So this is what equalisation looks like. If the rival clubs which opposed the assistance package gifted to Gold Coast last year are still bitter, the Suns’ shock triumph over West Coast on Saturday will have done nothing to soothe any lingering resentment. Of all the talking points to emerge from the AFL’s resumption, David’s slaying of Goliath took the cake.
Make no mistake, this was a victory as much for the AFL as for the ailing Suns. When club chairman Tony Cochrane went to the AFL Commission last year, he did so with a cap in one hand and a wish list in the other. And he got what he wanted - a suite of concessions highlighted by priority draft picks for three seasons – despite protestations over the merit of the AFL helping a club that couldn’t help itself. In bailing out the Suns, the AFL was pinning its hopes on “challenges of the past” not repeating at a club it wants to remain viable.
Gold Coast’s first order of business was to go large at the national draft, securing long-time teammates and best friends, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, with the first two selections. Of course, access to the nation’s best youth is no guarantee of success. A chain gang of No 1 draft picks has done Carlton no good in recent times and the Suns themselves have turned treading water into an art form despite their plundering of the talent pool since joining the league in 2011. But it helps. Thanks in no small amount to the AFL’s largesse, the Suns look to have struck gold.
Whatever the subtext to proceedings at Metricon Stadium, the Suns were undeniably impressive. Gold Coast had developed an endearing habit of beating no one, losing 19 consecutive matches before fairly well smashing an Eagles team regarded by many as genuine title contenders. Granted, this was just one match. And, granted, the Suns have flattered before only to deceive, but even in isolation this was the performance of a team on an upward trajectory.
At the core was its reliance on, and celebration of, youth. Both Rowell and Anderson were outstanding, the former living up to his reputation with a dominant showing in midfield. The Victorian gathered 26 possessions (14 contested), kicked two goals and imposed a level of physicality that was contagious. West Coast’s vaunted midfield – comprising the likes of Nic Naitanui, Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly and Elliott Yeo – was beaten senseless by a bunch of kids. First up off an 11-week break, the Eagles will live to fight another day. They may yet contend for the flag. But if that’s the case, time will show this result saying more about the Suns than it did West Coast.
Gold Coast’s faith in their babies – coach Stuart Dew started Rowell on the ball; in itself a remarkable show of confidence – is a signpost to their future, one that is bankrolled by the youth concessions awarded to them by the AFL. For now, the days of hunting established stars are over. Should the Suns’ win over West Coast prove not to be a false dawn, should they build on this and finally come of age, the AFL will find itself under pressure to do act correctively in its annual review of the handouts Gold Coast receive. It’s then when the politicking will get serious. The presidents of the big Victorian clubs – the ones Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown says the AFL is “absolutely scared of” – will want their pound of flesh. And it’s then when we’ll know how serious the game’s ruling body is about making Gold Coast a success story.
The kids are alright at Port Adelaide, too. Just as the Suns are investing in youth, the Power are all-in with their younger players. The contrast, in this regard, with the Crows was palpable on Saturday night. Where Adelaide have developed a knack of playing, then dropping, then playing their youth – Darcy Fogarty, their best young player, is a prime example of this confusing strategy – Port are backing their juveniles in, accepting of the fact the bad days come with the good. At Adelaide Oval, the Power’s firebrands were electric against a risible Crows outfit that took social distancing way too far. Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma, Zak Butters: these are young men who ran rings around their city rivals. These are young men who are living proof that a little faith can go a long way.
And to think Port Adelaide thrashed Gold Coast in round one, all those weeks ago. It’s either the best, or most misleading, formline doing the rounds right now.
