It was almost as good as a win, almost. It has been a difficult season after all, with wins too few and far between. So, Saturday night’s draw was a moral victory in some ways. The two premiership points assisting Gold Coast with staying away from the wooden spoon.
Golden performances were at both ends of the ground, with Tom Lynch sealing a strong four-quarter performance with a goal on the final siren to tie the game. At the other end of the ground, Steven May demonstrated why he is considered a leader inside Metricon Stadium.
May had the unenviable job of quelling Coleman medal leader Josh Kennedy. The West Coast spearhead has had a great run against the SUNS in recent years, but he was well and truly quelled by the SUNS key defender. May kept Kennedy to just six touches and three marks for the entire night, winning a generous helping of contests to nullify the star forward.
Lynch continued his strong run of form with another haul of four goals against the Eagles. He wasn’t quite as prolific as last week against Adelaide, but he kicked important goals at pivotal moments of the game. His hands were clinical, vice like at times. And his leadership shone throughout the encounter.
Harley Bennell continued his great resurgence with another eye-catching performance. The star midfielder collected 28 possessions, 13 contested, seven clearances and seven tackles in a well rounded performance that drew praise from Rodney Eade in his post-mortem.
For the second succussive week, Aaron Hall thrived on added exposure to the middle of the ground. He collected a career-high 24 disposals, to go with seven tackles, four inside 50s and a clever goal late in the game to keep the SUNS in the contest.
If Touk Miller isn’t a genuine contender for the Rising Star award, the voting panel aren’t paying attention. The young gun produced a brilliant opening half, collecting 16 possessions before the main break. He then suffered an ankle injury that thwarted his impact, although he did finish with 21 touches for the night, as well as seven clearances, five tackles and four inside 50s.
Who was your best player in round 18?
After 17 rounds, Michael Rischitelli still leads the Fans Player of the Year award on 238 votes, ahead of Adam Saad on 169 votes and Kade Kolodjashnij on 140 votes.
