Think it’s a special occasion when the SUNS play at the MCG Saturday afternoon? Absolutely! It’s every young footballer’s dream to play at the ‘G.

But it’s even more special in the SUNS calendar because in 5,111 days since the club’s first game on April 2, 2011, it’s happened just 18 times.

In the same period, excluding finals, Collingwood (186) lead the MCG game count from Richmond (173), Melbourne (164), Hawthorn (139), Carlton (115), Essendon (101), Geelong (73), St.Kilda (36), Sydney (35), West Coast (29), Adelaide (27), Fremantle (26) and Port Adelaide (26).

GWS too have played 26 home-and-away games at the MCG since 2011 despite having joined the competition 12 months after the SUNS – more than the Western Bulldogs (25), Brisbane (23) and North Melbourne (22) and 44% more than the Gold Coast (18).

While the delicate intricacies of the AFL fixture are many, the sheer numbers underline exactly why SUNS players might underline visit to the MCG when the fixture is released each year – especially Ethan Read, Jed Walter, Ned Moyle and Lloyd Johnston, who are yet to play at the ‘G’ at AFL level along with untried 2024 draftees Leo Lombard, Cooper Bell, Zak Evans, Max Knobel, Lachie Gulbin, Asher Eastman and Ben Jepson.

Saturday’s game against Melbourne, starting at 1:20pm local time, is the SUNS’ only visit to the MCG in a 2025 home and away schedule of 47 games dominated by MCG tenant clubs Collingwood (14), Richmond (13), Melbourne (12), Carlton (11), Hawthorn (10) and Essendon (8).

Geelong (5) head the ‘visitors’ to the MCG this year from Adelaide (3), Brisbane (3), North (3), Fremantle (2), Sydney (2), St.Kilda (2), Western Bulldogs (2), Gold Coast (1), GWS (1), Port Adelaide (1) and West Coast (1).

So rare are SUNS games at the MCG that the recruitment of Richmond recruit Daniel Rioli and former Magpie John Noble this year has more than doubled the MCG experience of the combined SUNS playing list.

Rioli, with 102 games at the MCG, and Noble, with 59, make up 161 of the total game count of 315. Exclude former Collingwood ruck Jarrod Witts (31) and the other 41 players have a combined 123 MCG games, with only David Swallow (11), Alex Sexton (10), Touk Miller (9), Ben Long (9), Lachie Weller (8), Sean Lemmens (8) and Nick Holman (8) above five games.

Taking into account the COVID-affected season of 2020, the SUNS have only played at the ‘G once annually since 2017. They played three times at the MCG in 2012, twice in 2013, 2015 and 2016, and once in 2011 and 2014.

The home club for the SUNS’ 18 MCG games have been Melbourne (7), Collingwood (4), Hawthorn (3), Richmond (3) and Carlton (1).

The SUNS’ MCG ‘victims’ have been Melbourne by 60 points in 2013 and eight points in 2014, Hawthorn by 16 points in 2017, Collingwood by 24 points in 2021 and Richmond in the last game of 2024.

Take a look at below at some individual SUNS highlights on the MCG:

Possessions – Gary Ablett Jnr set the club record against Collingwood in Round 10, 2012 when he had 53 possessions, the equal second-highest in AFL history with Sydney’s Greg Williams in 1989, behind only Hawthorn’s Tom Mittchell, who had 54 possessions against Collingwood in 2018. Ablett also had 43 possessions in Round 21, 2012 against Hawthorn, and boasts five games of 30-plus in SUNS colours. There have been 13 other games of 30-plus – Harley Bennell (3), Touk Miller (3), Dion Prestia (2), Noah Anderson (2), Michael Rischitelli (1), Brandon Ellis (1) and Jack Bowes (1).

Goals – The SUNS’ goal-kicking record at the MCG is five – shared by Aaron Hall against Hawthorn in 2013 and Alex Sexton against Melbourne in 2020. Harley Bennell, Tom Lynch, Josh Corbett and Levi Casboult have each kicked four goals in a game for the SUNS at the MCG.

Brownlow Medal votes – The SUNS have polled 43 Brownlow votes at the MCG, with Gary Ablett polling seven times for 17 votes, with five three-vote games. Touk Miller (6), Harley Bennell (4), Steven May (3), Dion Prestia (3), Matt Rowell (3), Brandon Ellis (2), Sam Flanders (2), Michael Rischitelli (1), Josh Corbett (1) and Noah Anderson (1) have also polled.

First AFL game – Five SUNS players have enjoyed the thrill of making their AFL debut at the MCG – Josh Caddy (2011), Piers Flanagan (2012) and Touk Miller, Adam Saad and Jarrod Garlett (all 2015). Two others played their first game for the SUNS at the MCG, with Nick Malceski and Mitch Hallahan doing so in the shared debut of Miller, Saad and Garlett against Melbourne in 2015.

Last AFL game – Six SUNS played their last AFL game at the MCG – Nathan Ablett (2011), Andrew McQualter (2012), Andrew Boston (2015), Nick Malceski (2016), Jesse Lonergan and Max Spencer (2018). Three others played their last game for the SUNS before joining other clubs – Jack Martin and Peter Wright (2019) and Jack Lukosius (2024).