Lions’ lesson proves Suns aren’t ‘big dogs’ yet, Damien Hardwick, Gold Coast’s coach, wants his team to “get off the porch and start running with the big dogs” following their QClash blunder against the Brisbane Lions.
The Lions won 10.19 (79) to 6.9 (45) in front of 30,285 fans at the Gabba on Sunday, despite four early injuries to the hosts, including one to Brandon Starcevich during the pre-game warm-up.
Despite having two men on the bench for nearly three quarters, the Lions dominated the Suns in the first half and were not punished for kicking ten straight behinds after halftime.
Dayne Zorko (career-high 39 disposals) dominated the Suns with 35 kicks that frequently breached the corridor, while Lachie Neale and Hugh McCluggage did anything they wanted.
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It left the Suns 4-4, undefeated at home but without a road win in a solid start to the Hardwick era as they seek their first finals berth.
“Well, I am eight games in. “How smooth did you imagine it would be?” Hardwick questioned journalists after the game. “It’s going to be up and down, that’s the reality of where we’re at.”
They have defeated Richmond, Adelaide, West Coast, and Hawthorn at home, but have lost semi-competitive games against elite sides Sydney and GWS before Sunday’s humiliation against last year’s grand finalists.
“We want to keep our heads above water until halfway,” Hardwick explained. “We’re leaving those men. We know where the gap is… we’ll beat the teams around us, sure, but we need to get off the porch and run with the big dogs.”
There was a lot of hype before this QClash, which was billed as a watershed moment for both sides considering the Lions’ 2-5 start and 0-3 record at the Gabba this season.
Hardwick stated that the Lions’ situation had meant they arrived in top gear, and that his team was unable to match it. “At the end of the day we got jumped,” he told me. “A million different things; there’s so many things we’re learning along the way.”
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