BRISBANE is unquestionably the AFL's comeback king, but Sunday night's QClash rival Gold Coast is rapidly becoming the competition's 'second-half slayer'.
Through six matches this season the Suns have thumped teams following the main break, with a particular penchant for overwhelming them in the fourth quarter.
Sunday's rollicking come-from-behind win over Sydney came about following a 17-point half-time deficit.
Gold Coast piled on six unanswered goals in the third quarter, then the first four of the fourth to storm to an easy 38-point win.
It wasn't the first time the hungry Suns have put their opponents to the sword late in a match.
Against North Melbourne in Gather Round, they trailed by eight points midway through the third quarter before slamming on 11 of the final 13 goals to win by 52 points.
There were 11 goals to five after half-time in Perth against West Coast, and 13 goals to six following the main break against Melbourne at the MCG.
Even in its only loss to date, Gold Coast gave Richmond a late fright by kicking 5.4 to 0.2 in the final quarter.
The result?
Gold Coast is beating teams by an average of 31 points in second halves so far in 2025, comfortably ahead of Collingwood (+20) and Brisbane (+18).
Breaking that down further, it ranks fourth in third terms with a +10 advantage on average, but it's the final quarter where Damien Hardwick's team do the ultimate damage.
The Suns are winning fourth quarters by 21 points a game to edge Geelong (+19). No other team has an advantage of 10.
Gold Coast is blessed with a host of powerful runners, led by vice-captain Touk Miller, skipper Noah Anderson and half-forwards Ben Ainsworth and Nick Holman.
Whether it's fitness, belief, game style, or most likely a mix of all, the Suns are never out of matches.
Which makes Sunday night so interesting. Brisbane recently completed a streak of eight consecutive comebacks after trailing at half-time, to equal a record that was set by Carlton in 1909-10.
Whoever trails at the Gabba at half-time in the final match of the round will have the ultimate belief they can come back to win.
