Coach wants more to keep Suns shining in AFL finals bid

Ed Jackson | June 28, 2025

Good, not great. That’s the view of Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick after the Suns held off a fast-finishing Melbourne  to re-ignite their bid for a maiden AFL finals appearance.

The 15.14 (104) to 12.13 (85) victory at People First Stadium on the Gold Coast on Saturday ended a three-game losing run and lifted the Suns back into the top eight.

Their victory was set up in a dominant first term, when the hosts kicked five goals to none to be 36 points clear at the first break.

However, holding a game-high 46-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Suns threatened to let the Demons back into the contest.

The visitors kicked the first four goals of the last term before Ben King’s third goal of the match ended the fightback and secured the points.

“It’s the good-to-great stuff we’re after,” Hardwick said.

“We’re a good side. Great sides? That doesn’t happen.

“You don’t give up five goals six in the last quarter from 11 or 12 entries, or whatever it was. 

“Important thing is we got the win. The next most important thing is the growth that comes from that last quarter, because we let a side back in the game we firmly had control of.”

Despite a first quarter that Demons coach Simon Goodwin labelled “unacceptable”, it was the visitors who had arguably the best player on the ground in Jake Melksham.

The Demons’ goalsneak kicked 5.6 from 18 disposals – including his 200th AFL career goal – despite dealing with painful-looking cramping from the third quarter.

Christian Petracca topped the possession charts with 32 disposals, while also picking up seven clearances.

For the Suns, King kicked three goals, while John Noble was excellent with 29 disposals and 624 metres gained from half-back.

Midfield bull Matt Rowell celebrated his new two-year contract extension with 24 disposals, 12 clearances and 11 tackles.

The loss was Melbourne’s fourth in a row and was compounded by the loss of both Blake Howes and Harrison Petty to concussion before halftime.

Goodwin was pleased with his team’s battling spirit after a first quarter where they scored just one behind and made 11 less tackles than the Suns, despite the hosts having almost three times the possession.

However, it was clear for the Demons coach where the game was lost.

“You sit here with mixed emotions as a senior coach,” Goodwin said.

“That first quarter was unacceptable in terms of ability to win the ball, our ability to pressure the ball, our ability to get our hands on the ball, and Gold Coast were unbelievable.

“But we were miles off early in the game. And clearly that was the game at quarter-time, 37 to one down. (And we) probably could have been more down.

“Then you sit here for the last three quarters, really proud of the group, the grit, two players down with concussion, the ability to fight, get the game back with pressure, contest effective ball inside 50 and you see your team grow.

“But you walk away again with a disappointing result in an outcome-based sport – it’s frustrating.”