RAGING flag favourite Casey Demons are Victoria’s last hope of claiming the first Smithy’s VFL premiership in three years after Carlton’s brave run fell agonisingly short in the semi-finals against the Brisbane Lions last Saturday.
What a remarkable achievement and boost it is for Queensland to have all three of its VFL teams in the last four – and all in strong form with a chance to take the Cup north.
The reigning NEAFL premier Lions have bounced back hard from a 2021 season reset when they introduced a lot of young local talent – a decision that is now paying off for Mitch Hahn, with the likes of Academy graduates Charlie Bowes, Bruce Reville and Wilson Barry playing the win over the Blues alongside Southport recruit Riley Greene, Aspley returnees Tahj Abberley, Will Fletcher and Luke O’Sullivan.
Luring the experienced Wylie Buzza home from Victoria as captain was also a masterstroke, and son-of-a-gun Darryl McDowell-White was critical in last week’s victory in just his fourth game.
Southport has been nothing short of magnificent since joining the VFL last year, finishing second in the cancelled 2021 season and holding the same position for most of this year, and the Sharks will take an impressive 23-6 VFL win-loss record into their Coast Clash preliminary final against the surging Suns.
Gold Coast sparked its run with a series of heartstopping wins but has now built confidence and momentum with eight straight victories, including one over the Sharks just last month – and the Suns will take plenty of confidence into their first preliminary final at any level with an imposing win-loss record against their next-door neighbours.
Let’s look at Sunday’s second preliminary final and the history of clashes between the clubs.
2.SOUTHPORT (14-5) v 4.GOLD COAST SUNS (14-6)
2ND PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sunday, September 11, 1.10pm @ Fankhauser Reserve
(Channel 7 (Victoria), 7mate (Brisbane) and 7plus (nationally), 1pm; Stream on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App, 1pm; Casey Radio 97.7FM and caseyradio.com.au, 12.40pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Gold Coast 13-3
At Fankhauser Reserve: Gold Coast 7-2
Streak: Gold Coast 1 and 9 out of 10 (last loss May 21, 2021)
THIS SEASON
Round 21, August 13, 2022, at Metricon Stadium
Gold Coast 3.0 7.4 10.8 14.10 94
Southport 5.3 6.4 11.7 12.13 85
Goals: GOLD COAST: J. Corbett 4, C. Burgess, A. Sexton 3, B. Fiorini 2, M. Conroy, J. Eckersley. SOUTHPORT: B. Gowers, M. Pescud, J. Townsend 2, D. Charlesworth, T. Fields, M. Johnson, M. Manteit, M. Selsby, B. Woodcock.
Top 5, +20 Disposals: GOLD COAST: B. Fiorini 39, J. Tsitas 31, C. Constable 28, J. Bowes 22, R. Atkins, O. Faulkhead, A. Sexton 17. SOUTHPORT: J. Dawson 30, J. Joyce 26, B. Woodcock 22, M. Manteit, M. Willis 20.
+5 Marks: GOLD COAST: C. Burgess 5. SOUTHPORT: M. Manteit 5.
+6 Clearances: GOLD COAST: B. Fiorini 17, J. Tsitas 8, N. Moyle, J. Bowes 7. SOUTHPORT: B. Woodcock, J. Joyce 8, J. Dawson, B. Crossley 6.
+6 Tackles: GOLD COAST: B. Fiorini 15, C. Constable 13, J. Tsitas 10, R. Atkins, J. Bowes 7, O. Faulkhead, H. Oea 6. SOUTHPORT: B. Crossley 10, J. Dawson 9, J. Townsend, Z. Foot 6.
+10 Hitouts: GOLD COAST: N. Moyle 45. SOUTHPORT: B. Crossley 35.
Coaches Votes: In house until Liston Medal night.
Team stats: Disposals: SOU 311-289. Marks: SOU 45-37. Hitouts: GC 51-41. Clearances: GC 51-47. Inside-50s: GC 57-53. Tackles: GC 112-93. Free Kicks: SOU 26-24.
PREVIOUS FIVE HEAD-TO-HEAD
May 21, 2021: Southport 17.14 116 def Gold Coast 5.3 33 (Fankhauser Reserve)
June 15, 2019: Gold Coast 12.6 78 def Southport 9.9 63 (Fankhauser Reserve)
June 2, 2018: Gold Coast 14.9 93 def Southport 12.7 79 (Fankhauser Reserve)
July 22, 2017: Gold Coast 14.14 98 def Southport 6.4 40 (Fankhauser Reserve)
June 3, 2017: Gold Coast 23.18 156 def Southport 6.3 39 (Metricon Stadium)
PREVIOUS FINALS
Nil
PAST FIVE MATCHES
SOUTHPORT
QF: 12.15 87 def Brisbane Lions 5.8 38 (Morton Bay Sports Complex)
R22: 21.18 144 def Coburg 4.14 38 (Fankhauser Reserve)
R21: 12.13 85 lost to Gold Coast 14.10 94 (Metricon)
R19: 6.14 50 lost to Collingwood 13.10 88 (Victoria Park)
R18: 12.13 85 lost to Essendon 13.9 87 (Fankhauser Reserve)
GOLD COAST
EF: 13.16 94 def Box Hill Hawks 10.11 71 (Metricon Stadium)
R22: 12.11 83 def North Melbourne 11.11 71 (Arden Street Oval)
R21: 14.10 94 def Southport 12.13 85 (Metricon Stadium)
R19: 19.14 128 def Port Melbourne 8.11 59 (Metricon Stadium)
R18: 13.13 91 def Brisbane Lions 13.11 89 (Morton Bay Sports Complex)
SEVEN KEY MATCH-UPS
Seb Tape (Southport) v Chris Burgess (Gold Coast): The veteran former captain and the high-flying Frosty Miller medallist. What a match-up this promises to be. Tape gets none of the plaudits of his higher-profile teammates but just gets the job done week-in-week-out and would be desperate to atone for the Round 21 game where Burgess, Josh Corbett and Alex Sexton got away to kick 10 goals between them. Burgess kicked four against the Swans last week and is going to take some stopping.
