Eighteen-year-old Kade Koldjashnij has posted the equal second best debut by a Gold Coast SUNS player, statistically speaking, and the outright best by a teenager.  Koladjashnij, the GC SUNS’ 65^th player and 49^th AFL debutant, had 19 possessions in the SUNS’ water-logged loss to the Fremantle Dockers in Perth on Saturday.

Only Michael Coad, who was 27 when he debuted in the club’s second AFL match against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium in Round 3 2011, has had more. He had 20 possessions.

The eye-catching Kolodjashnij effort equalled the 19-possession debut of 24-year-old Kyal Horsley against North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium in Round 5 2012.

The previous best possession count by a teenage SUNS debutant was 17 posted by David Swallow in the club’s first game against Carlton at the Gabba in Round 2 2011, Tom Lynch against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 7, 2011, and Jeremy Taylor against St.Kilda at Metricon Stadium in Round, 19 2011.  Swallow and Lynch were aged 18 on debut and Taylor was 19.

Kolodjashnij, the SUNS’ first pick in the 2013 National Draft at No.5 overall, was just the second Gold Coast player to debut in the hostile environment of Patersons Stadium and the first since Taylor Hine in Round 11, 2011.  He was confronted by a parochial Dockers crowd of 35,583. 

Only Hine, who debuted in front of 36,815 West Coast fans at Paterson Stadium, and Tom Nicholls, who faced an Adelaide crowd of 36,056 when he debuted at AAMI Stadium in Round 8, 2011, have played their first AFL match to a bigger live audience.

How the SUNS match committee saw the Kolodjashnij debut will be unveiled at the end-of-season vote count, but it is expected he would figure prominently in comparison to other debutant club championship votes.  According to club voting, the best debut for the SUNS belongs to big men Zac Smith and Charlie Dixon in the club’s entry to the AFL. Each polled nine votes under the four-judge voting system employed in 2011-12.

Lynch polled eight votes on debut, Horsley seven votes and Taylor five votes.  Also polling five votes on debut were 2012 first-gamers Jackson Allen and Josh Hall.

Coad polled only one vote from the match committee despite his 20-possession haul.

Jaeger O’Meara polled five votes on debut in 2013 under the five-judge voting system implemented last year, which meant it didn’t carry quite the same weight as a five-vote rating under the previous four-judge system.

In other statistical milestones to emerge from the SUNS’ Round 2 visit to Perth:-

Gary Ablett, held to 24 possessions by Dockers’ tagger Ryan Crowley, nevertheless became the first SUNS player to reach 2000 possessions for the club.  He did so in his 63^rd game, meaning he averages 31.7 possessions per game.  Interestingly, Ablett reached 1000 possessions for the Suns in 30 games.

O’Meara became the 17^th Suns player and the equal third quickest to reach 500 possessions. That was despite being held to 13 possessions against the Dockers, his lowest game total since his 12-possession debut in Round 1 last year.  O’Meara joined the 500 Club in his 24^th game. Only Ablett  (18) and Michael Rischitelli (22) have got there faster. Sam Iles also reached 500 possessions for the club in his 24^th game.

O’Meara’s 24^th consecutive game on Saturday also equalled the club record for most consecutive games from debut. This mark was set by Josh Caddy, who debuted in the second-last game of 2011 and then played the entire 2012 season before heading to Geelong.

O’Meara and Aaron Hall, who also played his 24^th game in a row on Saturday, share the longest ‘live’ streak of consecutive games on the 2014 playing list.

David Swallow and Danny Stanley posted their 20^th consecutive game for the club on Saturday.  It is the second time Stanley has reached 20 games in a row. He played 22 straight when he completed the SUNS’ first season without a miss in 2011.

The only other player with two 20-game streaks is Jarrod Harbrow, who played the first 26 games and then, after a nine-match injury lay-off, played the next 29.

Harley Bennell holds the record for most consecutive games for the Suns at 34, set between Round 16, 2011 and Round 3, 2013.

Others in the “20 Club” are Jared Brennan (29), Ablett (29), Harbrow (29 and 26), Matt Shaw (28), Matthew Warnock (26), O’Meara and Hall (24), Stanley (22) and Karmichael Hunt (21).

Given the wet conditions in Perth it wasn’t surprising that the SUNS also added some unwanted lines to the club record books in their 48-point loss to the 2013 grand finalists.

The total against the Dockers of 5-9 (39) was the fourth lowest in club history. Their three lower scores were 34 points against the Bulldogs in Darwin in Round 8, 2012, 36 points against Sydney at Metricon in Round 16, 2011, and 38 points against Geelong in Geelong in Round 20, 2011.

And with only Sam Day (2), Aaron Hall, Brandon Matera and Lynch (1) getting on the goal sheet, it was an equal low for the club. Three times previously they had only four goal-kickers – when they kicked nine goals against Adelaide in Adelaide in Round 8, 2011, six goals against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 4, 2012, and four goals against the Bulldogs in Darwin in round 8, 2012.

The team possession count of 312, in which only David Swallow (27), Ablett (24), Dion Prestia (22) and Rischitelli (21) topped 20, was the sixth-lowest in club history. 

The lowest of 276 was also at Patersons Stadium in Round 14, 2012, against West Coast.