Fatigue status at high-end of scale as the wear and tear sets in

It has been a long, difficult season at Metricon Stadium and the signs of fatigue and wear and tear have been present for quite some time now. But on Saturday night, despite a mass of tired bodies, Gold Coast found a way to win. It wasn’t a pretty affair; in fact it was far from anything aesthetically pleasing. It definitely won’t make Chooseday night football, but in a year that has only produced four wins, the SUNS ability to grind it out to the final siren and find a way to get over the line was admirable. By this time of year, and given the enormous injury toll, the fatigue status is understandable. Rookie revelation Adam Saad, and fellow first-year emerging star Touk Miller are both in desperate need of a rest, as is veteran Michael Rischitelli who has been forced to bear the brunt of the workload all year. With Port Adelaide and Sydney to come – two sides that can cut opponents apart with their ability to run – the next two weeks are daunting.

Inacurracy in front of goal almost comes back to bite SUNS

Saturday night’s nail-biting two-point win was gutsy, although Gold Coast should have put Essendon away earlier in the night. Poor kicking is poor football, and that was precisely the case against the Bombers with a handful of players missing opportunities they should have taken. Tom Lynch and Jack Martin were the two main culprits with the pair both kicking 3.3, as well as having shots that didn’t register a score. It was the manner in which they missed rather than the behinds themselves, with both Lynch and Martin missing goals they would usually gobble up. After kicking 1.5 against Greater Western Sydney in round 16, Lynch enjoyed a three-week burst where he was deadly infront of goal, kicking 13.4 in that period. In the last fortnight, the star forward has missed set shots within 40m and from favourable angles. Misses in the last two weeks have cost him five-goal hauls and prevented him from tearing games apart. Of the top-ten key forwards in the game, only Taylor Walker has a conversion rate at 57 per cent, compared to Lynch's 59 per cent (37.26).

Hall produces enormous numbers against Bombers

The resurgence of Aaron Hall continues to escalate by the week. For the fifth consecutive game, the recently relocated midfielder equalled or bettered his personal best possession haul, with a tally of 31 possessions against Essendon, to go with an enormous 13 inside 50s and the highest metres gained reading of the year with 968 metres. Imposing numbers. It has been one of the more remarkable stories of the season; given the fact Hall had rarely spent any time in the midfield prior to round 17. But since Gary Ablett went down early against Adelaide, out of pure necessity, the SUNS have had no alternative than to use the big-bodied Tasmanian in the engine room. It’s well documented who is missing and it will remain to be seen where Hall will fit into Gold Coast’s midfield rotation next season, but given his form in the last five weeks there is zero doubt now that he can play in there.

Gutsy midfield grinding away despite running on empty

Gold Coast’s depleted midfield is running on empty and with good reason given the personnel that is missing and the load that others have been asked to carry during the tough times. On Saturday night, the efforts of Rischitelli and Jesse Lonergan epitomised the SUNS’ performance. The legs were gone, but the intent was still there. Whilst Hall is finishing the year with a full head of steam, almost everyone else is crying out for a rest. Stand-in-captain Rischitelli produced another dependable effort against an Essendon onball division that despite a poor season, still has plenty of star quality in Dyson Heppell, Brendon Goddard, Brent Stanton and David Zaharakis. Lonergan made a strong contribution with 21 possessions, as did Matt Shaw (20 disposals and two goals) and Brandon Matera who relished a full game on the wing. The polished left footer thrived in extra space and outside of 50 where he was able to win plenty of his own ball with 23 touches.