1. The SUNS can play wet weather footy
With two of their pre-season hit-outs played in heavy rain, Gold Coast had what turned out to be the perfect preparation for their season opener.
The SUNS showed that they have the ability and the desire to compete in the wet, winning the clearances (54-35), contested footy (208-188) and tackles (98-86).
The conditions dictated the style of footy that needed to be played, but it was how the team approached that game that had senior coach Stuart Dew pleased.
Considering the torrential rain that fell, Cazalys Stadium drained well and there were certainly no complaints from Dew.
"The ground was fantastic. We got here and there was water on the deck and within 20 minutes it was gone. That's a fair effort given it didn't stop raining,” he told the media after the game.
"We'll get on the plane up here
2. Nick Holman – Gold Coast’s newest tackling machine
The key theme from Gold Coast’s pre-season was an 18-man defence, with a particular focus on
On Saturday night it was rookie Nick Holman who led the way as he finished with a career-high 13 tackles.
He was well supported by the likes of Darcy Macpherson and Aaron Young, who had nine tackles each.
Holman recorded the most pressure points of all the SUNS players as he split his time between the forward line and midfield.
The 22-year-old’s efforts went a long way towards Gold Coast winning the tackle count, despite dominating the first possession for most of the game.
3. SUNS led by 22-and-under brigade
It was Gold Coast’s youngsters that had a big say on proceedings during Saturday night’s victory, with Cairns local Jack Bowes one of the most impressive.
After moving into the midfield, Bowes finished with 20 disposals and ranked second for the SUNS in metres gained with 499m.
The likes of Touk Miller, Bradyen Fiorini, Ben Ainsworth, Lachie Weller and Darcy Macpherson all impacted the game too.
Miller’s game-high 11 clearances were influential as the SUNS kept finding a way to move the ball forward in the tough conditions.
Four of Gold Coast’s seven goals came from the group with Ainsworth (two goals), Bowes (one) and Macpherson (one) all hitting the target.
4. Response when challenged
A five-goal second term propelled the SUNS into the
A response from Gold Coast was required and that is exactly what happened, kicking two goals to none in the last quarter.
It was the players who rallied during the final break to ensure that they would get a result, something that was not lost on Dew.
"I'm just pleased for the lads," he told the media after the game.
"At
