On Saturday 31 August 2014 the Gold Coast SUNS were beaten by the West Coast Eagles at People First Stadium. It was the end of the club’s fourth season and the end of an era. The first era. The Guy McKenna era.

Not that it was known at the time, but McKenna’s 88^th game in charge of the SUNS would be his last. On October 1, as the competition moved into the customary ‘silly season’ that follows the grand final, the first SUNS coach became the first former SUNS coach.

As the goldcoastfc.com.au flashback series concludes with a look back at Round 23, which has traditionally been the end of the home-and-away season, the exit from the club of the inaugural coach is the headline story.

McKenna joined the SUNS as one of the greats of the powerhouse West Coast side of the 1990s. A 1992-94 premiership player, 1991-93-94 All-Australian and 1989-99 club champion who captained the Eagles in 1990-2000 and the WA State of Origin side in 1996, and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2009.

He got the SUNS job after Michael Voss knocked it back, taking over for the two-year ‘apprenticeship’ in the TAC Cup in 2009 and the VFL in 2010 before joining the big time.

In what in hindsight was a lesson learned, McKenna was part of an entirely new hierarchy for the AFL’s 17^th club – chairman John Witheriff, CEO Travis Auld, football boss Marcus Ashcroft, coach McKenna and captain Gary Ablett were all first-timers in their respective jobs.

Aged 41 on his senior AFL coaching debut, McKenna coached the first 67 players on the all-SUNS time player list that has seen only 82 players added in 10 years since his exit.

In an aggregate coaching record of 24-64 he was 4-1 against the GWS Giants, who joined the League in 2012 under ex-Essendon coaching legend Kevin Sheedy in a position whereby they could learn from the journey of their expansions predecessors.

He was 3-3 against Melbourne and 10 years on is still the only SUNS coach to have beaten the Demons. And he had wins over all clubs except Adelaide, Essendon, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Sydney and West Coast.

But on the Wednesday after the grand final chairman Witheriff, while paying tribute to the “extraordinary contribution of a fellow who started this club before there was a club”, confirmed McKenna’s departure.

In the end, a 27.3% win ratio wasn’t going to cut it in the country’s biggest and toughest sporting competition.

Among 31 coaches who have done four years in the League since 2000 only six had a win ratio below 40%.

Voss, now at Carlton, went 39.3% in the first four years of his first coaching stint at Brisbane from 2009-12. He was sacked 19 games in his fifth year.

Mark Harvey went 38.9% in four years at Fremantle 2008-11 and was moved on then for Ross Lyon.

Alan Richardson went 37.5% in his first four years at StKilda 2014-17. He was finished up 16 games into his sixth season.

Matthew Nicks went 34.9% through his first four years at Adelaide 2020-23 and is still going.

And the SUNS’ Stuart Dew, the only four-year coach since 2000 with a win ration below McKenna’s 27.3%, was 23.2% from 2018-21 and, like Richardson, was dismissed 16 games into his six year.

Of this group, only Richardson, Nicks, McKenna and Dew did not take their side to finals in their first four years.

Interestingly, seven other coaches had a win ration below 50% in their first four years, including Damien Hardwick, who was 39-2-48 at 44.8% from 2010-13 and a triple premiership coach with a 145-3-104 record at 58.1% seven years later.

The others below 50% were Geelong’s Mark Thompson (44.8%), who won flags in his 8^th and 10^th years, Melbourne’s Simon Goodwin (48.3%), who won a flag in his 5^th year, Brisbane’s Chris Fagan (47.1%), who is on track for a sixth consecutive finals appearance in his 8^th year, and Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir (49.1%), who in his fifth season is battling for a second finals appearance.

Other coaches below 50% in their first four years were North’s Dani Laidley (46.6%), who coached into his 7^th season, and Richmond’s Danny Frawley (45.1%), who did one more year only. Essendon’s James Hird, Melbourne’s Dean Bailey and Carlton’s Brendan Bolton didn’t get through their fourth seasons.

And the coaches post-2000 with the best four-year records? Geelong’s Chris Scott was 76.8%, Sydney’s John Longmire 69.1%, St.Kilda’s Ross Lyon 67.4% and Sydney’s Paul Roos 63.6%.

Eleven SUNS players played 60 or more games under McKenna – Jarrod Harbrow (78), Gary Ablett (76),  Trent McKenzie (76), Danny Stanley (75), David Swallow (73), Dion Prestia (73), Matt Shaw (72), Michael Rischitelli (67), Harley Bennell (66) and Sam Day (64).

Overall, the SUNS have had a 2-10 record in Round 23 games, and have gone 0-2 in Round 24 games in 2011 and 2023.

Other Round 23 highlights have included:-

2013 – A Monster Win

In 2013 the SUNS posted an 83-point win over GWS at PFS which 11 years on is still the second-biggest win in club history, behind the 86-point home win over Hawthorn in 2017, and the third-highest score all-time.

