GOLD COASTÂ
6.2 Â Â Â 12.4Â Â Â 17.4 Â Â Â 22.7 Â Â Â (139)
BRISBANE LIONSÂ
2.4 Â Â Â 6.6Â Â Â 12.10Â Â Â 17.11 Â Â (113)
GOALS - Gold Coast: Wright 5, Lynch 5, Matera 3, Davis 2, Ah Chee 2, Sexton 2, Ablett Miller, Garlett. Brisbane Lions: Hipwood 4, McStay 2, Jansen 2, Andrews 2, Rich 2, Bewick, Green, Zorko, Schache, Lester.
BEST – Gold Coast: Wright, Miller, Martin, Lynch, Ablett, Harbrow. Brisbane Lions: Mathieson, Zorko, Hipwood, Mayes, Robinson, Martin.
Injuries – Gold Coast: Rischitelli (knee), Ablett (shoulder).Â
CROWD 13,528 at Metricon Stadium.
The only game the Brisbane Lions have won this season was against the Gold Coast Suns, in Round 4, in a match that was full of feeling and not a little spite. It seemed a long time ago in the return bout at Metricon Stadium, as the Suns inflicted the Lions' 11th loss in a row, eventually running out 26-point winners.Â
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Ablett hurt as Suns tame Lions
Gold Coast’s 26-point win over Brisbane was soured, when Gary Ablett left the field nursing his left shoulder.
It was a fast, open game, more like basketball than the bruising affair that characterised the last QClash, when the Suns' Steven May ironed out Lions ruckman Stefan Martin with a crude shirtfront. But it still had its share of niggle, and the Suns didn't win the rematch without a fight.Â
They also suffered further losses to injury. Gary Ablett went straight down to the rooms after hurting his left shoulder in a tackle five minutes into the last quarter – the same shoulder wrecked almost two years ago to the day at this ground. The Suns also lost Michael Rischitelli to a knee injury in the first quarter.Â
The Suns had the match cold, with Brandon Matera opening up a 51-point break for the home side with his second goal seven minutes into the third quarter. From there they let the Lions back in, conceding six goals for the quarter as the margin was slashed to a gettable four goals at three-quarter time.Â
And the Lions continued to press the Suns through the last quarter, with young forward Eric Hipwood kicking his fourth goal – his eighth in his first three games of senior football – and Rhys Mathieson, in just his fourth game, the Lions' best player with 24 disposals, seven tackles and five clearances.Â
In the end, though, the talent differential between the two teams was simply too great. The Lions can still only boast Daniel Rich, Sam Mayes and Josh Schache as first-round picks, a sad state of affairs for such a weakened club. The Suns will have another two top 10 draft picks to call on at the end of this season.Â
And the Suns' elite picks are continuing to shine. Second-year behemoth Peter Wright played another outstanding game up forward, with 20 disposals, 12 marks and a career-best five goals. Tom Lynch kicked another five and remains third in the Coleman medal race, with 48 majors for the season.Â
Another second-year player, Touk Miller, was outstanding, beating Lions captain Tom Rockliff, who continues to puzzle.Â
Rockliff had 28 disposals, but 21 of them were handballs, with only a 60 per cent efficiency overall, blunting much impact he might have had on the game, although he continued to work with 10 tackles