All the news and analysis from GWS’ comeback win over Gold Coast in Round 15

Four minutes in the first term nearly sunk the Giants’ season, but four minutes in the final quarter – highlighted by Jake Stringer’s arrival as a Giant – proved a win for the ages.

If four minutes of mayhem in the first quarter threatened to put another strike through the Giants’ season, it was four minutes of brilliance in the last that sparked one of their best wins of the year over the Gold Coast Suns.

The 2025 Suns have already proven they’re a different breed, but the year’s first meeting of the Expansion Cup was set to be the perfect litmus test for their premiership credentials.

The battle between the AFL’s two youngest sides has been anything but a contest in recent years. The Giants, 12 months Gold Coast’s junior, have won 13 of the past 14 meetings between the two teams.

It’s a clear sign of the gulf in success the two sides have experienced. The Giants are a consistent finals side and have played off on some of the game’s biggest stages. The Suns are still desperately searching for a taste of September action.

But for the opening 15 minutes of Sunday afternoon’s match at Engie Stadium, you would have been forgiven for thinking that the roles had been reversed.

With the sun glistening down, it was only appropriate that Gold Coast got off to an incredible start that threatened to put the result beyond doubt before the first break.

Four goals in the first four minutes saw Damien Hardwick’s side race out to a 25-point lead. The Giants’ midfield group had no answers in the opening exchanges with Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell, and Touk Miller running amok at the centre bounces.

Noah Anderson and the Suns were dominant in the midfield early. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

The Suns were up for the fight and had all the running, but a couple of moments of inaccuracy gave GWS a sniff. And it was Jake Riccardi who took up the invitation, kicking two goals in two minutes to get the hosts back into the game.

Jesse Hogan then got his first of the afternoon thanks to an unfortunate 50-metre penalty to Mac Andrew, with the Suns in danger of throwing away all their strong early work.

But three more goals to round out the term for the Gold Coast saw them enter quarter time with 48 points to their name, their second-highest first-term score in history.

If they wanted to prove the history book can be rewritten, they were going about it the right way.

The Giants would always respond, and despite a much slower start to the second quarter, they found some control when the game calmed down.

Adam Kingsley challenged his side to respond around the contest, and led by the inspirational Tom Green, they finally found some answers. They equalled the contested possessions, had more consistent inside 50s and young Nick Madden, in just his third game, was matching the experienced Jarrod Witts in the ruck.

It was a major win for the Giants because, despite the Suns still holding the momentum, the Giants cut the lead to just 13 points at the main break.

Toby Bedford’s move into the midfield for the second half signalled a major shift for the rest of the match as the physicality increased and attacking quality came to the fore. The Suns weathered the storm to extend their lead into the last quarter, where the best was yet to come.

Just like the Suns did in the opening term, the Giants showed their intent with a remarkable four-minute flurry.

Cadman kicked his first in game 50, Bedford snapped truly, Green sidestepped two wannabe Suns tacklers for a remarkable individual effort before Cadman’s second of the day finally gave GWS their first lead.

The game changed in the blink of an eye, and the margins stopping the Suns from being contenders were on display once more.

Jake Stringer made his mark as a Giant. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Brayden Fiorini and Bailey Humphrey kicked important majors to keep Gold Coast in the contest, but the game quickly became the Giants’ to lose. And that’s when their best players stepped up.

Hogan produced several big marks down the line. Jake Stringer, returning for the first time since round nine, kicked two goals from either pocket that only The Package could deliver from either pocket. And Toby Greene brought the house down with a goal that bounced through the sticks.

The Giants kicked eight goals in the final term, one more than the Suns in the first quarter, to run over the top and secure victory in the seesawing encounter.

Gold Coast lost no admirers on Sunday afternoon. For 120 minutes, they matched it with a team that has been a perennial contender in recent years.

But in a finals-like game with incredible ebbs and flows, it was the team with September experience and big-game players that proved too good in the end.

Originally published as All the news and analysis from GWS’ comeback win over Gold Coast in Round 15