Match Details

Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns
MCG
Sunday August 5, 3.20pm AEST

Summary

After a tough win on the road in Adelaide, Melbourne will return to the MCG for a Sunday afternoon clash with the 17th placed Gold Coast Suns.

The last time these two sides met at the Gabba in round eight, Melbourne put on an attacking masterclass, piling on 146 points – the equal second highest in the league in 2018 – while equalling the VFL/AFL record for inside 50s with 83.

Gold Coast has had a tough season so far, however its win over Sydney a fortnight ago at the SCG shows it can spring an upset.

Team news

Melbourne
Aaron vandenBerg is a confirmed in, with Jake Melksham (hamstring) out. Dean Kent, Cam Pedersen, Jayden Hunt and Tim Smith have been named as emergencies for the match. 

Gold Coast
The Suns have made five changes after their loss to Carlton in round 19. Callum Ah Chee, Max Spencer, Pearce Hanley, Jack Leslie and Jacob Dawson will come in. David Swallow (injury), Jarryd Lyons (omitted), Rory Thompson (injury), Steven May (suspended) and Jesse Joyce (omitted) are out of the team.

Players to watch

Aaron vandenBerg
Playing his first AFL game since round 23, 2016 – which is 707 days apart from Sunday – it’s hard not to get excited by the return of hard-nut Aaron vandenBerg. vandenBerg has been a solid contributor in his three VFL games back and will be raring to go against the Suns. The big-bodied vandenBerg’s contested abilities will be highly desired for Melbourne in the run home.

Jarrod Witts
The ruck contest between the 208cm Jarrod Witts and Max Gawn will be a fascinating one to watch on Sunday. When it comes to raw hit-out numbers, Witts is ranked second in the league only behind Gawn. In round eight, when the two went head-to-head, Gawn had the better of Witts with 41 hit-outs to 29.

In the media

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin on Gold Coast
“Without doubt, they’re a contested ball, tackle team; that’s the way they’ve been trained up and they do take the ball forward quickly. They played a really strong game against the Swans two weeks ago. That’s the sort of preparation we’ve identified the most to have a look at. That gives us a great picture of what they look like at their best, so that’s the game we’re preparing for.”

Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew on Melbourne
“They’re a good side, Melbourne. We know they’ve been questioned, but we’ve spoke about their last couple of weeks, conceding eight goals to lose after the siren [against Geelong] but to then be able to bounce back [against Adelaide]. Although they’re our opponents this week, you also get some respect from that, but also see the opportunities for us.” – via goldcoastfc.com.au

2018 so far

Ladder position (as of publication date)
Melbourne: 6th (W11, L7)
Gold Coast: 17th (W4, L14)

Last five matches
Melbourne: LWWLW
Gold Coast: LLLWL

Scoring record
Melbourne points for: 274. 193 (1868) – highest in the AFL
Melbourne points against: 214. 153 (1467) – 10th lowest in the AFL

Gold Coast points for: 151. 160 (1096) – lowest in the AFL
Gold Coast Points against: 239. 222 (1694) – 15th lowest in the AFL

Did you know…

  • Gold Coast has not played at the MCG since round 12, 2017 when it defeated Hawthorn. Due to the Commonwealth Games, the MCG is the 12th different ground the Suns have played at in 2018. By contrast, Melbourne has played at seven venues.
  • Nathan Jones could become the first Demon to record 1000 career tackles in this match. The co-captain currently has 998.
  • Jordan Lewis has a 100 per cent record against the Suns, having won eight out eight games against them.

Melbourne Milestones

Bernie Vince: 100 club games + 5000 career disposals (needs 11 disposals)
Jeff Garlett: 2000 career disposals (needs 12 disposals)
Jesse Hogan: 150 career goals (needs three goals)
Nathan Jones: 1000 career tackles (needs two tackles)

Head-to-head history

Total
Played: 11 games
Melbourne: 8 wins
Gold Coast: 3 wins

At the MCG
Played: 6 games
Melbourne: 4 wins
Gold Coast: 2 wins

Biggest wins
Melbourne: 90 points (round 4, 2011 at the Gabba)
Gold Coast: 60 points (round 7, 2013 at the MCG)

Highest home and away season attendance
27,013 – round 1, 2015 at the MCG

Last time we met
Round 8, 2018: Melbourne 21. 20 (146) def. Gold Coast 11. 11 (77) at the Gabba

Match Day Hub

All the info for Sunday afternoon can be found here.