GOLD COAST 14.15 (99) d RICHMOND 9.6 (60)
Ben King.Credit: AFL Photos
KEY POINTS
A GREAT START: New Suns coach Damien Hardwick said pre-match it was going to take time for his players to adjust to a new game plan, but when it worked, it was clear to all what this blueprint is. Just ask any Tigers’ fan who lived through three flags during the Hardwick era. The Suns were able to win at stoppage (something the Tigers admittedly struggled to do under Hardwick despite their dominance), then push the ball forward by handball, before kicking long to a target – namely Ben King (five goals). We also liked the move of veteran David Swallow (16 disposals) to half-back. Hardwick said time in forward half, and forward-half turnovers, were pivotal, and he would have liked what he witnessed. A dominant first half was irresistible football, but a goalless third term – when the Suns booted six straight – confirmed there is work to do defensively. Still, they finally shape as a legitimate finals threat. Or have we said that before?
TOUGH DEBUT FOR YZE: For new Tigers coach Adem Yze, it was a baptism of fire. After Shai Bolton slotted through the first goal of the afternoon, the Suns responded with the next 11. Clearly, that’s not good enough. Midfielders Dion Prestia, Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto were beaten at this point by the likes of clearance beast Matt Rowell (33 touches, 20 clearances) and the silky Noah Anderson (25 touches, eight clearances), so it wasn’t necessarily the backline’s fault. Yze wants his team to be exciting, and they were just that in the third term when the Suns were held goalless, but the Tigers need to learn to be dour and stop the bleeding at appropriate times. The Tigers are dangerous when the ball is locked in their front half, and they can build a wall behind play. But they desperately need Tom Lynch back, the marking combination of former defender Noah Balta and former Hawk Jacob Koschitzke shaky. Balta was sent into the ruck in the final term.
VETERAN TIGERS POISED FOR RETURN: Speaking of Lynch, the Tigers now prepare for a Thursday night blockbuster against Carlton at the MCG. They will hope Lynch (foot), Toby Nankervis (plantar fasciitis) and Dustin Martin (calf issue) can return after they were held out of this trip with the Blues match in mind. “They were all close – it (their absence) was around the five-day break. We just need to be smart,” Yze said.