Zac Smith continued his stellar comeback from injury with a career-best and club record 39 hit-outs in the Gold Coast SUNS’ round 12 clash with the Sydney Swans at Metricon Stadium on Sunday.

In his fourth game back from a 12- month absence following a knee reconstruction, Smith had 39 hit-outs to better his own previous best by nine and Tom Nicholls’ club record of 33.

Smith, who had averaged 17.6 hit-outs per game prior to his return, has posted hit-out totals of 29, 22, 30 and 39 this season against St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide and Sydney.

The ultra-athletic 24-year-old was a standout performer for the third-biggest Metricon Stadium crowd all-time of 21,354.

The only two bigger AFL crowds in 108 games that have now been played at Carrara/Metricon were in SUNS games against Collingwood (23,302) and Geelong (21,485) in 2011.

In other statistical oddities to emerge from round 12:

  • Kade Kolodjashnij, with two goals against the Swans, was a multiple goal-kicker for the first time
  • Michael Rischitelli, with four tackles against the Swans, became the second player in SUNS history to reach 250 tackles. Gary Ablett is the all-time leader with 389
  • Gary Ablett, with five marks, became the 10th SUNS player to reach 200 marks. He pulled level with Campbell Brown on the all-time list. Ahead of the club captain are Danny Stanley (329), Trent McKenzie (327), Matt Shaw (269), Jarrod Harbrow (246), Tom Lynch (245), Jared Brennan (233), Dion Prestia (214) and Michael Rischitelli (205)
  • The SUNS fielded a season-high six Queenslanders, with Karmichael Hunt and Rory Thompson returning to join Zac Smith, Charlie Dixon, Clay Cameron and Jarrod Harbrow. This was only one short of the all-time best of seven, when Jackson Allen, Dixon, Harbrow, Hunt, Smith, Thompson and Joel Wilkinson played together against Brisbane at Metricon in round 3 last year
  • Aaron Hall’s omission from the side for the round 12 clash ended his run of 32 consecutive games that began in round 1 last season. That left Jaeger O’Meara with the longest ‘live’ streak with 33. O’Meara is only one game short of the club record for consecutive games, held by Harley Bennell at 34 when he didn’t miss selection from round 16, 2011, to round 3, 2013
  • The SUNS, favoured 18-10 in the free kicks against the Swans, topped the free kick count for the first time in six games at Metricon this year and the 29th time in 77 games overall