Venue favours a form reversal for Suns
In a nutshell: If Hawthorn want to stamp themselves as a premiership contender, they need to win tonight. They are in the mix, sitting fifth (8-4-1), but are still a long way off Fremantle and Sydney. The Suns have had the month from hell, dropping successive games to North Melbourne, Brisbane and Geelong while also navigating a bye. On top of that, there has been speculation about player unrest in the camp. Damien Hardwick knows better than anyone that there are few better ways to settle a perceived culture problem than winning. The Suns are ninth (7-6) and need a win. A fourth straight loss will see them mired in mediocrity.
History says: Hawthorn has a 50 per cent winning record on the Gold Coast, but don’t let that stat deceive you – they have dropped their past four matches at the venue, in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The last time these two teams met was in April this year in Launceston when Hawthorn won by 49 points. But, once again, that can be deceiving, Tassie is a distinct home ground advantage for the Hawks. The Suns are still trying to shake the chill.
At the selection table: Key defender Tom Barrass (hamstring) is a huge in for the Hawks, back for his first outing since round 10. Will be interesting to see if he takes time to acclimatise. Hawthorn also promoted Harry Morrison, while dropping Flynn Perez and Bodie Ryan. They are still without key forward Jack Gunston, who leaves a big hole in defence. Gold Coast has turned to big man Jarrod Witts, Nick Holman for his 150th game and Suns Academy product Beau Addinsall for his AFL debut. They axed Ben Jepson, Lachie Gulbin and Charlie Ballard after last week’s poor showing against Geelong at GMHBA.
He will be joined in the line-up by club stalwarts Nick Holman, who will play his 150th AFL game, and Jarrod Witts who returns after missing last weekend’s clash against the Cats.
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How the Hawks, Suns line up
Here is a guide to the two teams to duke it out on the Gold Coast tonight.
As we know, they don’t always set up this way, but it gives us an indication of the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. On paper, the Suns look to have the stronger midfield. The Hawks, meanwhile, have welcomed back gun defender Tom Barrass but are still missing the evergreen Jack Gunston up forward.
GOLD COAST
B: M.Andrew, S.Collins, O.Adams
HB: D.Rioli, B.Uwland, J.Noble
C: Z.Uwland, C.Petracca, T.Miller
HF: B.Humphrey, B.Long, L.Lombard
F: J.Witts, B.King, J.Walter
R: N.Moyle, N.Anderson, M.Rowell
I/C: N.Holman, J.Jeffrey, S.Clohesy, J.Murray, B.Addinsall
IN: J.Witts, N.Holman, B.Addinsall
OUT: B.Jepson (omitted), C.Ballard (omitted), L.Gulbin (omitted)
HAWTHORN
B: J.Impey, J.Battle, J.Sicily
HB: B.Hardwick, T.Barrass, K.Amon
C: H.Morrison, W.Day, M.D’Ambrosio
HF: D.Moore, M.Chol, J.Ginnivan
F: C.Macdonald, M.Lewis, N.Watson
R: L.Meek, J.Newcombe, J.Ward
I/C: J.Weddle, N.Reeves, C.Mackenzie, C.Nairn, B.Macdonald
IN: T.Barrass, H.Morrison
OUT: F.Perez (omitted), B.Ryan (omitted)
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Pressure on Dimma to keep his cool
Gold Coast minders will be on grumpy watch tonight after Suns coach Damien Hardwick was put on notice by AFL officials last week.
Hardwick faces a heavy financial penalty if he reloads and criticises the umpiring.
Last week, Dimma raised the ire of league officials when he complained about home-ground umpiring and decisions that went against his side during their loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium, while also recommending a change to the lasso rule.
AFL executive head of football Greg Swann called Hardwick directly on Monday to discuss the comments and express the league’s disappointment, but left the conversation with a warning and no fine.
“I didn’t have a problem with his issue around the lasso, but probably the next bit was a bit overstepping the mark. We’ll have a chat, and hopefully we can move forward from there,” Swann told The Age’s Real Footy podcast on Monday.
For Michael Gleeson’s full story, click HERE.
Hungry Hawks casting a wide trade net
Hawthorn will continue their pursuit of multiple players from rival clubs rather than confining their effort and trade capital to Essendon veteran Zach Merrett, as they did last year.
The Hawks remain keen to acquire Merrett, who is again expected to seek a trade to the club at season’s end, and are the favoured destination for Gold Coast key forward Ben King if the restricted free agent chooses to leave.
They have been a leading suitor for Suns young gun Bailey Humphrey, who is contracted for 2027, as well as King. They met with Humphrey last spring.
For Jake Niall’s full story, click HERE.
Welcome to Friday night football
Good evening football lovers, and welcome to our live coverage of the round 15 Friday night game. There’s a lot at stake for these two sides, Gold Coast and Hawthorn.
My name is Danny Russell, and I’ll be on board to take you through this intriguing clash, which kicks off at 7.40pm (AEST) at People First Stadium on the Gold Coast.
I reckon we are in for a cracking game of football. Enjoy.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
