Senior Coach Stuart Dew says it was a ‘frustrating night’ as a fourth-quarter slide saw the SUNS fall by 43 points to the Brisbane Lions in Saturday’s QClash at the Gabba.
The SUNS stayed in touch with the Lions throughout the night before the hosts broke away with the final six goals of the night.
Speaking post-match, Dew said while his side kept up the fight, they couldn’t wrestle back control of the game.
“I don’t think we had the game on our terms for a large part of the night,” Dew said.
“In the second and third quarters we couldn’t get the game we wanted. We kept going but we didn’t absorb enough heat when the game was there to be won.
“We brought some pressure on ourselves. We were a little bit safe with the ball and then at other times way too aggressive, we just had to fund some common ground.
“When the pressure came, we lost our shape which delivered them opportunity and they made us pay.”
A neat snap early in the last quarter from Bailey Humphrey had the SUNS’ 11-point three-quarter time deficit reduced to less than a kick, but that would be as close as they would get.
“At three-quarter-time, the message was that we’re in control of what happens in the next 30 minutes,” Dew continued.
“To be within 11 points, having felt like we hadn’t quite got our game going, we were probably glass half-full at three-quarter-time.
“It was quite a frustrating night, we wouldn’t go away and then we went right away in the last quarter.”
The SUNS now turn its focus to back-to-back games in the top end, hosting the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
Dew says his side’s focus, as it has all season to date, will remain tightly on the next challenge.
“We’ve had a pretty consistent six weeks from a mindset point of view,” he continued.
“We need to deal with the first game in Darwin and then concern ourselves with happens after that.”