You could be excused for thinking it must be Christmasm, that day which only comes around once a year. Because the SUNS are off to the MCG on Saturday afternoon to play Richmond.
And if you only went back 10 years you’d be pretty right. Because nine times since 2016 the club has played at ‘headquarters’ only once a year. And, in the Covid season of 2020, not at all.
Except this time you’d be wrong. In what is an historic SUNS ‘first’, the club is preparing to play two games at the MCG in a row. After the Tigers this week and a Round 3 bye they’ll be back there again on Sunday, April 5 to play Melbourne.
But that doesn’t make it any less special. It’s the best stadium in Australia and it’s where every young footballer wants to play.
And it’s where Leo Lombard and Zeke Uwland will play for the first time at AFL level on Saturday.
It will be the SUNS’ 20th game at the MCG in 15+ years and 333 games overall after the club played there 11 times in their first six years, including three times in 2012.
It won’t please tourist strip fans to know that despite joining the competition one year after the SUNS the GWS Giants have played at the MCG 32 times, including six finals, for a 10-22 record.
The SUNS have gone 6-13 at the MCG but will take plenty of confidence into Saturday’s game, having won on their last two visits – by 28 points over Richmond in 2024 and by 58 points over Melbourne last year.
Five players know nothing but success at the MCG - Bodhi Uwland, Will Graham, Sam Closehy and Jake Rogers have a 2-0 MCG record and Ethan Read is 1-0.
Also with a special memory of the ‘G’ is Charlie Ballard, who will play his first AFL game one year and six days since he blew out his knee in Perth in Round 1 last year. He played his 100th game at the ground in 2023.
Ballard will be 370 days between games – not even close to 10 SUNS players who were sidelined for 500-plus days.
This list is headed by dual knee construction victim Rory Thompson, who was 1379 days on the sideline from 2018 to 2022, and Caleb Graham, who hasn’t played since Round 23, 2002, is closing on that mark. He’ll be at 1310 days on Saturday.
Other SUNS beyond 500 days between games have been Tom Nicholls (749), Josh Hall (729), Jy Farrar (688), Jack Hutchins (644), David Swallow (639), Chris Burgess (587), Sam Day (574) and Ben King (556).
Historically, the SUNS are 6-13 at the MCG, having gone LLLLW-LWLLL-LWLLW-LLWW. They are 3-5 there against Melbourne, 1-2 against Hawthorn and Richmond, 1-3 against Collingwood, and 0-1 against Carlton.
Highest Score – Only twice in 19 games at the MCG have the SUNS scored 100 points, but 12 times they’ve conceded 100 points. Their highest score is 18.12 (120) on their last visit in Round 3 last year against Melbourne.
Biggest Win – They beat Melbourne by 60 points at the MCG in 2013, and by 58 points last year.
Crowds – The average SUNS crowd at the MCG is 26,364, with a highest of 38,508 against Richmond in 2015, and the lowest 13,034 against Melbourne in 2013. Ten times the crowd has topped 25,000, including three of 30,000-plus, and two of 35,000-plus.
Ablett the Amazing
Gary Ablett Jnr played 10 of a possible 12 SUNS games at the MCG from 2011-17 and was nothing short of extraordinary. He averaged 34.4 possessions, 1.3 goals and 1.7 Brownlow Medal votes, polling three votes in a loss three times.
This was highlighted by a club record 53 possessions against Collingwood in Round 10 2012, which remains the equal third-biggest single-game haul in AFL history - level with Greg Williams’ 53 for Sydney in 1989, and one behind Tom Mitchell’s 54 for Hawthorn in 2018 and Harry Sheezel’s 54 for North last year.
Ablett’s possession count in red and yellow at the MCG read 28-53-33-43-38-37-32-19-24-37.
In the Brownlow – The SUNS have polled 49 of a possible 114 Brownlow Medal votes at the MCG, including 21 of the last 30. Ablett’s 17 votes accounts for more than a third of the total, with the rest split between Touk Miller (8), Matt Rowell (6), Harley Bennell (4), Dion Prestia and Steven May (3), Brandon Ellis, Noah Anderson and Sam Flanders (2), Michael Rischitelli and Josh Corbett (1).
