The Gold Coast SUNS went down to a classy Sandringham Zebras by eight points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval this afternoon.
A game that went right down to the wire, the SUNS only trailed by two-points with a few minutes remaining, before a late Sandringham goal halted the SUNS charge.
A frenetic first quarter saw 11 goals kicked and the SUNS withstand a five-goal burst from Sandringham.
The SUNS fought back bravely in the first term kicking two goals late, to bring the margin back to 21 points, after Sandringham had led by as many as 33.
Elijah Hollands was pivotal in the SUNS fight back, collecting six disposals and two goals, along with Chris Burgess who kicked two majors.
The scoring continued in the second quarter with the SUNS kicking four more goals to cut the margin to 10 points at halftime.
Efficiency was the theme for the SUNS, with 12 scores from 23 forward-50 entries.
Sam Flanders led the SUNS with 15 disposals, as Burgess kicked two more goals to have four by halftime.
Connor Budarick began to impact the game with silky skills and clever ball use.
A tighter and more contested third quarter, slowed the scoring in comparison to the first half.
Jermey Sharp was prolific with 13 disposals in the third term to have 26 by three quarter-time.
Darcy Macpherson also got into his work, finishing the quarter with 20 touches.
Three late behinds had the SUNS still trailing by 12 points at the final break.
The final quarter started brightly, with Macpherson and Burgess kicking the first two goals to bring scores level.
Burgess finishing the game with six-goals, while Macpherson finished with 26 disposals.
After conceding two quick goals, Sharp, who was the best afield for the SUNS, converted two opportunities to bring the game back to a two-point deficit.
Sharp had a game-high 39 disposals, along with 2 goals and eight clearances, in what was a dominant performance.
The SUNS just falling short in the dying minutes with a late goal the difference between the sides.
Gold Coast Suns 4.1 8.4 11.8 15.11 (101)
Sandringham 7.4 9.8 13.8 16.13 (109)
SUNS BEST: Sharp, Burgess, Macpherson, Flanders, Budarick, Hollands
SUNS GOALS: Burgess 6, Day 2, Hollands 2, Sharp 2, Bella, Macpherson, Sexton
