It’s the start of a new season, when spirits are high and hopes are higher. Known simply as ‘Round 1’ for a long time but now dressed up as “Opening Round”, it’s more than just the start of a new campaign. It’s ‘Touk Time’.
And regardless of what it’s called, it’s all the same to the now 30-year-old former SUNS captain who will play his 215th game at People First Stadium on Friday night as the SUNS open their 2026 campaign against Geelong.
Touk Miller debuted in Round 1 2015, and hasn’t missed the first game of a new season since.
His 12th consecutive appearance game #1 against the Cats will equal the SUNS record held by David Swallow, who played in game #1 from 2011-15 and 2018-24.
Only 11 current AFL players have played more than 12 Round 1/Opening Round games – Scott Pendlebury (19), Patrick Dangerfield (16), Steele Sidebottom (15), Jack Darling, Luke Parker, Mark Blicavs, Dane Rampe, Toby Greene, Tom Liberatore, ex-Sun Dion Prestia and Dylan Shiel.
Also this week, Jarrod Witts will play in the first game of the year for the 10th time to move one ahead of Alex Sexton on the SUNS list, and two clear of Jarrod Harbrow and Ben Ainsworth, and potentially Sam Collins and Nick Holman.
At the other end of the scale, Mac Andrew, set for his 66th game in his fifth season, will experience the excitement of the first game of a new campaign for the first time.
This will end the longest wait by any SUNS player to experience the exhilaration of what awaits on Friday night against the beaten grand finalists of last year.
Subject to final selection, Leo Lombard, Ned Moyle, Oscar Adams, Lachy Gulbin, Ben Jepson and potential AFL debutant Zeke Uwland will also be hoping to play their first season-opener.
Jed Walter will ponder what might have been, set to miss what could have been his first season-opener due to suspension.
Going into their 16th AFL campaign, the SUNS will enjoy homeground advantage in the first game of the new season for the ninth time, looking to improve on a 4-4 win/loss split at People First Stadium and a 7-8 record overall.
Since the club’s very first AFL game against Carlton at the Gabba in 2011 delivered a 119-point loss, the SUNS have gone LWWLWLWLLLWLWW in the first game of the season.
They are 2-0 under Damien Hardwick, having beaten Richmond at PFS by 39 points in 2024 and West Coast by 87 points in Perth last year, when their scheduled Opening Round clash was postponed due to a cyclone.
The club is 2-1 in opening round games against West Coast, 2-0 against Richmond, and 1-1 against St.Kilda. They are 1-0 against Essendon and North Melbourne, and 0-1 against Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Sydney.
On a ground-by-ground basis, they are 4-4 at PFS, 2-1 at Perth Stadium, 1-0 in Cairns, and 0-1 at the Gabba, Marvel Stadium and the MCG.
Who’s been the club’s best Round 1 / Opening Round player overall?
Statistics say it’s Ablett, who played in Round 1 in each of his seven years at the club. He polled 10 Brownlow Medal votes, including three three-voters, had two 40-possession games, including a club best of 42 in a home loss to Adelaide in 2012, and a further four 30-possession games. And he kicked 11 goals – second only to Ben King’s 14 in season-openers.
Ablett’s Round 1 possession average of 31.6 is easily the club’s best, from Matt Rowell (24.5), Dion Prestia (24.3), Michael Rischitelli (23.6), Miller (22.9), Noah Anderson (22.0), Aaron Hall (21.8), Jack Bowes (20.5), Brayden Fiorini (20.3), David Swallow and Jarrod Harbrow (20.1)
And the inaugural skipper will retain the #1 standing for at least another year, with Rowell, his big challenger, sidelined by injury after picking up major Brownlow votes in the first game of 2022-24-25. He topped 30 possessions each time in wins over West Coast, Richmond and West Coast.
The complete SUNS Brownlow Medal tally for Round 1/Opening Round games is:
10 - Gary Ablett
9 – Matt Rowell
5 – Aaron Hall, Touk Miller
3 – Ben King, Jarrod Harbrow, Brayden Fiorini, Dion Prestia
2 – Noah Anderson, Tom Lynch
1 – Adam Saad, Izak Rankine, Rory Thompson
King’s six goals against West Coast last year is the single-game club best in Round 1, while King and Ben Long have bags of five, and Ablett, Alex Sexton, Izak Rankine and Tom Lynch kicked four.
AFL debutants in Round 1/Opening Round for the SUNS have been:
2011 – Harley Bennell, Charlie Dixon, Karmichael Hunt, Marc Lock, Alik Magin, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie, Dion Prestia, Zac Smith, David Swallow, Seb Tape, Josh Toy, Guy McKenna (coach).
2012 – Aaron Hall
2013 – Jaeger O’Meara
2014 – Clay Cameron, Sean Lemmens, Jack Martin
2015 – Jarrod Garlett, Touk Miller, Adam Saad
2016 – Callum AhChee
2017 – Ben Ainsworth, Jack Bowes
2018 – Stuart Dew (coach)
2019 – Chris Burgess, Jack Lukosius
2020 – Noah Anderson, Connor Budarick, Matt Rowell
2023 – Bodhi Uwland
Club Debutants in Round 1/Opening Round have been:
2011 – Gary Ablett, Nathan Bock, Jared Brennan, Campbell Brown, Josh Fraser, Jarrod Harbrow, Daniel Harris, Nathan Krakouer, Michael Rischitelli, Danny Stanley.
2012 – Matthew Warnock
2013 – Greg Broughton, Tom Murphy
2015 – Mitch Hallahan, Nick Malceski, Rodney Eade (coach)
2016 – Ryan Davis, Matt Rosa
2017 – Michael Barlow, Pearce Hanley, Jarryd Lyons, Jarrod Witts
2018 – Nick Holman, Lachie Weller, Aaron Young
2019 – Sam Collins, Jack Hombsch, George Horlin-Smith, Anthony Miles, Jordan Murdoch
2020 – Brandon Ellis, Hugh Greenwood
2021 – Oleg Markov
2022 – Levi Casboult, Mabior Chol
2023 – Ben Long
2024 – Damien Hardwick (coach)
2025 – John Noble, Daniel Rioli
The SUNS’ highest score in a Round 1 / Opening Round game is their 20-16 (136) against West Coast in Perth last year, when they also posted their biggest win by 87 points.
The lowest score has been 4-5 (29) in a Covid-shortened 2020 game against Port Adelaide at PFS, and the biggest loss was all the way back in game #1 2011.
Swallow, aged 18 years 134 days on debut, is the SUNS’ youngest player in Round 1 / Opening Round, and Levi Casboult, five days short of his 34th birthday in 2023, is the oldest.
The biggest crowd for a season-opener at PFS is 22,086 for coach Hardwick’s first game at the helm against his former side in 2024.
