1. Changing of the guard
Since winning the first QClash, the Lions have had their way with the ‘baby brother’ down the M1, winning five on the bounce. You get the feeling it might be a while until they get another win. The Lions were manhandled, often literally, by the Suns who won the contested possession count 173-136 and were never headed. And when Gold Coast began executing their skills in the forward-50 in the second half, they looked a class above their opponents, leaving a scoreline that did not flatter them at all.

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2. Day arrives as forward threat
Sam Day scored 24 goals in his first 42 games for the Suns (admittedly including a spell in defence last year). His four majors against the Lions (beating his previous best of three against Port Adelaide in 2011) gives him eight in three games for the year. With his physical attributes and smooth kicking action he could be among the Coleman medal candidates for many years to come.

3. Notch another one up for May
The Suns now have forces at both ends of the field. Steven May dealt with the big-name Richmond forward line in the opening game of the season and can add Jonathan Brown to his victim list. The big fella had scored 12.2 in his four games against the Suns and six goals in the first two games, but was a peripheral figure on Saturday evening with May restricting him to four touches, one mark and no goals.

4. Rich gap hard to fill
If Daniel Rich’s knee injury is as bad as feared, the Lions’ hopes of finals football look even more remote than their 0-3 record suggests. Rich inherited the mantle of being the Lions’ premier ball user after Simon Black’s retirement at the end of 2013, and without him their forward line may be feeding on scraps as they try to kick their side out of trouble in the coming weeks.

5. Merrett looking at a sideline stint
As if things couldn't get worse for the Lions, they are likely to be without their number one tall defender, Daniel Merrett, for at least a couple of games after he struck David Swallow in the face with a forearm in the final quarter. Swallow had chased his own kick into the Suns' forward 50 and danced around one tackle before Merrett cleaned him up after a handball which set up Matt Shaw's major. Port Adelaide and Richmond's forwards will now be even more confident of emulating Sam Day and kicking a bag against the Lions in the next fortnight..