Rhys King (Southport) v Josh Corbett (Gold Coast): Where Burgess doesn’t get you, there’s a fair chance Corbett will. The Suns’ second spearhead was held goalless by Will Gould last week, just the third time that has happened this year, and it is hard to see it happening again. Like Tape, King isn’t often highlighted, but the Sharks pair are the backbone that holds this team together.
Jacob Dawson (Southport) v Sam Flanders (Gold Coast): These two appear to be almost untaggable, with the Liston Medal favourite dominating all season to average 29.4 disposals, although he was held to a modest (for him) 24 touches and limited impact in the qualifying final. He will be fired up to make amends for that. Flanders, meanwhile, has carved the Hawks and Swans to ribbons in the finals with 37 and 46 disposals and has an average of 29.7 in 11 matches. They’ll shake hands at the start and finish and that will be about all they’ll of each other. Who will have the greater impact? It’s mouthwatering.
Boyd Woodcock (Southport) v Charlie Constable (Gold Coast): This one is even more enticing, with both capable of destroying their opponents in very little time. Woodcock will be the reason if Dawson doesn’t win the Liston and he could even claim it himself with his spectacular marking, freakish goal sense and ability to rack up possessions at will (). Constable is also a ball magnet who has been damaging off half-back, setting up the Suns with 35 possessions against the Swans. If he gets off the leash, Woodcock may have to batten down the hatches, which will take away from the Sharks’ strengths.
Jesse Joyce (Southport) v James Tsitas (Gold Coast): The great midfield match-ups just keep coming, with both these men in their best form of the season at the right time. Joyce had 26 disposals in a terrific qualifying final and is averaging () in his past () matches, while Tsitas hit top gear with 31 and a goal against Sydney after 30 against Box Hill to lift his average to 24.8 in 16 games. Joyce could even pick up a tagging job on Flanders to see if he can take away the Suns’ Ace of Hearts, while Tsitas could potentially do the same with Dawson.
Brayden Crossley (Southport) v Ned Moyle (Gold Coast): Even if Fraser Thurlow passes his fitness test and returns from his hamstring injury, Crossley is the most likely option to stand opposite the Suns behemoth at the first bounce. They put on a ding-dong battle in Round 21 with 80 hitouts between them, with Moyle grabbing 15 touches to Crossley’s 12, but the big Shark laid 10 tackles to four. Crossley was best-on-ground against the Lions a fortnight ago and if he is allowed to throw his weight around Southport is a much better team. Moyle needs to have a presence in this area if the Suns are to win.
Max Pescud (Southport) v Jez McLennan (Gold Coast): The in-form Suns Academy graduate looks made for finals football after terrorising the Lions’ defence a fortnight ago, and McLennan appears to be best suited to taking on the task – if he doesn’t go to Jacob Townsend or Billy Gowers (if fit) instead. The Suns’ skipper will be hoping Rory Thompson can get the better of Townsend, which will make the job easier. Pescud has flown under the radar of his two higher-profile teammates, but is just as dangerous around goal.
SUMMARY
It’s a little bit surprising to see the Suns hold a 13-3 head-to-head advantage over their neighbours in the Coast Clash, including nine of the past 10, and that will give them plenty of confidence. Not that they need it after winning an epic contest four weeks ago among their eight straight victories to get within one win of a maiden Grand Final at any level. The Sharks, meanwhile, have flown the flag for the standalone clubs by backing up their marvellous 2021 season with another great effort. They found their first hiccup with those three losses in Rounds 18, 20 and 21 but have been utterly dominant in their past two games to re-establish themselves as the second seed – and they could regain Thurlow and Gowers from injury as well. Southport has the class and focus to get this done and earn a flight to Melbourne next week, but a fairytale story can sometimes be impossible to combat. Unmissable TV (or radio) on Sunday afternoon.
EARLY PREDICTION: Southport by 16
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
To thank football fans for their outstanding support throughout the 2022 season, the AFL is pleased to announce that entry to all matches in Weeks One to Three of the 2022 Smithy’s VFL Finals Series will be free.
For the 2022 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final, admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free.
All remaining matches in the 2022 Smithy’s VFL Finals Series will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via Channel 7 and 7plus, including the 2022 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final.
Viewers outside of Victoria can tune in to Seven’s Smithy’s VFL coverage via 7plus. This weekend’s matches will also be available on 7mate for viewers in Brisbane.
All finals, including the Smithy’s VFL Grand Final, will be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.
