In 297 games the SUNS have only have once played in a one-point result. It was an absolute cracker which swung time and again in the last three minutes. Or as the book of bad jokes will tell you, more often than a snake with an itch.

It was Round 17 2021 in a game sadly played under Covid protocols at a virtually neutral ground in front of just 2952.

Originally the SUNS were drawn to play the GWS Giants at the Sydney Showgrounds on Friday 9 July, but when continuing Covid outbreaks ruled Sydney off-limits the game didn’t have a ‘home’ five days out.

Not until 6 July did the AFL confirm it would be played in Ballarat on Sunday 11 July.

It wasn’t exactly the ideal build-up, as the 14^th-placed SUNS, a mathematical finals chance at best, looked to derail the finals hopes of the eighth-placed Giants.

Fourteen minutes into the last quarter GWS led by 12 points when a mid-air soccer kick from Toby Greene tickled a loose ball as it crossed the goal line for full points.

The ball went from end to end for 11 minutes for only an Izak Rankine behind for the SUNS, and with four minutes on the clock the SUNS were still 11 points down. They were running out of time.

A strong tackle by Nick Holman sprung the ball free. It fell to Matt Rowell and his snap from 30m across his body bounced through.  Game on.

Ben King dropped a low mark but Holman gathered the crumbs. He found Touk Miller whose quick handpass sent Sean Lemmens running inside 50. Rankine flew from behind and brought the ball to ground, where it fell to David Swallow. The  hopes of SUNS fans rose as he ran to the edge of the square.

But they fell just as quickly as he crashed the ball into the post, and rose again when the umpire paid a push against Isaac Cumming, giving Swallow a free kick from the top of the square. With four minutes to play the Gold Coast led by a point.

The Giants went forward. Brett Daniels ran with the ball to about 40, within kicking range, and curiously went short into the pocket. He kicked it straight to Jack Bowes. SUNS hopes rose with his saving mark. But they fell again when Bowes kicked it out on the full.

The Giants had one last chance. It pinged around, with nobody able to win clean possession, before it fell to Phil Davis. He chipped it back into pocket where GWS had a numbers advance - it was Bowes against Greene and Daniels.

The ball landed in between the three and just as Bowes punched it away the siren went. Gold Coast 10-5 (65) beat GWS 9-10 (64).

Touk Miller, with 35 possessions and two goals, picked up three Brownlow Medal votes as GWS’ Tom Green earned two votes for his 41 possessions, and the SUNS’ Charlie Ballard, who held Jesse Hogan goalless, received one vote.

It was same day as Sam Day kicked the SUNS’ 1000^th AFL goal, and Brandon Ellis had a club record 29 handballs to better Gary Ablett’s mark of 27 set eight years earlier.

Ellis’ handball feast saw him finish with a career-best 41 possessions, but he was six handballs shy of the all-time AFL record of 35, set by Adelaide’s Matt Crouch in 2018. Tom Mitchell (34) and Ablett (33) are next on the list.

The one-point Ballarat thriller is one of 32 SUNS games decided by a kick. Or six points or less. Overall, it’s 13-17 to the opposition, with two draws. And in a season not likely to be repeated in a hurry (hopefully), in 2019, when the SUNS  went 3-19 to finish with the wooden-spoon, their three wins were by two points, three points and five points.

Overall, the SUNS have a 5-8 record in Round 17 games. They won two of their first three, lost the next seven, posted wins by one and two points in 2021-22, and lost by 33 points to Port Adelaide at Adelaide in Round 17 last year.

Oddly, Round 17 has been one of significant ‘firsts’, with the club posting their first win over Richmond in Round 17 2011 and their first win over Collingwood in Round 17 2013.

Port Adelaide are #1 on the SUNS’ “kill’ list in the AFL after the club’s historic first win in Round 5 2011, which still ranks with the club’s very best. Coming from 28 points down at three-quarter-time, they hit the front through Luke Russell and then survived an angled 35m kick after the siren from Port’s Justin Westhoff which could have changed the result.

The ‘Kill List’ below lists the order in which the SUNS posted their first win against each club – Port were first and Adelaide 17^th – together with the number of times they played to register their first win against each club, and the round/year in which the first win came.

In order, Brisbane were second on the “kill list”, followed by Richmond, GWS and Carlton in 2011, StKilda, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Collingwood in 2013, Geelong in 2014, Essendon in 2015, Fremantle in 2016 and Adelaide in 2020.

The SUNS still have five targets to knock off to complete a clean sweep home and away against every other team – they’re yet to beat Port and Sydney at home, and Adelaide, Collingwood and Essendon away.

2011 -  INTRODUCING … A FUTURE COACH

Damien Hardwick had taken charge of Richmond in 2010, steering them to a 6-16 record and 15^th on a 16-team ladder which, although disappointing at the time, what later prove to be the first building blocks of a super team that would go on to win the flag in 2017-19-20.

The Gold Coast had their first meeting with the ex-Essendon and Port Adelaide premiership player in Round 17 2011 in Cairns, when it was the 17^th-placed SUNS on an eight-game losing streak against the 13^th-placed Tigers, who had lost five in a row.

