Gold Coast SUNS shine, Lions left lamenting
The Age
Andrew Stafford
It's fair to say that the QClash might not have a same degree of gravitas about it as other local rivalries – it's only been around for five years, the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS are anchored at the foot of the ladder, there's 75 kilometres between the two cities – and they barely managed a crowd above 20,000 between them.
But at least the game was a better-than-competitive affair. There were 13 lead changes, and a minor melee at quarter-time that might see a few thousand dollars donated into the AFL's coffers. But there was no doubting which team boasted the greater reserves of talent, and the SUNS slowly pulled away.
The deficiencies of the two sides made for an intriguing battle. The Lions are short of a spine; the SUNS, without their first-choice midfield, are missing in the guts. The Lions held, well, the lion's share of possession, but for much of the game lacked targets – though Luke McGuane bobbed up late to finish with three goals.
Lynch boosts credentials after five-goal haul
Courier Mail
Greg Davis
GOLD Coast spearhead Tom Lynch emphatically removed the “emerging’’ from his “emerging AFL star’’ tag with a dominant individual performance in Saturday’s QClash 10 victory over Brisbane at the Gabba.
And in an ominous warning to the rest of the competition, the SUNS vice-captain feels he has plenty of room for improvement as both a key forward and leader.
In an injury-riddled season of doom and gloom at Carrara, Lynch continued to be a shining light for the Gold Coast with five goals, 18 disposals and nine marks to claim the Marcus Ashcroft medal for best-on-ground.
The red-hot Lynch has booted 13 goals in his past three outings and has clunked 41 marks in the past five weeks.
The way he grabbed the latest instalment of the Sunshine Stoush by the scruff of the neck through his skill, courage, work rate and sheer physical presence lifted the SUNS to victory in the same manner that Lion King Jonathan Brown used to inspire Brisbane.
Once the SUNS get their first-choice midfield back in 2016 to deliver him the ball, the 199cm-tall, 101kg power forward will be near unstoppable.
SUNS don’t all shine bright enough for Eade
afl.com.au
Michael Whiting
A FRUSTRATED Rodney Eade said Gold Coast could play much better after fiddling with the ball and failing to follow instructions in Saturday's QClash win over the Brisbane Lions.
Despite notching just his third win of 2015, the SUNS coach was largely disappointed in the 14-point victory.
Eade said 10 to 12 players were below par and Gold Coast was lucky to escape.
Tom Lynch kicked five goals, Aaron Hall had 28 disposals and Jesse Lonergan curbed the influence of Lions skipper Tom Rockliff.
All three received praise from Eade, particularly Hall, who has revived his spluttering career in the past fortnight with two superb showings in the midfield.
