The Gold Coast SUNS produced their most dominant quarter of football in the AFL on their way to a club-record third spot on the AFL ladder.
The SUNS’ third quarter against the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, in which they outscored the visitors 8-7 (55) to 1-2 (8), was the club’s highest scoring among an even 300 at the elite level, and the quarter in which they have enjoyed the biggest positive scoring differential.
The previous highest single-quarter score was 8-4 (52) in the fourth quarter kicked against the GWS Giants in Canberra last year, and the first quarter against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium a week earlier.
The 47-point domination bettered the previous best single-quarter ‘win’ of 39 points recorded in the second quarter against Richmond in Cairns in 2012.
The third-quarter blitz included two goals from Brandon Matera who, with a game tally of three, became the fourth player to kick 50 goals for the SUNS. Now with 51 career goals, Matera joined Gary Ablett (90), Harley Bennell (65) and Tom Lynch (57) in the 50-Goal Club.
The 45-point win over the Dogs - fourth biggest by the club all-time - continued the club’s climb up the AFL ladder.
Having sat 11th on the ladder after round 4 with a 2-2 start to the season, they have climbed to 8th, 6th, 5th, 6th (after a bye), 5th and now 3rd while posting a club record five-wins-in-a- row.
Other noteworthy statistics to emerge from Sunday afternoon’s game were:-
- Dion Prestia and David Swallow each played their 60th game to top Trent McKenzie’s record of most games for the club before the age of 22
- Dion Prestia, with a season-high 35 possessions, also had three goal assists – an equal- team high for the SUNS this year. This matched Tom Lynch’s effort against North Melbourne in round 7 and is only one shy of the all-time club best, set by Brandon Matera against Geelong in 2012
- Alex Sexton, a late inclusion for his second game of the year, had four running bounces to equal the 2014 SUNS best posted previously by Jarrod Harbrow, Steven May and Kade Kolodjashnij. The all-time Suns record for most bounces in a game is Nathan Bock’s 12 against Adelaide in 2011. Bock (2011) and Sexton (2013) also have had seven bounces in a game to sit next best on the list of single-game efforts
- Trent McKenzie and Danny Stanley became the third and fourth players to post 20 wins for the club a week after Gary Ablett and Jarrod Harbrow did likewise against St Kilda
- Luke Russell, in his 50th game, kicked an equal career-best two goals
- Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon, each with four goals, bettered Lynch’s own previous club best against the Bulldogs of three goals, set in 2011
- Jarrod Harbrow’s 26 possessions was a personal best in four games against his former club. The dashing defender now enjoys a 2-2 head-to-record against the Dogs, where he played 70 games from 2007-10
- Jeremy Taylor was an emergency selection for the 10th time to equal the club- record of Liam Patrick. Kyal Horsley, Maverick Weller, Jackson Allen and Timmy Sumner are next best on the all-time emergencies list at nine. Taylor has now been an emergency as many times as he has played for a 100% ratio of games to emergency selections. Only Allen, with a ratio of 225% from four games and nine emergency selections, Marc Lock (200%), Hayden Jolly (116.7%) and Jacob Gillbee (116.7%) have a ratio above 100%. Henry Schade has been an emergency twice without making his AFL debut.