It was the first AFL game in the North Queensland ‘capital’ and pulled a healthy crowd of 10,832 in windy but fine conditions.

The Tigers kicked with a strong wind in the first quarter and after Jack Riewoldt kicked the first AFL goal at Cazaly’s Stadium led 6-8 to 1-2 at quarter-time. But the SUNS were equal to the task. Danny Stanley kicked three in the second quarter as they added 6-4 to 0-1, hitting the front shortly before the long break via Sam Iles.

Richmond added a costly 2-7 to 0-3 in the third quarter to lead by 13 points at the last change, but, coming home with the wind, the Gold Coast were too good.

Ablett got things going when he won a one-on-one contest at centre half forward, turned onto his left and snapped truly off one step from 45m, before Jared Brennan, accepting a nice pass from Josh Fraser, converted from 30m in the pocket to put his side back in front.

David Swallow carried the ball across the 50m arc, took a bounce, dodged around a closing defender and slotted a beauty on the run before Brennan again kicked truly from a tighter angle.

Richmond were going to need a miracle, and they got something like it with a miracle goal out of midair from Robin Nahas to cut it to eight points, but time was against them, and the game was won before Josh Toy, with a big mop of blonde hair flapping in the wind, kicked the only goal of his 13-game career to close it out.

Gold Coast outscored Richmond 11-11 to 3-8 after quarter-time and won 12-13 (85) to 9-16 (70).

Ablett (27 possessions, one goal) and Swallow (24 possessions, two goals) took the main Brownlow votes, while Richmond captain Chris Newman took one vote for his game-high 31 touches and a goal.

2013 – AN ABLETT MASTERCLASS

Gary Ablett had 49 possessions as the SUNS celebrated their first win over Collingwood at People First Stadium in Round 17 2013 and one of the great wins in club history, taking the points 14-10 (94) to 13-14 (92) despite conceding the last two goals.

The SUNS, 14^th on the ladder and without a win since Round 11, were three points up at each of the first two changes against the 7^th-placed Magpies, and 15 points up at three-quarter time.

Jamie Elliott took a trademark ‘hanger’ five minutes into the final term to speak the inevitable Collingwood revival, but the Gold Coast handled it expertly.

Jared Brennan kicked a steadier before a piece of Ablett mastery provided what turned out to be the sealer, when he won the ball from a throw-in at half forward, dodged his way past a cluster of Pies, and snapped across his body from about 30m.

It was the home side by 19 points with 15 minutes to play, and after a nine-minute stalemate in which neither side scored, time was on their side.

Dayne Beams, a Gold Coaster drafted from Southport, marked and converted from 40m straight in front to keep it interesting, but when Paul Seedsman slotted one from 55m on the run to make it seven points it was too late. The SUNS hung on as Dwayne Russell said in commentary “have we ever seen anything like it on the Gold Coast?”.

Ablett’s 49 possessions (20 contested), 10 clearances and two goals was an automatic three votes in the Brownlow Medal, while Jaeger O’Meara’s 23 possessions and three goals was worth two votes and Tom Nicholls picked up the only vote of his career after he had 12 possessions, eight tackles, four clearances and 33 hit-outs against a Collingwood ruck combination of journeyman Ben Hudson, originally from the Gold Coast in his 168^th and last game, and sixth-gamer Jarrod Witts, now on the Gold Coast.

2022 – NO NERVES NOAH

Noah Anderson lived every kid’s dream in Round 17 2022 clash against Richmond at People First Stadium, kicking a 40m goal after the siren for a win.

The Tigers had led by 34 points at halftime and 28 points at three-quarter time, and by 10 points with 2min 11sec to play, when Mabior Chol became accidental hero. As Touk Miller kicked long to the square the ball spilled over the back pack, where Chol fumbled it twice and every soccered if off the ground for a goal with 73seconds on the clock.

Having re-signed coached Stuart Dew during the week, the SUNS looked gone when Richmond went forward from the bounce. But Ben Ainsworth won possession at half back and pumped it long to the wing.

Jack Bowes dropped a chest mark but gathered immediately and pumped it long to full forward. All Richmond needed was a mark, but Dylan Grimes drop a sitter on his chest. It spilled towards the boundary where Nick Holman gathered and centred it.

But it floated across the face of goal where Sam Day out-marked Nathan Broad. Before the Richmond defence could get organised he kicked backwards to Noah Anderson. “Unbelievably well played,” said Garry Lyon in commentary.

Anthony Hudson picked up the call. “Noah Anderson .. the future of the Gold Coast SUNS. For the greatest victory in the Gold Coast history,” he said as Anderson started his approach.

The siren sounded just before he kicked it, and Hudson said: “He kicks straight … straight it football folklore. The pile on couldn’t be bigger. Glory, glory for the SUNS. One of the greatest comebacks you’ll ever see.”

Anderson, with 26 possessions, seven tackles and two goals, picked up the three Brownlow Medal votes, while Richmond’s Shai Bolton received two votes for 29 possessions and three goals, and Touk Miller’s 27 possessions, 13 clearances and one goal was worth one vote.

The 28-point deficit at three-quarter time is the equal biggest in SUNS history that has been turned into a win – level with their first win over Port Adelaide in 2011.