The Suns have had statistically worse starts to games, but it is difficult to think of a more insipid quarter in their five-year history than their first on Saturday evening. The Suns went in at quarter-time 41 points down and it was flattering to Guy McKenna’s side. It took until the 27th minute until Sam Day grabbed the Suns’ first mark of the game (an intercept) and they finished the term with a 125-35 deficit in possessions. The Suns may have been without their best player and leader but their most important absence was a collective heart.

While Gold Coast sulked like sunbathers on Surfers Paradise as the torrential storm loomed at the Gabba, Pearce Hanley shone, relishing the onset of horizontal rain reminiscent of his native County Mayo. There were discussions before the game about whether the Irishman would be tagged by the Suns and within seven minutes not doing so looked a mistake. He set up the first goal from Michael Close and drove repeated forward 50s. The Irishman finished the game with 45 touches, three goal assists and two goals, the second of which came after he started a chain of possessions and finished off with a left foot snap following a 100m run. He deservedly won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal as best afield. 

As if morale and injuries were not already an issue, Charlie Dixon was subbed out in the first quarter with a groin problem and Zac Smith did not return after an ankle injury forced him off the field before half-time. With Tom Nicholls also likely out for the rest of the season, the Suns have big problems in the ruck and attack for the rest of the season. Rory Thompson moved into the ruck in the second half and may have to carry that burden for much of the last five games of the season. Even with their kind schedule it is hard to see the Suns mounting a push for the top eight now.

Tom Rockliff has been given as many plaudits this week as he has the whole of his career, with suggestions he belongs among the elite inside midfielders in the game and is an All Australian candidate. It seemed a plateau easy to fall from but he justified his billing with 46 possessions. Before the game it seemed like whoever was more dominant between him and Swallow would have a big say in who grabbed the points. When the game was there to be won in the first half, the Sun managed just six touches, with one contested possession.

The Lions’ ‘mozzie squad’ duo, Dayne Zorko and Josh Green, do not grab as many plaudits as opponents Jaeger O’Meara and Harley Bennell, but they far outshone the exciting Suns on Saturday night. For much of the night Zorko’s renowned flashy skills did not come off but he more than made up for it by collecting 21 contested possessions - and ended the game with two goals. Green has been inconsistent for the up-and-down Lions this season and his three-goal, seven-tackle display ensured his side’s midfield dominance did not go to waste. In contrast, the performance of O’Meara (who took until the 12th minute of the second quarter to notch his first possession) and Bennell was as disappointing as their effort.