Gold Coast has produced THE win of the 2022 season, Noah Anderson kicking a goal after the siren to spark ecstatic scenes at Metricon Stadium as the Suns overcame a 40-point deficit to down Richmond.
Words will struggle to describe the emotions of the final minutes of the stunning contest, emotions that Suns players and fans won't soon forget.
It was an even game on paper and despite it not looking that way for much of the clash, that’s exactly what fans were dished up in the 94-92 contest.
It will go down as a game of what could have been for the Tigers, who blew a 34-point half-time lead. Jason Castagna had the chance to ice the game with five minutes to play, only to run too far and be smothered by a desperate effort from Charlie Ballard.
However, when looking to cut the margin to five points with two and a half minutes to play, Ben Ainsworth missed a set shot he’d normally swallow.
One of the biggest moments in Gold Coast Suns history ☀️
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2022
Relive the Last Two Minutes, including the moment Noah Anderson kicked the winning goal to secure an unlikely comeback, thanks to Kennedy. #AFLSunsTigers pic.twitter.com/jYT0f70QvR
But the Suns’ didn’t die. In a season where everything’s been up against them, Mabior Chol would goal out the back before they surged the ball inside 50 for one last crack with seconds on the clock.
Sam Day would mark and hit up Anderson 45 metres out on a slight angle. The young gun already had enjoyed a massive game as one of the Suns' best with a goal and 25 possessions to his name.
However, it would be his 26th that would keep the club's fairytale season alive. Anderson goaled after the siren, sparking wild scenes on Metricon Stadium.
NOAH ANDERSON!!!!! ☀️
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2022
The moment the @GoldCoastSUNS secured one of their greatest ever victories. #AFLSunsTigers pic.twitter.com/3k8i1IT3jb
The win keeps the possibility of a maiden finals series open and caps off a huge week for the club after re-signing Stuart Dew.
The Tigers could now find themselves out of the top eight if St Kilda wins on Saturday night, but it’s an injury to key forward Tom Lynch that will be of equal concern.
Lynch came from the field early in the first quarter and was subsequently ruled out of the game shortly after.
Tom Lynch gives us an update on the injury that forced him to be subbed out.
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) July 9, 2022
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🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/djlOLwSFxP pic.twitter.com/fVv5O8QMXJ
However, in good news for Richmond fans, the 29-year-old confirmed it was on the minor end of seriousness and it was the other leg to the one he’d struggled with hamstring issues earlier in the year.
“I was having a set shot and I was hoping to kick (the goal) and then run off, but it was very minor, (I) just felt a little tingle in my hamstring, I went and checked downstairs and they said, ‘you’ll have to finish up’,” Lynch told Fox Footy at half time.
He added that he felt he could have continued playing, and the minor setback is “more annoying than anything (bad)”.
Both sides needed the win entering the clash. Richmond hoping to lock in their top eight spot for another week, while the Suns were fighting to keep their finals chances alive.
However, only one team played like their season was on the line in the first half. The Tigers exploded out of the blocks and sliced through the Suns at every opportunity, quickly punishing the home side’s every mistake.
They’d go on to kick seven of eight goals from midway through the first term.
It was a disappointing effort from a Gold Coast side that had been so plucky in recent games, but Stuart Dew – fresh off signing a two-year contract extension – was able to get a response from his troops in the third quarter as the Suns got back on top around the ball.
Touk Miller, who finished with 27 touches and 13 clearances (five more than anyone else on the field), lifted and dragged his teammates with him, leading his side into the three quarter time huddle 28 points down.
They started the final term how they finished the third, kicking the first two majors in quick succession to narrow the margin to less than three straight kicks.
They'd go on to produce the stunning football we've seen on ocassions from the Suns. While they're not the classiest team in the league, the Suns certainly ave a case for the biggest hearts.
Shai Bolton was one of the factors in the game and looked set to be the difference until the final few minutes, the star Tiger seemingly going where he pleased to end up with 29 disposals and 3.3.
Shai Bolton reels in a beauty!#AFLSunsTigers pic.twitter.com/WRCcZxOJ68
— AFL (@AFL) July 9, 2022
“It’s been an absolute clinic from Bolton,” Melbourne AFLW star Daisy Pearce told AFL Nation.
“Beyond the misses… he could have had a bag if he’d kicked straight.”
The win will almost certainly go down as the best in Gold Coast history, both for the manner in which it happened and the context of the clash.
FULL SCORE
Gold Coast Suns: 3.3, 4.4, 8.7, 14.10 (94)
Richmond: 5.3, 9.8, 12.11, 13.14 (92)
GOALS
Gold Coast Suns: Chol 3, Ainsworth 2, Anderson 2, Fiorini, Holman, Miller, Oea, Day, Rowell, Swallow
Richmond: Bolton 3, Riewoldt 3, Cumberland 2, Aarts, Edwards, Graham, Pickett, Short
BEST
Gold Coast Suns: Miller, Anderson, Swallow, Witts, Ellis
Richmond: Bolton, D. Rioli, Prestia, Short, Graham
INJURIES
Gold Coast Suns: Rosas
Richmond: Lynch (Hamstring)