AAP2 Minute Read
Gold Coast have given their AFL top-eight hopes a huge boost in Darwin, coming from 35 points down to knock off Adelaide in a brilliant win.
Five goals from Jack Lukosius and monstrous performances from star midfield duo Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell helped them turn what looked to be an underwhelming loss into a famous 16.16 (112) to 13.9 (87) triumph.
Nine consecutive goals through the second and third quarters saw them rattle the Crows, power forward Ben King kicking two including one from a huge contested grab to help them go 20 points ahead.
Adelaide fought back and even hit the front when Lachie Murphy kicked the final’s quarter’s opening goal, only for the Suns to once again surge and ice their fightback.
It sees the Suns square the ledger at 6-6 and they will end the weekend level on wins with eighth-placed Essendon as they again look to claim their maiden appearance in AFL finals.
Anderson and Rowell were absolutely instrumental, combining for a whopping 31 contested possessions and 18 clearances, with the latter delivering eight tackles.
Lukosius was the biggest beneficiary of their brilliance, equalling his career-high mark of five goals for a second straight match in a continuation of his breakout season.
It was a blow for Adelaide’s own finals bid and again highlighted their challenges outside of South Australia, now 1-4 on the road this campaign.
Five straight first-quarter goals had put them in the box seat, none better than a silky running effort from captain Jordan Dawson that punished lazy Suns defending.
A shocking set-shot miss from just 25m by Wil Powell summed up a lamentable opening stanza for the Suns, before smooth-moving Adelaide midfielder Wayne Milera danced around opponents to goal from 50m on the run for a 35-point lead.
But Suns young gun Bailey Humphrey wouldn’t let his side roll over, capping a three-goal run with a delightful snap to drag them back to 17 points down at halftime.
It completes a perfect two-game stand in Darwin, the Suns backing up last round’s upset result against the Western Bulldogs with another strong win.
The loss was soured further by a knee injury for gun Adelaide defender Tom Doedee, who didn’t return after a first-quarter incident.
Doedee strapped up his knee and went through a fitness test before heading down to the rooms and was spotted icing his wound on the bench after being substituted out.
Izak Rankine had a quiet night against his former club, giving away two free kicks and a 50m penalty before he touched the football and finished with 0.2.