The Gold Coast Suns achieved a historic win, taking home their first-ever victory over the St Kilda Saints by 19 points at Marvel Stadium. This win was a symbolic victory for the Suns on a fraught weekend for the AFL. The match has been overshadowed by controversy stemming from comments made by St Kilda’s coach, Ross Lyon, and a concerning attendance figure that drew criticism from Gold Coast’s chief executive, Mark Evans.
The Sunday afternoon match drew a paltry crowd of only 13,486 fans — a record low. This was St Kilda’s lowest crowd at Marvel Stadium outside of COVID restrictions. Yet, Lyon responded to this embarrassment of a turnout with a shrug, saying that he was “not particularly worried” by the numbers. Evans certainly didn’t shy away from making his feelings known on Lyon’s comments.
“I thought the comments were offensive and out of line,” Evans said in response to Lyon’s remarks regarding the low attendance. The exchange between the two executives heightened tensions as Evans personally confronted St Kilda boss Carl Dilena over the situation.
On the pitch, the former Saint Ben Long left a score of indelible imprint. He booted three majors on his former club, emphasising just how brilliant and bloody minded this playmaker is. To combat the Eagles’ offensive weapons, Sam Collins was instrumental in anchoring the Gold Coast defense, leading to their upset victory. New recruits Daniel Rioli and John Noble contributed to the Suns’ success, further solidifying their positions in the team.
After the game, Damien Hardwick, the Suns’ coach, faced the media regarding his team’s efforts. He further rectified their offensive difficulties at home on the obstacles at Marvel Stadium, where he has a horrendous mark of 1-9-1. When further pressed on the possibility of explaining those attendance remarks to Lyon, Hardwick responded, “no, not really,” adamantly. His answer was not open to ambiguity.
Hardwick was adamant about tuning out all the outside noise and distractions and honing in on what his team was doing. “End of the day, first person or first place you need to look is inward,” he stated. He added, “So focus on them, we’ll focus on us,” indicating a commitment to improving his team’s play as they prepare for their upcoming match against Fremantle.
Upon reflection of this game, the pressure points for St Kilda are highlighted. Beyond that, it brings up troubling questions about the culture of fear that seems to exist between team execs and coaches in the NFL. The interactions between Evans and Dilena suggest a growing concern over public perceptions and team performances, particularly in light of disappointing attendance figures.
As the Gold Coast Suns celebrate their win, they must navigate the challenges presented by their coach’s struggles at Marvel Stadium and prepare for a critical home game next week. St Kilda will need to pick themselves up quickly after going down in this match. Together with improving their on-field performance, they must fix the off-field controversies that have plagued them.
