Round 13
Gold Coast Suns v Brisbane Lions
5:15pm, Saturday 6th June 2026
People First Stadium
By Dan Lonergan
After three big losses in a row the footy world, which consists of more than 2000 people around Australia that have media accreditation to cover the sport, many more than in the parliamentary media gallery in Canberra, were willing to write off the reigning premiers, Brisbane.
I was one and you can make me unofficial media member 2001, mind you without an accreditation, but never write off a giant until the old finals chance phrase is brought out, “it’s mathematically possible”, which you can basically say, they are no chance.
Brisbane at their best is in the premiership race right up to their ears and that effort against the Suns indicates the death knell applied on the Lions’ successful era is way too premature. They are riddled with injuries to players in their best team like Zorko, Lester, McCarthy, McCluggage, Hipwood, who is a chance to return this week after a lengthy absence and new recruit, Oscar Allen who continues his wretched run, which stalled his career at West Coast and the depth was being eroded but they dominated little brother, Gold Coast on the weekend.
The Suns had the bye last week and started like they were still enjoying the week off. They were as flat as a tack and were fortunate to get as close as ten points on a couple of occasions. They are the little brother when it comes to AFL footy in Queensland and the game has certainly come along way since I first watched it there in 1983 when on holidays at Currumbin near the Currumbin bird sanctuary on the Gold Coast.
The teams such as Mayne, Coorparoo, Windsor Grange and Windsor Zilmere, Mt Gravatt, Apsley and Morningside played in the QAFL then and had a sprinkling of former AFL players playing and coaching teams like Peter Morrison, a former South Melbourne defender, and John Blair, who became a legend of this competition after playing 33 games with South Melbourne, Fitzroy and St Kilda.
Then there was the ‘Galloping Gasometer’, Mick Nolan, who was coined that name by Lou Richards, when he was ruck for the Kangaroos when they dominated the VFL in the 1970s and saw him be the number one ruck in North’s famous first flag in 1975. He was in charge of the Mayne Tigers and certainly gave Aussie Rules, still foreign in Queensland back then, a badly needed profile.
Being a footy head at the age of 14 and crying everytime Footscray lost, which was regularly during that period, I liked watching the QAFL when I wasn’t at the beach, which was on the door step of our
accommodation. There was a Sunday footy show covering the QAFL on channel seven hosting by legendary Brisbane sports presenter, host and commentator, Pat Welsh and another ex patriot Victorian, Bruce Burgoyne. He coached Werribee in the VFA and was assistant coach at North Melbourne and Footscray before moving North. He became a legend of the QAFL as a commentator, coach and selector of state teams and had a real passion for the code in his adopted state. His views on these footy shows impressed this wide eyed teenager and got me interested in the sport outside the fish bowl of the VFL and even the VFA in Victoria and from then on, I kept a close interest in that competition.
We had another holiday staying at beautiful Currumbin the next year in 1984 and my love affair with the QAFL saw me watch a solidly built kid with a mullet starring for Coorparoo called Jason Dunstall. He was kicking goals for fun that year and as history will tell us went onto become one of the AFL’s greatest players and full forwards kicking 1254 goals from 269 games and played in 4 flags for Hawthorn
among his many accolades, which also includes being inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and then promoted to legend.
Scott McIvor was an excellent player with Fitzroy and then Brisbane and like Dunstall started his football journey in Queensland as well. As the game continued to develop there, talented local youngsters got their dream to play in the AFL and stay home and play with the Brisbane Bears such as all time greats, Michael Voss and Jason Akermanis.
Remember! The Brisbane Bears were probably formed as an after thought and in an erratic and quick manner for the 1987 season when the then VFL were keen on expanding the league as part of the start of a national competition. They were nick named at the start the bad news bears as their playing list were mainly made up of discarded players from Victorian teams sprinkled with some stars like 1985, Brownlow medalist, Brad Hardie, who had fallen out with Mick Malthouse at Footscray, and fellow Bulldog and Swan Jim Edmond along with a fine player from the SANFL, Mark Mickan who played with West Adelaide and the late, Phil Walsh, who had played good footy with Richmond and Collingwood. Mark Williams another magpie ended up there too and so did Matthew Campbell a very good player with North Adelaide in the SANFL, who went onto become a fine TV football commentator for many years.
