Calling all Gold Coast fans …. it’s time for a trivia quiz … a very trivial quiz. Fourteen and a half years into life in the AFL what does the number SIX mean to the SUNS?
It means Alik Magin and Alex Sexton, the only players who have worn jumper #6 for the club, and Charlie Dixon, who is player #6 on the all-time player list. And player #66 Louis Herbert.
It means Hayden Jolly, Daniel Currie, Michael Coad, Andrew Raines and Lindsay Gilbee, who each played six games for the SUNS. And Peter Wright, who played 66 games.
Plus, it means Karmichael Hunt, Matt Rosa, Nathan Bock, Ashley Miles, Timmy Sumner and Liam Patrick, who each kicked six goals for the club. And Jake Rogers who has six and counting.
It means the number of names on the club’s all-time senior coaching list - Guy McKenna, Rodney Eade, Dean Solomon, Stuart Dew, Steven King and Damien Hardwick.
It means Ben King, Sexton, Harley Bennell, Brandon Matera and Charlie Dixon, who have kicked six goals in a game. And Hunt, Seb Tape, Mav Weller, Tom Murphy and Sumner, who had six wins.
It means Raines, Ned Moyle, Matt Rowell, Sean Lemmens, Aaron Hall and Tom Lynch, who share the club record for most free kicks against in a game at six. And it means Touk Miller, who has 66 Brownlow Medal votes, and Jack Martin, who polled six votes at the SUNS.
It means Jack Hombsch, who was born on 7 March 1933 – the 66th day of the year. And Hugh Greenwood, who was born on 6 March 1992 – the 66th day of what was a leap year.
And it means Brayden Crossley, who is the only SUNS player officially listed at 198cm. Or 6ft 6in.
But this week there is similarly obscure fact that is much, much more important.
After Sunday’s win over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium the SUNS this year have had six wins away from People First Stadium and won at six different venues – both club records.
And there are still six ‘away’ games to play, with visits to three venues where the SUNS have never won - Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium, GWS’ Engie Stadium and Adelaide’s Adelaide Oval.
These are figures that take on more relevance when you look back to the early years.
In the first 10 years of the SUNS from 2011-2020, when they won 17 of 116 ‘away’ games, their ‘away’ win count year-by-year went 3, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1.
They won at three venues in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2018 and at two venues in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. And that includes People First Stadium.
From 2021-24, counting Darwin games as interstate games, they posted 17 wins – 4, 5, 4, 4 on a yearly basis in this period. And won at as many different venues.
This year they’ve played only two of their first 10 games at People First Stadium – partly due to the cancellation of the Opening Round clash with Essendon – but have won six of eight on the road.
They’ve beaten West Coast at Optus Stadium, Melbourne at the MCG, Adelaide and Sydney at People First Stadium, North Melbourne at Barossa Park, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn in Darwin and now St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.
And they’ve given themselves a wonderful launching pad for a debut finals appearance.
With Collingwood, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Geelong, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and GWS filling the top eight spots on the ladder at Round 11 – and remembering that Gold Coast and Essendon have a game in hand – the SUNS have had three wins over top eight sides.
That’s one less than Brisbane and Geelong, who have beaten four top eight sides, and equal with Collingwood and ninth-placed Fremantle.
GWS have beaten two top eight sides, and Adelaide, Carlton, Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond, St.Kilda, Sydney and Western Bulldogs one. That leaves only West Coast without a top eight kill.
Sunday’s win over St Kilda also saw Bailey Humphrey and Mac Andrew become member #44 and member #45 on the SUNS 50-game list. And the ‘winningest’ members of this group.
Humphrey, with 27 wins, and Andrew, with 24 wins, better the 21-29 start of Matt Rowell, Brandon Ellis’ 19-1-30 record and Aaron Hall’s 19-31. And will be the envy of inaugural SUNS Dion Prestia and Jared Brennan, who only nine of their first 50 games with the club to sit at the bottom of this list.
Humphrey, who splits his game time between the midfield and the forward line, also has more goals after 50 games than all but 11 other SUNS players. His 32 goals ranks behind only Ben King (85), Peter Wright (66), Tom Lynch (61), Gary Ablett (57), Harley Bennell (56), Charlie Dixon and Brandon Matera (55), Aaron Hall (46), Jack Martin (41), Ben Ainsworth (37) and Sam Day (36).
