Round 14 Match Report

Gold Coast SUNS v Sandringham Zebras

Saturday, 24 July, 2010

Cooke-Murphy Reserve
Labrador

Two in a row for red hot SUNS

Gold Coast SUNS has notched back-to-back wins for the first time this year with a comprehensive 26-point demolition of Sandringham Zebras at Cooke-Murphy Reserve, Labrador this afternoon.

Brandon Matera was outstanding for the SUNS, and kicked four classy goals. Sam Iles, David Swallow, Zac Smith and Danny Stanley were standouts in a very even team performance. League-convert Karmichael Hunt played easily his best game for the club so far.

For the first time ever the SUNS ran out to its new club song today, but if its early 80s-like kick-it-long strategy was anything to go by the home side looked a little more inspired by the Lionel Richie and Leo Sayer hits pounding out through the grandstand PA system pre-game.

But in a display of the SUNS’ growing maturity, it switched tack soon enough to take the game on with some exhilarating run and carry.

In-form forward Charlie Dixon drew first blood for the locals when he marked a speculative Sam Iles tumbler and converted from point blank range.

Sandringham veteran Nick Sautner answered quickly for his side’s first, but Gold Coast’s speed out of half back, hard-nosed contested work and a helpful breeze was proving too much for the visitors and soon enough cracks started to appear in the Zebras defence. Alik Magin scored from a fifty-metre penalty at the twenty-minute mark and the up-and-about Matera added two more before quarter time to give the SUNS an encouraging four-goal break at the change.

The second quarter started perfectly for Gold Coast with Matera taking a clever mark and kicking beautifully into a tricky wind to push the lead out further.

Dixon had the chance to ice another almost immediately after a pulsating end-to-end passage that deserved a better finale than his poorly struck grubber.

Saints regular Robert Eddy landed a long bomb on the wind to nail Sandringham’s second of the day, but it was a rare foray forward for the Zebras who were looking more and more rattled by their younger, slicker opponent as the quarter progressed.

When improving ruckman Tom Nicholls snagged his first VFL goal, Luke Russell scored with a ripper of a snap from the pocket, David Swallow muscled one through and Matera banged through his fourth all in quick succession, the SUNS had skipped out to a formidable forty-eight point lead, one built on devil-may-care attack and ruthless tackling by hard nuts Daniel Harris, Maverick Weller and Luke Russell.

Jake Crawford, impressive in his first game this year, slotted a terrific goal from out wide to underline a fantastic term for the home side and with the SUNS up by a whopping 55 points at the main change, the game was pretty much over.

Sandringham started the second half with significantly more purpose, but despite the lift in effort it wasn’t until the ten minute mark before it added to its goal tally, again through Sautner. He had another chance moments later to give his side some hope of a recovery but missed a straightforward set shot he simply had to kick if his side was to rally.

And on a day like today, the SUNS were good enough to make the Zebras pay dearly.

Sam Iles slotted a great running effort to consolidate the home side’s lead before Mathew Fowler added two in quick succession to give the SUNS the best part of ten goal buffer at the final change.

The final quarter was all about pride for Sandringham and it started well with goals to Sautner and St Kilda-listed Paul Cahill. But Dixon’s second goal at the fourteen-minute mark eliminated whatever small window of hope the visitors may have had. Sandringham ran the game out well to claw back to within five goals but this was a match won and lost in the first half, one in which the locals were simply far too good.

Gold Coast SUNS 4.6 (30) 10.10 (70) 13.13 (91) 14.15 (99)
Sandringham 1.0 (6) 4.1 (25) 5.4 (34) 11.7 (73)

Best: Iles, Swallow, Stanley, Matera, Smith, Hunt.
Goals: Matera 4, Fowler 2, Dixon 2, Magin, Nicholls, Russell, Swallow, Crawford, Iles