Corbett’s one vote in a 24-point win over Collingwood in Round 7 2021 gives him the rare distinction of having polled his only medal vote in his only game at the venue.
The utility forward, who played 35 games for the SUNS ahead of five games for Fremantle, had 16 possessions and kicked four goals for his medal vote.
High Possession Games
Ablett owns seven of the SUNS’ 22 games of 30-plus – about a third again – while Noah Anderson, Touk Miller and Harley Bennell have had three apiece. Dion Prestia twice topped 30 at the MCG, and Matt Rowell, Michael Rischitelli, Brandon Ellis and Jack Bowes have done so once in SUNS colors.
Major Goals
Alex Sexton and Aaron Hall share the SUNS record for most goals on the MCG with five, while five players have kicked four – Tom Lynch, Harley Bennell, Josh Corbett, Levi Casboult and Ben King.
Special Moments
Five SUNS players have had the special honour of making their debut on the MCG. In chronological order, they have been Josh Caddy (2011, and Piers Flanagan (2012), Touk Miller, Adam Saad and Jarrod Garlett (2015).
Nick Malceski wore SUNS colours for the first time at ‘the G’ in the same game as the debut trio, but, like them and Caddy and Flanagan his special moment was spoiled by a loss.
So, Lombard and Uwland will be hoping to be the first SUNS to win in an MCG debut.
‘Dimma’ at the G
Coach Damien Hardwick will go to ‘work’ at the MCG for the 277th time as a player or coach. He played 101 of his 207 games there for a 66-1-34 record, polled all 15 of his career Brownlow votes, and has coached at the ground 175 times for a 105-5-65 record.
He’s 2-0 at the MCG wearing red and yellow and, remarkably, since the start of the 2017 when his former club Richmond began a magnificent run of three flags in four years, he’s enjoyed a 61-3-19 record there.
SUNS v Tigers
The SUNS enjoy a 9-8 all-time record against Richmond, having won six of their last seven meetings after a 3-10 run when Damien Hardwick was in charge at Tigerland. The SUNS have enjoyed a 4-3 at People First Stadium, are 2-1 in Cairns, 1-2 at the MCG, 0-1 at the Gabba and 2-1 at Marvel.
Friends Turned Foe
Tom Lynch and Dion Prestia, inaugural SUNS players now at Richmond, will play against their former club for the sixth and seventh time on Saturday. Lynch is 3-2 overall against the club he captained in 2017-18, and 1-1 against the SUNS at People First Stadium. And Prestia is 2-4 overall and 2-3 at People First Stadium.
And Foe Turned Friends
Daniel Rioli, a 188-game triple premiership player at Richmond before joining the Gold Coast last year, will play against his former club for the second time on Saturday. He’ll be chasing his first win against them, having lost by 11 points at Marvel last year.
Rioli went 5-4 against the SUNS from 2016-24 and polled his first vote in the Brownlow Medal against them in his 51st game at People First Stadium in 2018, when he had 25 possessions in a 74-point win.
Brownlow Trivia
Who are the two other key figures in the SUNS camp who polled in the Brownlow for Richmond against the SUNS? Leadership consultant Alex Rance polled one vote at People First Stadium in 2017, and Assistant Coach Shaun Grigg polled two votes at People First Stadium in 2018 in the same game in which Rioli polled one vote and Jack Riewoldt kicked 10 goals for three votes.
Club Records
Noah Anderson has polled in the Brownlow five times in seven games against Richmond and with 12 votes heads the club vote count against the Tigers – two ahead of Gary Ablett and five up on Matt Rowell.
Ben King’s five goals in Opening Round at People First Stadium in 2024, when Damien Hardwick coached the SUNS against the Tigers for the first time, is the club goal-kicking record against Richmond. And Gary Ablett’s 41 possessions at People First Stadium in 2014 is the club possession record against them.
Common Players
Twelve players have played for Gold Coast and Richmond - Lynch, Prestia, Rioli, Josh Caddy, Mabior Chol, Brandon Ellis, Corey Ellis, Oleg Markov, Ashley Miles, Andrew Raines, Jacob Townsend and Mav Weller.
