Pride before the fall
The old proverb says a fish rots from the head. And Leigh Matthews is the biggest fish.
The old proverb says a fish rots from the head. And Leigh Matthews is the biggest fish.
On paper, it doesn't look like the Gold Coast Suns made great strides in 2016, but given a better run with injuries expect significant strides in 2017.
Both Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade and his Port Adelaide counterpart Ken Hinkley spoke of the need to be ruthless as their teams approach the off-season with a view to hauling themselves up the ladder next year.
Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade said his side was mentally and physically cooked after last week's 71-point loss to Collingwood. They didn't look exhausted as they opened brightly against Port Adelaide at Metricon; the simpler problem was that they couldn't finish off their work.
For the first six minutes of this match, it looked like being another day at the Gabbatoir – with the Lions to the slaughter.
The last time the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney met, in round eight, much discussion centred around the progressions of the two expansion clubs. It looked terribly stark at the time: the Giants tore away with the match to win by 91 points, Jeremy Cameron kicking seven goals.
For a number of games in season 2016, the Brisbane Lions home matches have followed a set pattern. The Lions have roared out of the blocks, kicking the first two or three goals, before being buried in an avalanche in the second quarter.
With both the Suns' and the Dockers' midfields denuded by injuries, the big men ruled the roost.
Gold Coast Sun Peter Wright is stringing together some eye-catching performances.
The Gold Coast Suns may have eased some pressure on coach Rodney Eade on Saturday with a comfortable victory 40-point victory over St Kilda, but in the aftermath, Eade was looking ahead, his eye on two players not part of the victory.
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