Rising towards finals
Suns show class to kick away late, punish inaccurate Crows
GOLD Coast remained in the congested race for the top eight after a hard-fought 43point win over inaccurate Adelaide on Sunday at Metricon Stadium.
But it came at a cost for the Suns with defenders Wil Powell (dislocated ankle) and Connor Budarick (hamstring) forced out of the game in the third term and forward Joel Jeffrey (leg) leaving the field in the final quarter.
The Suns moved to a 7-6 record with their third-straight victory and their fifth win in their past six starts, while the Crows will rue their wayward return of 10.13 with a host of gettable goals going to waste.
Adelaide also lost Riley Thilthorpe in the third term with an ankle injury. The Crows slumped to a 4-9 record but the final margin did not reflect how tight the contest was for most of the day. Deep into the final term, the Crows were just three goals behind but Gold Coast kicked away late.
With their interchange bench reduced to three men, the Suns started to tire late and subsequent skill errors and poor decisions allowed the Crows to storm back.
But a towering Levi Casboult set shot late in the fourth quarter gave the Suns breathing room. His third goal for the game put the icing on the cake.
Earlier, broadcasters did not replay the injury to Powell as it was deemed too graphic.
The defender was in pain as he writhed around on the Met
ricon Stadium surface and he was using the painkilling green whistle as he was transported off the ground.
After the significant delay to allow the medi-cab to remove Powell from the ground, the Crows seized the momentum and reduced the margin to 20 points at the last change.
RARE SUCCESS
IT was Gold Coast’s 250th AFL match and just its second win over the Crows in 16 meeting.
It must be something about South Australian teams – the Suns have just one win against Port Adelaide – their first of all, in 2011. Overall, the Suns have a 66-2-182 record. Their best record is 8-8 with North Melbourne.
MISSING THE TARGET
FRESH off the bye with a laststart win against West Coast, the Crows were up for the contest. They led at quarter time after doing the tough stuff and had 31 more disposals than the Suns, three more clearances, five more tackles and two more contested possessions.
It was the Crows’ inaccuracy in front of goal that was the concern. Taylor Walker, who had kicked 42 goals in his previous 12 games against the Suns, missed his first three shots and it became contagious.
LOSSES DOWN BACK
WITH Lachie Weller already ruled out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the Suns stock of defenders is starting to look terminal as they lost Powell and Budarick in the space of a few minutes.
ASSISTS TO IZAK
IZAK Rankine showed why criticism of him being selfish has been wide of the mark.
He booted two goals in the second term to add to his teamfirst touches in the first – a sweeping handball that thrust the Suns into attack followed by a free kick won after a crunching tackle where he centred the ball to a teammate when it would have been easy to blaze away. He finished the match with three goals.