Suns brighten after slow start to down Hawks

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If you are a Gold Coast Suns fan right now – indeed, if you’re coach Stuart Dew, six years in the job – you’d feel you were due a little luck.

Not that there was anything lucky about the Suns’ defeat of Hawthorn at Heritage Bank Stadium, where they recovered from a slow start and some poor kicking, eventually coasting to a comfortable 67-point win.

Ben Ainsworth celebrates a goal for the Suns in the win over Hawthorn.Credit: Getty Images

But with the Adelaide Crows falling just two points short of Collingwood earlier in the day, the Suns’ seventh win of the season leaves them equal on points with Geelong, Fremantle and the Crows, climbing from 14th to 10th on the ladder and outside the eight on percentage only.

With nine rounds of the season to play, the Suns – so poor last week against Carlton – are still every chance to make their maiden September campaign. And yes, this club might need a little luck. Getting their captain Touk Miller back from a knee injury will help.

Brayden Fiorini, on the fringe of the Suns side for years and elevated in Miller’s absence, played arguably his best game for his club, finishing with 35 possessions, seven clearances and picking up over 600 metres for his side.

Other standouts were Sam Flanders, who rewarded his coach after being elevated from the VFL, and a neat cameo from Malcolm Rosas jnr, who kicked three sharp goals in the last quarter, albeit after the result was locked in.

Cam Mackenzie handballs for the Hawks during the clash.Credit: Getty Images

The Hawks, who in the last month have knocked over finals candidates the Brisbane Lions and St Kilda, as well as meting out the expected thrashing to West Coast, were brought back to earth with a thud.

They’d started brightly enough, with acting captain Dylan Moore (in just game 66, deputising for James Sicily) trapping Noah Anderson over the ball after Suns defender Wil Powell’s kick fell short.

Mitch Lewis kicked the next two, both from clean overhead marks, and at that point Hawthorn were all over the Suns, who remained scoreless, had barely penetrated their own attack, and looked in danger of seeing another season slip away.

What happened next was simple. Gold Coast won the next clearance – Fiorini the handball, Anderson the kick – and Ben Ainsworth picked up the crumbs. They picked up their game around the clearances, and the ball stayed in the Suns’ forward line.

If only they’d done more with it. In the second quarter, the Suns scrounged 2.8, with another Levi Casboult set shot sailing out on the full. Casboult missed two other shots in an eventful quarter where he failed to take the chance to take the game apart.

Hawthorn, though, simply weren’t good enough to take advantage of the Suns’ largesse. Their delivery inside 50 was abysmal, with Powell and the rapidly improving Mac Andrew picking off their entries with ease. Powell took a dozen marks for the game.

Finally, the Suns found their radar. Jack Lukosius was influential in the third quarter, kicking his second goal and dropping a beautifully weighted kick in front of Ben King.

King kicked two goals for the match, continuing an underrated season after missing all of last year.

The Suns finally blew the flagging Hawks away in the last quarter, kicking five goals to no score. For Hawks fans, there was little to like: they won the overall possession count, yet entered their own attack just 37 times to the Suns’ overwhelming 68.

It’s tough luck for the Suns that they have ladder leaders Collingwood (at home) next week and Port Adelaide (away) in the next fortnight. And you might want to wish them good luck with those assignments.

On the other hand, if they want to make their own luck, their time is now.

GOLD COAST 2.0 4.8 9.12 14.17 (101)
HAWTHORN 3.1 3.4 5.4 5.4 (34)

GOALS
Gold Coast: Rosas 3, Lukosius 2, King 2, Anderson 2, Ellis, Swallow, Ainsworth, Holman, Witts.
Hawthorn: Lewis 2, Breust 2, Moore.
BEST
Gold Coast: Fiorini, Anderson, Powell, Ainsworth, Flanders, Macpherson.
Hawthorn: Day, Newcombe, Nash, Hardwick, Lewis.
UMPIRES
Stephens, Chamberlain, Heffernan, Adair.

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