Suns AFLW: The Gold Coast Suns fell one point short in their AFLW debut against GWS but coach David Lake is pleased with his side’s effort

Heavy rain has dampened the Suns inaugural AFLW parade as the league’s latest expansion side fell by one point to the GWS Giants in Sydney on Saturday.

HEAVY rain has dampened the Suns inaugural AFLW parade as the Gold Coast’s first national female sporting team fell by one point to the GWS Giants in a soggy Sydney on Saturday.

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The 1.3 (9) to 1.2 (8) triumph saw the Giants finally win their first game of an AFLW season after failing to claim victory in their previous three season openers in a tight and contested battle at Blacktown International Sports Park.

Erin McKinnon of the Giants competes with Kalinda Howarth of the Suns during the Round 1 AFLW match between the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown International Sportspark in Sydney, Saturday, February 8, 2020. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Suns head coach David Lake said that his side would take plenty from the tough loss after taking only one quarter to silence their doubters and establish themselves as a Conference A competitors.

“Did we turn up? Yes we did. Did we have a crack? Yes we did. We’re we good enough? No not quite,” Lake said.

“We just need to keep doing what we’re doing.

“You can analyse the hell out of that and not learn anything.

“One point doesn’t define your effort, we just have to take no points.”

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Despite falling one kick short, Suns midfielder Jamie Stanton said the playing group would only grow in light of their barnstorming AFLW debut.

“We’ll get better every game we play so if that’s our starting point then that’s fantastic,” she said.

“If we lost by one, we might win by one next week.”

Lake added: “Every time we play, we learn a little bit more about ourselves.”

Jamie Stanton of the Suns kicks during the Round 1 AFLW match between the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown International Sportspark in Sydney, Saturday, February 8, 2020. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

While the rain held off early, it was the Suns who quickly gained respect in new-found surroundings after controlling the first quarter and drawing first blood.

Former Giant Brittany Perry had a fond return to Sydney, calmly gathering a loose ground ball in the forward half before steadying to convert on the run from 25m out - a historic passage of play for the red and gold.

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Former Carlton key forward Rebecca Privitelli, who has spent the last year working in the Giants front office, impressed with her contested marking prowess but could only manage one behind for her efforts after pushing her sole set shot wide.

The anticipated rain started to fall early at the start of the second quarter as the Suns defensive structures continued to ward off opposition attacks before the tide turned after the long break.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 08: The Suns huddle after their loss during the round one AFLW match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown International Sportspark on February 08, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

The two prong Giants inside midfield combination of Alyce Parker and Alicia Eva started to gain ascendancy at the coalface as the Giants won the territory battle, locking the ball inside 50 without much reward.

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As the intensity quickly lifted, it was fourth year player Aimee Schmidt who turned the game.

Marking 30m out in front of goal, she steered the kick home as rain continued to tumble at Blacktown.

Trailing 9-8 at the last break, Suns coach David Lake sent full forward and captain Leah Kaslar into the middle for the centre bounce.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 08: Suns Coach David Lake looks on during the round one AFLW match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown International Sportspark on February 08, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

The move nearly paid off as a fearless Kaslar threw her weight around throughout the quarter as the Suns made one last tilt at their maiden win.

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A quarter played largely between the arcs in front of a crowd of 1540, the Suns pushed forward in the closing minutes of the game but were unable to generate any clean inside 50 entries as the siren sounded with the expansion club caught one point shy of a historic win.

Stanton, Sam Virgo, and Jacqui Yorston were all impressive as the Suns now prepare for their second chance to impress against fellow expansion side Richmond at Metricon stadium on Saturday.