They were ironically based on the Gold Coast at Carrara, when they were initially established in makeshift facilities, but have obviously come a long way since that almost embarrassing start. The code has too as a whole, with the Gold Coast playing a major role in that development.
One of the most powerful entities from this popular holiday destination in Queensland has been the Southport Sharks who have been strong for many years on and off the field. There was even debate that it had the infrastructure to become the Gold Coast AFL team instead of the Suns when they were granted entry in the national competition for 2011. The Sharks now play in the large VFL competition, which contains over 20 teams and they have played finals in recent years including the 2024 Grand Final where they performed well against Werribee only to lose narrowly. It was their second grand final appearance in the VFL and it would be fair to say that in my view Southport’s success has played a significant part in ensuring Australian Rules has developed a major presence on the Gold Coast.
Aussie Rules continues to expand in Queensland, even though despite some robust debates that Rugby League giant, the Brisbane Broncos are the number one sporting team in Queensland and NRL is still
more popular than AFL.
However, with junior academies connected to both clubs, Brisbane and Gold Coast giving them access to the most talented young locals coming through the junior programs now well and truly entrenched in Brisbane and the numerous regional areas that take in that massive state, it would be fair to say that Australian Rules is giving Rugby League and Rugby Union a good run for their money in the profile and popularity stakes in Queensland.
The Gold Coast in recent years have selected many high draft picks that have learnt the game under their nose, such as Jed Walter, who is still finding his feet at the level, Ethan Reed and Will Graham.
Gold Coast as a city though has a poor record of retaining sporting teams playing in elite competitions. The A League Soccer team was a spectacular failure as were NBL Basketball franchises like the Rollers and the Blaze and there have been a few incarnations of the NRL combination, with the Titans still in existence but a perennial straggler.
It has been a slow burn for the Suns, but the AFL as we know has been focused for years on making an impact in the Northern states and the Gold Coast as a football club is not going anywhere.
Making the finals for the first time last year and winning the elimination final in Perth in a thriller was a great result for the Suns, but more is expected from this talented list.
They had Brisbane on their knees for the first time in many years and were expected to win, but once again Gold Coast failed to meet expectations. Yes! They are still right in the mix with half a season to go to play finals, whether it be the wildcard, which would be a step down from 2025, finish in the top six or even top four. But Geelong in the opening round, who seem to not turn up for that silly concept, and the Giants when their form was poor, are the only teams seriously in my opinion in contention they have beaten so far.
There’s also the issue of as far as I am concerned of performing at a high and consistent level being left to too few currently, with Ben King kicking goals regularly from limited touches, John Noble always
trying his guts out along with key defender, Sam Collins and Bodhi Uwland. However, the Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell is yet to produce the goods of last year, while the ruck rule has adversely affected the big warrior, Jarrod Witts. Christian Petracca, in recent weeks, has been slightly down on his excellent productivity in the first third of the season.
They are in their 16 th season in the AFL now and Damian Hardwick was seen as the savior for the Suns and the coach that would take them finally to the promised land and keep them there. Well! The jury I reckon is still out on that view.
As for the Lions, their best form-wise, talent pool and player depth is pretty hard to beat and the Lions might have slept for three weeks, but they seem to be awaking from that slumber, so the rest of the league should look out!!!!
GOLD COAST 2.2 7.4 9.7 11.9 (75)
BRISBANE 4.3 9.8 13.12 15.16 (106)
GOALS
Gold Coast: King 4, Walter 2, Long 2, Rowell, Petracca, Andrew
Brisbane: Morris 7, Cameron 2, Tunstill, McKenna, Gallop, Fort, Draper, Berry
BEST (Dan’s best)
Gold Coast: Noble, Anderson, Rioli, B.Uwland
Brisbane: Morris, Neale, Bailey, Dunkley, Will Ashcroft
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Weller (hamstring), Graham (hamstring), Humphrey (chest)
Brisbane: Nil
Crowd: 21,139
Malarkey Votes
3 – Morris (Brisbane)
2 – Neale (Brisbane)
1 – Dunkley (Brisbane)
Read other round 13 match reports HERE
Read more from Dan Lonergan HERE
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