Second quarter meltdown comes back to bite SUNS

In the space of 30 minutes, everything the Gold Coast SUNS spoke about during the week went out the window. Through sheer desire and extreme pressure, St Kilda dominated the second quarter, kicking eight goals to one, to open a 47-point lead at the main break. Rodney Eade’s men did themselves no favours, with skill errors and poor decision-making resulting in an annihilation that deflated the energy inside Metricon Stadium. As poor as the SUNS were in that 30-minute period, the Saints played exceptional football. For a side widely tipped to finish anchored to the bottom of the ladder for a second successive season, they appear to be one of the biggest improvers across the competition in the opening two rounds. Alan Richardson’s side controlled all the key indicators with seven more goals, 20 inside 50s to just eight, as well as 114 possessions to 79. One of the most damning statistics of the night was the Saints punishment of turnovers. Across the four quarters, St Kilda kicked 12 goals from turnovers to put the SUNS to the sword.

Final quarter fight back, too little too late

The Saints kicked the opening two goals of the final term to extend their margin to a seemingly unreachable 54 points. The visitors appeared to have completed the job and it looked like the SUNS would roll over and take more punishment before the final siren. But, in a major positive on an otherwise night to forget, Gold Coast flicked a switch, booting five goals in just over ten minutes to breath life into a contest that long looked over. If Harley Bennell converted from 30 metres out in the 24th minute, the margin would have been under three goals and within striking distance. It wasn’t to be and the Saints kicked the final goal of the game through rookie Jack Sinclair, before icing the clock in the final minutes to take out a well-deserved victory. The SUNS' aptitude to fight out the game was a major positive in the post-match analysis.

Saad, Miller and Garlett shining lights on bleak night

The three round one debutants all made larger contributions on Saturday night in a strong positive for the SUNS. Adam Saad, Touk Miller and Jarrod Garlett all saddled up for game number two against the Saints and all had an impact at different stages of the game. Since being elevated of the rookie list last month, there has been a mild state of hysteria surrounding Saad. The lightly built speedster has generated a strong following on the back of his daring parades through the middle of the ground. On Saturday night, the mature-aged rookie was one of the SUNS key contributors with 21 possessions – that gained 413 metres – as well as four rebound 50s. Miller went about his business as he has throughout his short tenure on the Gold Coast, with minimal fuss and a team-first approach. He led the side for pressure acts with 19 efforts, creating a plethora of scoring opportunities via his harassment. Garlett entered the game at a difficult time straight after the main break. But, he got involved almost immediately and could have been the star of the second half if not for inaccuracy in front of goal. The livewire forward finished with 1.3 and 11 disposals from 45 per cent game time. After starting as the substitute in his first two appearances, he may be ready for a full game.

Rischitelli and Prestia come to the party again

Michael Rischitelli gathered 17 possessions in the opening stanza. That is not a misprint. The veteran midfielder picked up where he left off against Melbourne and was again one of the few players to stand up under the lights of Metricon Stadium. By the final siren, Rischitelli had a team-high 35 disposals next to his name, which included 17 contested possessions, eight clearances and six inside 50s. Along with Dion Prestia, the former Brisbane Lion has been Gold Coast’s best performer across the opening two matches of the season. Prestia also burst out of the blocks on Saturday night, gathering 14 first term touches, before slowing and finishing with 27 for the evening. His work around the stoppages was first class, with the ball magnet accumulating a game-high ten clearances. The SUNS dominated this category 52-34, but broke down across half-forward, as well as inside forward 50. 15 marks inside the arc to seven highlight St Kilda’s dominance up forward in comparison to Gold Coast.

Cruel end to milestone night for Harbrow

In his 150th game, Jarrod Harbrow failed to re-emerge after the main interval due to a shoulder subluxation. Harbrow was prolific in the opening half despite the onslaught from St Kilda. He gathered 20 possessions and was one of the few SUNS players who went into half-time without having his colours lowered. A tumultuous opening two quarters were made even worse with the announcement Harbrow had been substituted out of the game due to injury. Far from the fairy-tale evening the revered leader deserved in his milestone game. Another injury concern for Rodney Eade is off-season acquisition Mitch Hallahan who came off the ground late in the game after a heavy hit on his hip. It’s unclear at this stage whether he will miss any games, but given the loss of Harbrow on the back of Jaeger O’Meara last week, the SUNS can ill afford to lose any more midfielders.

Bruce the focal point, not just Riewoldt

In the lead up to Saturday night, the focus was on the battle between St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt and Steven May. Like the majority of Saints fixtures in the last decade, the key to defeating St Kilda has been in the quelling of Riewoldt. On Saturday night, in the space of 20 minutes of dominance, it wasn’t the six-time club champion who cut the home team apart. It was a former Greater Western Sydney defender who has emerged in the opening two rounds of the season as a genuine weapon inside the offensive arc. His name is Josh Bruce and he booted four goals in the second quarter to break the game open, before finishing with a career high six majors from eight marks – including six contested. May, Rory Thompson and Sam Day all spent time on Bruce throughout the night, but along with Riewoldt and the poached Tim Membrey, the Saints are now far more threatening than they were last season.