GOLD Coast has kept its Darwin fortress locked up, overcoming a slow start to beat St Kilda by 29 points on a warm Saturday night at TIO Stadium.

Trailing by 25 points at the first change, the Suns kicked six unanswered goals in the second term to arrest momentum and did enough after the main break to win 13.11 (89) to 8.12 (60).

SUNS v SAINTS Full match coverage and stats

It was a ninth consecutive victory at Gold Coast’s second home and moved it to 6-3 ahead of facing Port Adelaide at the same venue next Friday night.

The Suns faced an opponent that lost Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera (managed) prior to the match and then outstanding defender Callum Wilkie (back) during it, after he copped an inadvertent knee in the back from Ben King in a marking contest.

Gold Coast had contributors all over the ground, with the backline particularly resolute.

Daniel Rioli (28 and one goal) put on a show in front of his home fans, with a stunning six-bounce run during the second quarter a turning point for the evening, while Bodhi Uwland (29 including 13 intercepts), John Noble (31) and Sam Collins also excelled.

Captain Noah Anderson (31 and three goal assists) and deputy Touk Miller (31 and a goal) held up in a midfield that was slaughtered at stoppages (39-21).

St Kilda looked winners early in the night, but as the match wore on in the typically humid and slippery conditions, they began to miss targets and struggled to challenge Gold Coast’s defence.

Darcy Wilson was brilliant in defeat, kicking four goals, while Sam Flanders (28) played well against his former club and Brad Hill (25) provided his usual power running.

Gold Coast has now won two matches straight to right its season following a wonky month.

Ethan Read (knee) failed to play out the night and is the club’s only injury concern.

After an even opening 15 minutes, Gold Coast appeared half asleep for the remainder of the first quarter as the Saints piled on five unanswered goals to take a handy 25-point lead.

They outnumbered the Suns at most contests and worked harder to find space, repeatedly turning the ball over in the forward half of the ground to create scoring chances.

Wilson kicked two goals, the second following a wonderful flowing movement that started at half-back and involved multiple handballs under pressure, while Max Hall’s bomb from 65m was another highlight.

Gold Coast was a completely different team in the second term, booting all six goals on the back of a noticeable increase in intensity.

One play that changed the momentum and defined the term was Rioli’s thrilling six-bounce run from deep into defence all the way to centre wing that eventuated in a Lachie Weller goal.

Wilkie left the field for an extended period, and although returning just before half-time, could barely move, so incapacitated was he with a back problem.

The fortress is intact
Gold Coast made it a perfect 9-0 record at TIO Stadium since bringing ‘home’ games to the Top End in 2022. Although not quite hitting their average winning margin of 39 points, it was a strong win all the same, particularly following the slow start. In the final year of its deal with the Northern Territory government, the club is still in negotiations with what 2027 and beyond looks like. Can they make it a perfect 10 next Friday night against Port Adelaide?

Nasiah's late scratching
If there was one name spectators didn’t want to see as a late out, it was superstar midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. However, when the final teams were submitted 60 minutes prior to the first bounce, that’s exactly what we saw with the Saints saying the 23-year-old was “managed”. Wanganeen-Milera made the five-hour flight from Melbourne to Darwin with his teammates on Thursday but didn’t get up for the game, breaking a streak of 40 consecutive matches that dated back almost two years.

A Saints Ironman injured
St Kilda lost arguably its most consistent, dependable and best player in the second quarter when Cal Wilkie left the ground with a back problem. The outstanding defender copped a Ben King knee right in the back during a marking contest and was immediately in pain. After leaving the field and then returning just prior to half-time, he was clearly still restricted and ruled out at the main break. Wilkie has a streak of 164 consecutive games since debut which would now appear in jeopardy ahead of next Sunday’s match against Richmond.

GOLD COAST        1.1    7.4    9.6    13.11 (89)
ST KILDA    5.2    5.6    6.10    8.12 (60)
 
GOALS
Gold Coast: King 4, Weller, Petracca, Rioli, Noble, Miller, Lombard, Humphrey, Graham, Davies 
St Kilda: Wilson 4, Sinclair, Owens, Henry, Hall
 
BEST
Gold Coast: Anderson, Rioli, B.Uwland, Humphrey, Noble, Miller
St Kilda: Wilson, Hill, Garcia, Hall, Flanders, Sinclair
 
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Read (knee)
St Kilda: Wilkie (back)
 
LATE CHANGES
Gold Coast: Nil
St Kilda: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (managed) replaced by Ryan Byrnes
 
Crowd: 10,672 at TIO Stadium