The only way to go is up for St Kilda following its poor showing against Sydney, and fittingly, the Saints will be heading north to take on the
It will be just the second game for the Suns at home this season, whose resilience has been tested in 2018 by an arduous travelling regime, both interstate and abroad.
Coming off a 108-point defeat against Greater Western Sydney, Stuart Dew’s young list will be determined to prove themselves and unleash their latent talent.
Jarrod Witts has been a highlight, with his upcoming ruck duel against Billy Longer vital in laying the groundwork to a fourth win.
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The 25-year-old has recorded 429 of Gold Coast’s 497 hit-outs with an average 38.6 a game – the third highest in the league behind Max Gawn and Aaron Sandilands.
Longer won 55 hit-outs for Sandringham last week in one of his best VFL performances to date; the big man’s efforts rewarding the ruckman with his first senior game since Round 2.
The Saints will be sensing an opportunity for a long-awaited second win.
But despite Witts’ dominance, Gold Coast’s midfielders are yet to capitalise on their first use, with just six players accumulating more than 20 touches in the last two weeks.
David Swallow and Touk Miller have performed consistently in the Suns’ midfield brigade and lead their side’s disposal count.
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The duo’s tackling pressure has been evident, and alongside Nick Holman and Ben Ainsworth, they’ve seen Gold Coast rack up a league-high average of 72.2 tackles a game.
Hot-topic spearhead Tom Lynch is yet to hit his strides since returning from injury, but the Suns’ leading goalkicker (15) will nonetheless be a key focus for the St Kilda defence.
With an eight-goal haul against Carlton under his belt, the forward lynchpin’s goalkicking threat looms large.
But Gold Coast’s final quarters haven’t been as fruitful, winning just one from 11 games and scoring a combined 0.2 in the final term in their past three matches.
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Conversely, the fast-finishing Saints have won five final quarters, but
Both sides are vulnerable following comprehensive losses, but Alan Richardson’s men will be sensing an opportunity for a long-awaited second win.
