Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick says Suns are ready for challenge of beating Brisbane at ‘Gabbatoir’

Lions fans will be ‘baying’ for the Suns’ ‘blood’ in Sunday night’s QClash at the Gabba, and that’s an environment Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick will welcome for his players.

Gold Coast ruckman Jarrod Witts (left) and his Brisbane counterpart Oscar McInerney battle for supremacy at the Gabba last season. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick wants the in-form Suns to embrace the reward of a “hostile environment” at the Gabba on Sunday night.

A QClash between the Suns and the Lions has rarely been the marquee match of an AFL weekend since Gold Coast joined the competition in 2011.

However, such is the current form of both sides – who between them have only lost twice from a combined total of 13 games this season – that Sunday’s all-Queensland battle is round eight’s feature game in terms of ladder positions.

“You get the privilege to represent the Gold Coast Suns in a hostile environment that is baying for your blood,” Hardwick said on Friday.

“The understanding and growth in that space has been pretty big for us.

“There’s not many more hostile environments than the ‘Gabbatoir’ when they (the Lions) are up and going.

“We know and Brisbane know that there is a line there that you can’t cross ... but they’ll play the game hard and tough.”

Touk Miller built for QClash 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ZvTFSEJNRB

— Gold Coast Suns (@GoldCoastSUNS) May 2, 2025

Hardwick was full of praise for a Lions team able to “win games multiple ways”.

“What very good sides do is win sometimes playing a little bit ugly, and that’s what they’ve been able to do,” he said.

“The thing about great sides, and that’s what they are, everyone knows how they play, they just execute it better than everyone else.

“We’ve got to try to take some things away. It’s going to be a challenging environment, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Stopping Lions veteran Dayne Zorko, who won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal twice last year for best-on-ground performances in Brisbane's two wins over the Suns, will aid Gold Coast’s bid to take down the premiers.

Zorko had a combined total of 72 disposals in the Lions’ two victories over the Suns last season.

Lions veteran Dayne Zorko torched the Gold Coast Suns twice last season. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“The great thing about Dayne, and (Darcy) Wilmot’s the same, both really good halfbacks, is they have massive score involvements,” Hardwick said.

“That’s what you look at more so from a coaching point of view, not just kicks, marks and handballs. It’s what is done with those disposals that really counts.

“We’ve got some plans in place for (Zorko), but then there’s Lachie Neale, there’s (Josh) Dunkley, there’s a lot of players that have incredible talent.

“We’ve always got plans, we’ve just got to make sure we execute them as best we can,

“We can’t get caught up too much in what they do, but we’ve certainly got some things in place that if they do get out of hand, this is what it’s going to look like, but we’ve also got to concentrate on our game.”

Originally published as Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick says Suns are ready for challenge of beating Brisbane at ‘Gabbatoir’