Michael Rischitelli will join the Gold Coast SUNS’ 50-game club in Saturday night’s testing clash with premier Hawthorn at Metricon Stadium.  Rischitelli will become the 10^th player to post a half-century of games for the club behind Gary Ablett (61), Trent McKenzie (60), Jarrod Harbrow (59), Danny Stanley (56), Matt Shaw (55), David Swallow, Dion Prestia and the retired Jared Brennan (54), and Harley Bennell.  He’s also within striking distance – albeit, at a stretch - of becoming the eighth player to collect 1,000 possessions for the club.

The 28-year-old midfielder, recruited by the GC SUNS for their entry to the AFL in 2011 after seven years and 111 games at the Brisbane Lions, needs 42 possessions to join Ablett (2038), Stanley (1188), Harbrow (1187), Prestia (1152), Bennell (1107), Swallow (1066) and McKenzie (1056) beyond the 1000-disposal barrier.

The SUNS, eighth on the AFL ladder after a 2-1 start to the season, will take on Hawthorn looking to add another slice of history and another top-class scalp to a growing list of Metricon victims.  They are 0-4 against the 2013 premiers, but will take heart from their last meeting at the MCG in round 9 last year when, despite losing three players to injury, they led by 17 points midway through the third quarter before going down by 26 points.

Also giving reason for confidence is an ever-improving record at Metricon.  After losing their first 17 games at their redeveloped headquarters and 20 of their first 23, they’ve now won seven of their last nine games at home, and have opened the 2014 season with back-to-back wins over Richmond and Brisbane.

Ablett, too, will look to extend an astonishing record of consistency against Hawthorn.  In four matches for the SUNS against the league’s powerhouse he has had 34, 43, 43 and 37 possessions at an average of 39.3.  Bennell (2012) and Prestia (2013) are the only other Suns players to have posted a 30-possession game against Hawthorn.

Ablett has collected six Brownlow Medal votes in four games against the Hawks, while former captain Sam Mitchell heads the vote count for Hawthorn against Gold Coast with five.

The skipper has also been far and away the SUNS’ best player against Hawthorn according to club championship voting, polling hauls of 7-16-13 from a possible 20 votes in 2011-12 and 20 from a possible 25 votes in 2013.

Furthermore, Ablett has also been Gold Coast’s leading goal-kicker in matches against Hawthorn with five, equal with Aaron Hall, who kicked a career-best five at the MCG in round 13 last year.  Brandon Matera - who will miss this week’s match through suspension - has kicked four goals against Hawthorn, along with Tom Lynch.