THREE losses on the trot, a date with Hawthorn on Friday night at People First Stadium and a difficult draw over the next month suddenly has Gold Coast’s season at a crossroads.
Following a maiden Finals appearance, and victory, last season, the Suns were expected to challenge the League’s heavy hitters in 2026. Potentially even push for a premiership.
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Through 13 matches, their only wins against top 10 teams have come against Geelong in Opening Round and 10th placed St Kilda in Darwin, leaving them with a precarious 7-6 record.
And while there’s a handful of issues for coach Damien Hardwick to address, the most concerning is the team’s midfield.
Captain Noah Anderson, reigning Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell and two-time All-Australian Touk Miller were joined by Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca in the off-season in what looked, on paper at least, the most formidable centre square rotation in the AFL.
What we’ve seen through half a season has been more puff than power.
Gold Coast has gone from the team with the fourth best clearance differential in 2025 (+3.3) to the absolute worst (-7.2) this season.
Champion Data statistics also show they’ve dropped from the third best centre clearance team to the fourth worst. Although the Suns are still scoring quite effectively from their clearances, it’s an almighty drop off for such a talented group.
Matt Rowell
Fresh off a Brownlow Medal winning season, things just haven’t got going for Rowell.
He suffered a broken bone in his hand during February’s State of Origin game and didn’t lace on the boots until round four against Melbourne. After four games he then missed a couple more with an ankle injury.
It’s been a bit of a slog. Rowell’s overall numbers are down (26.3 to 24.2), but more importantly for Gold Coast, so too are his contested possession count (14 down to 12) and clearances (8.2 to 6.3). Tackling has also taken a hit, dropping from 8.5 to 5.9.
Rowell is the straw that stirs the Suns drink. For them to play better collectively, he needs to individually. There’s never a lack of effort from the 24-year-old, but whether it’s his battle with continuity or opponents putting more time into him (as Josh Dunkley and Tom Atkins have in the past fortnight), he’s not near the 2025 bar just yet.
Noah Anderson
Like his great mate Rowell, it’s been a bit of a struggle for the Suns captain so far in 2026.
Let’s be clear, we’re measuring these guys to an extremely high level. Anderson won his first All-Australian blazer last year and was the AFL Coaches Association MVP. He started the season as a top 10 player in the League.
And while he’s had game-shaping performances and was the Suns’ best player in Friday night’s loss to Geelong, he hasn’t quite reached the same peaks as 12 months ago.
At a base level, his contested possessions have dropped from 12.6 a game to 9.5 and he’s now rated as the 31st player in the competition, down from the fourth last season.
 Perhaps more noticeable is Anderson’s frustration. Always a man that plays with passion, the skipper has argued umpire calls in Gold Coast’s past two losses. Although he’s had reason to feel aggrieved in each instance, it’s something that hasn’t really been part of his game since taking over the captaincy.
Christian Petracca
Expected to be the piece that helped Gold Coast advance from last year’s semi-final exit, Petracca has had an excellent individual season.
After 18 months of uncertainty following his horrific King’s Birthday injury in 2024, the four-time All-Australian started with a bang, almost certainly collecting six Brownlow Medal votes in the Suns’ first two victories.
Four times he has gathered 25 disposals and kicked two goals in the same match – and all four helped in Gold Coast victories.
Petracca, Anderson and Rowell did not play in the same team until the Anzac Day game against Hawthorn in Launceston, and have partnered up just four times since, so continuity could certainly be questioned.
Just as fair to ask would be is this trio the best balance of players to spend so much time around the contest? Perhaps Petracca could spend a few more minutes forward, where he is equally damaging with his 17 goals this year, and certainly attract a quality opposition defender.
Touk Miller
Petracca’s arrival meant Miller has spent less time as a midfielder and more as a half-forward.
The 30-year-old is having another strong season and would almost certainly be in the top three of the club’s best and fairest.
He is still highly regarded by opponents, regularly copping attention from run-with players despite his change in role.
Miller has gone from 15 centre bounce attendances last year to just 10 this year, although they have been on the rise in recent weeks.
Alongside Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw he is arguably the best two-way runner in the competition and has a defensive mindset that complements the attacking firepower of his midfield mates.
Could reintroducing Miller to a regular midfield role help iron out the clearance issues?
Bailey Humphrey
Just a short note about Humphrey.
The 21-year-old was magnificent in 2025, finishing fourth in the B&F and playing a huge part in the Suns’ elimination final win over Fremantle with three second-quarter goals.
Like Miller, his time in the middle – where he used to attend the centre bounce and then run forward – has nosedived this year.
He has gone from 10.5 a game to just under six.
He certainly has to play better – and Hardwick was confident when speaking on Wednesday that he would be – but perhaps a few more short bursts around the contest might help his involvement.
What now?
Hardwick has been searching for his best combination all season. Wil Powell played the first six games as somewhat of a ‘defensive’ midfielder.
Alex Davies played six games before being injured.
Will Graham has jumped in there every now and then.
However, since Rowell, Anderson and Petracca have all been fit and available at the same time, the Suns have leant on that trio to lead them at stoppages – as they should.
They are uber-talented and could flip these numbers any week, but until then, the search for the right mix should continue.
More Miller seems a no-brainer with a smattering of Humphrey. Petracca is a dynamic forward, and although Rowell isn’t a noted goalkicker, there must be a way that one of the best contested ball winners in the competition can impact for five minutes a quarter inside forward 50.
Whatever Hardwick comes up with, it’s only as good as the players’ execution, and if the Suns are to get their season going again, it starts with their most talented line on the ground.
