Round Eight
Saturday, May 12, 4.35pm
Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne, Gabba
First quarter: Melbourne 4.5 (29) to Gold Coast Suns 3.5 (23)
The opening term proved to be a fascinating encounter.
Melbourne had almost double the inside 50s – 22 to 12 – but only led by a goal at quarter-time.
In fact, the Suns led for the first 10 minutes, until Charlie Spargo kicked the red and blue’s opener.
By the first change, Tom McDonald had two on the board and Alex Neal-Bullen had one to his name.
Although the Demons only had one more scoring shot than the Suns, they were unable to capitalise on their attacking start.
Second quarter: Melbourne 8.11 (59) to Gold Coast Suns 5.7 (37)
The Demons continued to pepper the goals early in the second term, but again, they were wasteful in front of the big sticks.
Melbourne posted three behinds to start the quarter, which kept the home side in touch. Consequently, Gold Coast booted the first two goals of the term to regain the lead by four points.
It wasn’t until McDonald secured his third at the 16-minute mark – and Melbourne’s first for the quarter – that the red and blue hit back.
Mitch Hannan followed up in time-on, having received a free kick in front of goal, while McDonald again bobbed up, kicking his fourth. And when Christian Salem landed a long bomb just before half-time, Melbourne had its fourth in a row and a 23-point lead at the long break.
James Harmes had a game-high 21 disposals by half-time, while Touk Miller had the most for the Suns with 17.
Third quarter: Melbourne 13.17 (95) to Gold Coast Suns 9.9 (63)
Melbourne extended its lead to 36 points, after it booted three of the opening four goals.
Neal-Bullen kicked his second, Max Gawn snapped his first under pressure and T.McDonald managed an equal career-best milestone when he booted his fifth goal.
But when Jack Martin kicked his third for the Suns, it was the start of three in a row from the home side, which pegged the margin back to 18 points.
However, when Michael Hibberd got his first goal of the season and Spargo claimed his second for the night, the Demons entered the final term with a 32-point lead.
During the quarter, the attendance was confirmed at 6,060 – the lowest since the Brisbane Bears hosted the Demons in round 22, 1991.
Final quarter: Melbourne 21.20 (146) d Gold Coast Suns 11.11 (77)
Melbourne ended any thought of a Gold Coast comeback, when it piled on the first six goals of the final term.
Salem got the ball rolling with his second at the seven-minute mark and the floodgates opened from there. Jesse Hogan got on the board and kicked three for the term, while Hannan booted two to finish with three majors. Angus Brayshaw and Jake Melksham also managed one each.
The Demons got out to a 69-point lead, before Sam Day booted his second – and the Suns’ first for the final term at the 20-minute mark. It ended an eight-goal streak by the Demons, starting from the 25-minute mark of the third quarter.
Hogan booted Melbourne’s last two goals, giving the red and blue a 75-point lead, before Martin’s fourth reduced the final margin to 69 points.
Harmes finished with a game-high 33 disposals, while Miller had 28 touches for the Suns.
