Gulf in class problematic once again

If there was a gulf in class against West Coast, then you could mount the same argument against Collingwood, especially when you consider both team’s engine rooms. In his 200th game, Magpies captain Scott Pendlebury brought his own ball (35 disposals and three goals), and Dane Swan (36 possessions) and Steele Sidebottom (32 possessions) were both a cut above. When you consider the quality that still sits in the stands for the SUNS, getting the job done against top echelon midfielders is always going to be extremely tough. The loss of Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara and David Swallow is essentially the equivalent of losing Pendlebury, Swan and Sidebottom. It is simply not possible to effectively replace such enormous losses. And when you consider the total possession differential (+107) and contested ball (+31), the gulf in class on Saturday night was there for all to see. And played a decisive role in the result by the final siren.

Nicholls gathering momentum by the week

It has been a common talking point in recent weeks, and once again the form of ruckman Tom Nicholls was one of the few highlights in Saturday night’s 69-point loss. Since returning from a knee reconstruction in round four against Greater Western Sydney, Nicholls has gained momentum by the week. After getting the better of Nic Naitanui last weekend, Nicholls was the most dominant ruckman on the ground on Saturday night. It wasn’t simply in terms of pure numbers, although he did register the most hitouts with 26, but rather it was the quality of his tap work that is starting to grab the competition’s attention. Time and time again he put the ball down his teammates throat, with Mitch Hallahan and Michael Rischitelli the beneficiaries of his craft. 46.2 per cent of his hitouts went to advantage – ranked No. 1 in the competition across the round. As the sole ruckman, he did tire late in the game, but also finished with two goals to highlight his ability to push forward.

SUNS let second quarter opportunity slip

When Charlie Dixon kicked his third goal in the space of five minutes, with less than five minutes to go in the first-half, Gold Coast was within ten points of Collingwood and coming hard. The Magpies have been susceptible to losing the momentum in violent swings and Rodney Eade knew it. That’s why what happened in time on in term two was so disappointing. The SUNS had a golden opportunity to go into the main break firmly in the contest, potentially even in the lead. Dixon’s purple patch looked like festering into a goal frenzy. But it wasn’t to be as the Magpies kicked the final two goals of the opening half to halt the SUNS period of dominance. A four goal deficit at half-time was as close as the SUNS would come again, an opportunity to remain in the contest slipping through their hands on the cusp of half-time. In his post-mortem review, Eade identified the unsatisfactory finish to the second quarter as the most disappointing element of the loss.

Just when we though the injury curse was on the decline...

The injury curse at the Gold Coast SUNS looked to be subsiding last week with Tom Lynch and Adam Saad returning. But it appears to have struck again with star midfielder Dion Prestia injuring his knee and rebounding defender Trent McKenzie suffering a hip complaint. The severity of both injuries remains unclear at this stage, but given the sorry state of affairs at Metricon Stadium, the timing is far from ideal. As two of the SUNS' most experienced players, their loss would be another blow for an outfit lacking on-field direction and leadership. Prestia did finish the game on the ground after having his knee strapped, but he spent the majority of the encounter on a wing, away from the stoppages where he earns his pay and clearly hampered.

Hallahan beginning to build continuity in his game and body

Mitch Hallahan’s time in southern Queensland hasn’t quite been smooth sailing, with a handful of untimely injuries ruining any chance of building continuity in his game. But for the second week in a row, the specialist inside midfielder got his hands on the ball and appears to be building synergy with Nicholls around the stoppages. The former Hawthorn onballer finished with 24 possessions, six clearances, five tackles and five inside 50s to be one of the more prolific SUNS on Saturday night. It is easy to forget how inexperienced Hallahan actually is. He only played the six games in four seasons at Waverley Park, and Saturday night was just his 11th career game. Coming from a revered environment and with a strong apprenticeship in the VFL, expectations were high when he moved north. Whether fair or unfair, Hallahan will always be marked harshly. In the last two weeks, he has begun to demonstrate how valuable he can be. Whilst he hasn’t quite constructed a four-quarter effort yet, one mightn’t be far away.