votes
The votes this week could have gone a number of different way but this is how I saw it.
Jarrod Harbrow was spectacular off half-back for the Suns for the whole game with 27 disposals at 81 per cent efficiency, 12 marks and eight rebound 50s.
Big two-metre Peter Wright just nudged out his fellow key forward Tom Lynch as the best forward on the ground tonight with five goals, 20 disposals, 12 marks and three goal assists.
If it wasn’t for a bit of a quiet finish to the game, Jack Martin could have been best on ground with 29 disposals, six score involvements, nine marks and five rebound 50s.
3 Jarrod Harbrow
2 Peter Wright
1 Jack Martin
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Bayley Fritsch should become an even more important player from a structural perspective, given key forward Jacob van Rooyen will be unavailable due to concussion.
David King believes the Lions cost themselves victory against Adelaide by being too selfish.
The Crows and Lions played out the second draw of the 2024 AFL season, with scores locked at 90-all at the final siren.
Nobody knew what to think!
A massive stage from Taylor Walker!
Not sure there was much of an argument to be made!