It was the end of the Giants’ second AFL campaign and left them with a 3-41 record and put them only half as successful as the SUNS, who had started 6-38.

In front of a Sunday afternoon crowd of 13,080, the SUNS led by 41 points at halftime and kicked 10-11 to 4-5 in the second half to win 22-14 (146) to 9-9 (63).

Importantly, Gary Ablett had 33 possessions and kicked four goals to pick up three Brownlow Medal – three votes which four weeks later saw him win the 2013 medal by a vote from Geelong’s Joel Selwood and two from Collingwood’s Dane Swan, who were both ahead of him going into the last round. Geelong’s Steve Johnson was level with Ablett at Round 22 and, like Selwood and Swan, did not poll in the last round.

Local junior Andrew Boston also kicked four goals – in just his 8^th AFL game and the last game of an unusual first AFL season in a career which ended unusually in 2015.

A born and bred Gold Coaster who was the son of ex-Broadbeach coach Neil Boston and a product of the Cats junior program, Boston had been disappointed to miss selection in the 2012 National Draft in November 2012 but was picked up with pick #55 in the rookie draft three weeks later.

Having debuted in Round 14, he went goalless in his first five games, kicked three goals in his sixth and was goalless in his seventh before his big day out against the Giants.

After he was an emergency in Round 1 2014 an ankle injury in the Reserves in Round 2 ruined his season. And after eight more games in the back half of 2015 he retired from the AFL, citing a lack of motivation to continue at the elite level.

Later to become a stalwart at Southport, Boston is one of 20 players who began their AFL career with the SUNS and have kicked four or more goals in a game. And the fourth-quickest.

Brandon Matera was quickest, doing so in his fourth game, while Joel Jeffrey kicked five in his sixth game and Ben Ainsworth four goals in his sixth game.

Among the club’s more prominent goal-kickers, Boston was quicker than Ben King (10 games), Charlie Dixon (27), Tom Lynch (29) and Alex Sexton (94).

2015 – From Full Forward to the Board Room

Kurt Tippett was a homegrown Gold Coaster, born in Sydney but a ‘local’ from age two months. A basketball star as a junior who played against the likes of Paddy Mills, Joe Ingles and Scott Pendlebury and toured the US with the Queensland Academy of Sport.

But after a standout performance with the star-studded 2006 Queensland Under-18 side, he was drafted by the Adelaide Crows, played 104 games there from 2008-2012 and began a personal ‘love affair’ with People First Stadium, not far from his family’s Miami home.

He played his first game at PFS in 2011 as younger brother Joel debuted for the SUNS, kicking four goals in a 61-point Crows win, and in 2012 added four more in a 69-point win.

Having moved to Sydney in 2013, he was injured in his first game at PFS in red and white in 2014, kicked three goals in a 52-point Sydney win there in 2015 and in Round 23 of the same year posted his 150^th AFL game against the SUNS at the SCG. He had 18 possessions, 15 hit-outs and two goals leading the Sydney ruck in a 63-point win.

The 202cm powerhouse, whose sister Gretel has been a star with the Australian netball team, finished with a 6-0 record at PFS in a 178-game career that included 325 goals, 16 finals and two losing grand finals in 2014-17.

After retiring in 2017 he returned ‘home’ to the coast, and, armed with a Masters Degree in Commerce, moved into property and business development. He did some part-time ruck coaching with the SUNS in 2021 and joined the SUNS Board of Directors last year.

These days he is awaiting the birth of his fourth child with wife Chloe, another former top-level netballer, in November.

2016 – A Sizzling Session Game

Who is the only SUNS player who, having been new to the AFL, ranks prominently in three statistical ‘races’ to identify the ‘quickest’ player to poll in the Brownlow Medal, kick two goals in a game, and have 30-plus possessions?

If it included ‘imports’ you’d reasonably say it was Gary Ablett. He had 34 in his second SUNS game, polled in the medal in his third and kicked four goals in his sixth.

But there is one player who eight years ago bettered the master to each mark. Easily.

In Round 23 2016, in his second game, Brayden Fiorini had 32 possessions and kicked two goals in a 23-point loss to Port Adelaide at People First Stadium. And polled one medal vote.

Drafted from the Northern Knights with pick #20 in the 2015 National Draft after the SUNS took Callum AhChee at #8 and before they chose Josh Schoenfeld at #34 and Mackenzie Willis at  #52, Fiorini had debuted in Round against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium.

That in itself was a big introduction to the elite level, and he acquitted himself nicely with 17 possessions in a 71-point loss. But a week later his numbers were off the chart.

Only one SUNS player has polled in the Medal on debut. Izak Rankine earned one vote after he had 12 possessions and three goals in his first game against Melbourne at the Sydney Showgrounds during the 2020 Covid season.

Fiorini sits on the next line with Matt Rowell, who polled three votes in his second-third-fourth games earlier in 2020 to set a benchmark that is going to take some beating.

