SUNS surge late:

The Gold Coast SUNS stormed home to steal a late win against a strong Sydney Swans at Blacktown International Sports Park on Friday night. It was a scrappy affair and the SUNS trailed by as many as three goals in the final quarter, only to overrun the Swans late. After a slow start to the match, the SUNS hung on well to only trail by four points at quarter time. The second quarter saw a rampant SUNS have nine scoring shots to lead by seven points at half-time. A late charge by the Swans in the third term had the SUNS behind by 17 points at the last break. This margin would remain until a second James Tsitas goal, saw the flood gates open and Malcolm Rosas Jnr kick two in a row to seal a two-point win for the SUNS. The maturity of the group to hold their nerve in a tense final quarter was a standout in a positive day for the club.

New SUNS shine:

The man who turned the tide in the fourth quarter, James Tsitas, had another standout performance for the SUNS with two goals and 25 touches as he put his name in discussions for an AFL debut. It was Tsitas’ second game for the club since joining as a supplementary selection period (SSP) addition to the list. Charlie Constable also made a successful and powerful debut in a SUNS jersey. He finished with 20 disposals, 13 tackles and six clearances to add a hard edge to a young SUNS midfield. New draftee Mac Andrew continues to develop his craft in defence and had a tough matchup at times with Swans young gun, Logan McDonald.

Big men show their class:

The ruck battle was fierce all night, with Ned Moyle showing his dominant performance last week was no one-off. Fresh off signing a new contract with the club, Moyle had 33 hitouts and 19 disposals against a much more experienced opponent. Sam Day and Chris Burgess provided strong targets up forward, taking big, contested marks and kicking six goals between them.