GOLD COAST will be aiming to atone for their 99-point thumping at the hands of Hawthorn in the Round 4 meeting between the two sides.
The Hawks travelled to Metricon Stadium and cruised to victory following a 12 goal to one second half, as forwards Jack Gunston (five) and Jarryd Roughead (four) starred with nine goals between them.
But it was in the midfield that the Hawks did the most damage, with four players gathering 30 or more disposals (Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Josh Gibson and Matt Suckling) and eight players picking up 20 or more.
Despite it being a physically bruising encounter, the Suns were no match for a powerful Hawthorn who were too classy and strong across all lines for the AFL’s up and comers.
Offensive Coach Mark Riley says the Suns haven’t forgotten the heavy loss and will be looking to make amends at Aurora Stadium on Saturday.
“We still remember that 99-point drubbing up here from earlier in the year,” Riley told media.
“It will be a really good test to see how far we’ve come, if we’ve come far at all.”
Riley said the heavy loss acted as a reality check for the Gold Coast players, who had won two of its first three games, including an upset Round 1 victory over Richmond, before taking on the Hawks.
“It (the loss) gave us some direct feedback – it said we needed to improve in certain areas,” he said.
“On that given night we were a fair way off the reigning premiers and it did sting the boys into action.”