Imports Michael Rischitelli, Daniel Harris and Matt Rosa had 30 possessions in their first game in red and gold, but Fiorini and Rowell are next on this list. And the quickest among debutants.

Charlie Dixon, Tom Lynch, Rankine, Josh Hall, Ben Ainsworth, Josh Corbett and Elijah Hollands kicked two goals on debut, while imports Mabior Chol, Levi Casboult and Daniel Harris did so in their first game with the club.

But Fiorini is on the next line with his double in his second game against the Power, which is still his career best after now 105 games. He’s matched it four times.

In the same game Matt Shaw became the fourth SUNS player to 100 games. A foundation signing from the Dandenong Stingrays, he followed Jarrod Harbrow, Michael Rischitelli and Tom Lynch in reaching triple figures earlier that year.

But it was the beginning of the end for the blonde coodabeen surfer. He played two more games in 2017 before being delisted, and, after being picked up Carlton as a rookie added two more with the Blues in 2018 for a career total of 104.

2017 – Not a Highlight, but …

Round 23 2017 wasn’t exactly a memorable day for the club, but it is one that holds a place in the club record books – even if it is a black mark.

With Dean Solomon in charge for the third and last time after Rodney Eade’s departure, the 16^th-placed SUNS travelled to Adelaide Oval to meet the fifth-placed Port Power. They lost by 115 points after posting what is still the lowest score in club history – 3-2 (20).

2019 – A Double Century

The SUNS closed out the 2019 season with a disappointing 72-point loss to the GWS Giants at PFS in Round 23, and celebrated the 100^th AFL game of Aaron Young and Touk Miller.

They shared the milestone spotlight with Lance Franklin’s 300^th game, Isaac Smith’s 200^th game, and the 100^th of West Coast’s 2018 grand final hero Dom Sheed.

It was 100 and ‘out’ for Young, who played 76 games with Port Adelaide from 2012-2017 and joined the SUNS in 2018. He played every game in his first season on the coast under Stuart Dew but only Round 7 and Round 23 in an injury-played second season.

He later played with Aspley in the NEAFL before going ‘home’ to North Adelaide, where, going on 30 in 2022, he won the SANFL’s Magarey Medal after current SUNS player James Tsitas had shared it in 2021 with ex-Carlton star Bryce Gibbs.

Miller’s journey to 100 games was a tough one after he’d joined the SUNS from the Calder Cannons via pick #29 in the 2014 National Draft, behind Peter Wright at pick #8 and Jarrod Garlett at pick #15.

Captain of the Cannons and the 2018 Vic Metro Under-18 side, he’d debut in Round 1 2019 and missed only 10 games on his way to 100 games. Only Noah Anderson has had a smoother journey – he missed just three games.

But a man who has given as much as anyone to the club, and would go on to be club champion and All-Australian in the tough years of 2021-22, hadn’t enjoyed the team success he deserved. His 100-game win/loss record of 20-1-79 is the lowest among now 22 100-gamers.

2022 – A Welcome Win

After seven consecutive big Round 23 losses the SUNS were more than a little happy to get back on the winner’s list in 2023, when they travelled to Marvel Stadium to face a North Melbourne side under caretaker coach Leigh Adams for the sixth and last time.

The Roos were desperate for a win in the hope of avoiding the wooden-spoon, but after Noah Anderson took all of 44 seconds to post the SUNS first goal they were never in it.

The SUNS won each quarter and finished 16-18 (114) to 6-11 (47) clear as David Swallow picked up three Brownlow Medal votes in his 197^th game for 33 possessions, a goal and nine clearances. Noah Anderson picked up two votes for 30 possessions and a goal, and Alex Sexton one vote for a career-best six goals in his 158^th game.

Round 23 – Last Games

Of 149 SUNS players all-time 108 of them are now in the category of ex-players. And no less than 32 of them played their last game for the club in Round 23. Cryptically, Zac Smith even did it twice … in 2015, when he left to go to Geelong, and in 2021, after he’d returned for one last season to bolster a depleted ruck division.

It’s almost been an annual event. Players to play their last SUNS game in Round 23 have been:-

2011 – Nathan Ablett
2012 – Josh Caddy, Michael Coad, Piers Flanagan, Tom Hickey, Taylor Hine, Alik Magin, Jeremy Taylor
2013 – Jared Brennan, Jacob Gillbee, Mav Weller, Joel Wilkinson
2014 – Jaeger O’Meara, Matthew Warnock
2015 – Charlie Dixon, Danny Stanley, Greg Broughton
2017 – Adam Saad, Keegan Brooksby, Mitch Hallahan, Trent McKenzie
2018 – Steven May, Jarryd Lyons, Michael Barlow, Brayden Crossley, Jack Leslie
2019 – Michael Rischitelli, Aaron Young, Jordan Murdoch, Jacob Dawson
2021 – Jarrod Harbrow, Zac Smith

Three others played their last game in the ‘pseudo’ Round 23 – Round 24. That was Joel Tippett in 2011 and Mabior Chol and Chris Burgess in 2023.