AFL: Gold Coast Suns defeat Richmond Tigers on after-the-siren goal to Noah Anderson
Gold Coast’s after-the-siren miracle win against Richmond has kept the Suns’ finals hopes alive. But it should never have been that close, according to Damien Hardwick.
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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says the Tigers paid the price for botching a series of easy chances in front of goal in a heartbreaking loss to Gold Coast.
Suns midfielder Noah Anderson lived the childhood dream and kicked a goal after the siren to hand the Gold Coast a stunning comeback victory over Richmond at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.
The Tigers led by 40 points early in the third quarter and by 28 points at three-quarter time but the Suns ran down Richmond in the final term with Anderson marking the ball 45m from goal with the clock expiring.
The Tigers missed several opportunities to put the game beyond the Suns’ reach then made a mess of three golden chances to put the game on ice in the last term. Jake Aarts and Maurice Rioli missed gettable shots while Jason Castagna coughed up a certain major after marking in the clear 30m from goal and running to point-blank range only to have his shot smothered by a desperate Charlie Ballard.
According to Champion Data’s expected scores, which assume each team kicks at AFL average accuracy from their opportunities in front of goal, Richmond should have won by 25 points.
“You’ve got opportunities to finish. It’s not as if they were hard shots on goal but you’ve just got to execute those,” Hardwick said.
“I thought we left numerous goals on the table. Lots. The fact of the matter is that if you leave the door open, you get hurt.
“It’s disappointing, but credit to Gold Coast.
“The second half of the game was very, very dominant and we just didn’t respond well enough and couldn’t execute the fundamentals of the game.”
I think Noah Anderson is the new Karmichael Hunt #aflsunstigers
— Dean Stewart (@Stewy_the_Swan) July 9, 2022
Leaving the door ajar has become an issue for the Tigers, who gave up a 33-point lead before losing to Sydney and held on after allowing rivals including Carlton and Hawthorn to turn comfortable margins into tight finishes.
“Our ball security was really poor (in the fourth quarter). We just lost our composure … we’ve been an experienced side for a fair period of time but we’ve got a lot of inexperience in there at the moment,” Hardwick said.
“It was a tough day at the office, no question.”
After the siren sounded, Anderson, a Tigers’ supporter growing up, calmly walked in and slotted the drop punt to keep the Gold Coast’s slim finals hopes alive.
“I was wondering when the siren was going to go,” Anderson said of his clutch kick on Fox Footy.
“I missed a kick from there in a semi final in under 13s and that was going through my head.
“I grew up barracking for Richmond and that was going through my head, but it was just (a case of) take your moments.”
Nervy coach Stuart Dew admitted he asked his assistant coaches if they thought Anderson would be up to the task.
“Noah was confident because he has done the work — I might have asked ‘will he kick it?’,’’ Dew said.
“Both Brad Miller and Steven King said ‘he’s done the work, we’re backing him in’.
“So, I jumped on board that train.
“They’re special games. When you win one like that, you just let it all out ... the adrenaline after that is pretty big.”
There was no denying the Gold Coast who needed two goals in the last 90 seconds.
Touk Miller was outstanding with 27 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 13 clearances and seven inside 50s for the Suns while Shai Bolton had three goals, 29 disposals, 18 contested possessions, eight clearances, six inside 50s and two scoring assists for the Tigers
But he torched two teammates and botched a certain goal in the third quarter.
The Suns moved to an 8-8 record – two wins out of the top eight while the Tigers slumped to 9-7 with only themselves to blame for blowing a matchwinning lead.
In the game, Jack Graham strolled through would-be tacklers and snapped a lovely goal early in the third term before the Suns cut the margin to 20 points. However, back-half turnovers crippled the Gold Coast again as the Tigers edged out to a 28-point cushion at the last change.
The contest looked as good as over by halftime with the Tigers holding a commanding 34-point lead that should have been more if Castagna and second-gamer Noah Cumberland had not missed three shots each in the opening two terms.
The Tigers continually had the Sherrin served to them on a silver platter with the Suns committing turnover after turnover in their defensive half of the ground.
Bolton had 15 disposals, 10 contested possessions, sic clearances, five centre clearances and three goals by halftime to emphatically stamp his class on the match that started well for the Suns only for the Tigers to seize the momentum midway through the first quarter before taking a three-goal buffer into the first break.
YOU’RE A WIZARD, SHAI
It was a Shai Bolton masterclass in the first half when the Tigers star tore the Suns apart and the high point of the demolition job was a spectacular mark in the second term. Bolton flew high, twisted in the air, got one hand to the Sherrin, juggled it three times and controlled the ball with the one mitt. He slotted the set shot for his third goal of the match to open up a 26-point lead for the visitors. The circus tricks continued with Jack Riewoldt producing a kick over his own head in the goalsquare to extend Richmond’s margin to 32 points just before halftime.
CHOL DOMINATES FORMER CLUB
Ex-Tiger and Suns cult hero Mabior Chol was at his enigmatic best. The big man produced two deft taps in heavy traffic which set-up goals in the first half. He also baulked, spun and snapped a goal of his own in a lovely move that you would not normally see from a man his size. Chol attacked marking contests with genuine intensity and covered more ground than normal in the match-up with his old club, finishing with three goals. Touk Miller was the standout player for the Suns while Ben Ainsworth worked himself into the ground with Noah Anderson the finisher.
SUN NOT SETTING ON GOLD COAST FINALS HOPES
The picture-perfect sunset out the back of Metricon Stadium appeared to be a metaphor for the Gold Coast’s finals hopes until they roared back into the match in the final term. The block of games against Port, Collingwood and Richmond was always going to be a defining period for the Suns. They were highly competitive against the Power and Pies but delivered one of their poorest quarters of the season in the second term against the Tigers only to then produced arguably their best in the final term. The Suns have improved significantly in 2022 but a finals berth may still be a bridge too far.
KID CUMBERLAND GOES WELL
Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch suffered a minor hamstring strain in the first term before he had his lone shot at goal was replaced by medical sub Noah Cumberland. In just his second senior game, the Brisbane Lions Academy product made the most of his opportunity. Delisted and redrafted as a rookie in the off-season, Cumberland missed his first shot from a tight angle but had two goals to his name soon after. The Tigers got around their teammate after his first goal at the top level. The night could have been anything for Cumberland who missed two shots late in the second term.
NO-RUCK RICHMOND?
Captain Toby Nankervis looks set for a stint on the sidelines after he went down with a knee injury late. Hardwick said the big man suffered a PCL injury and ruck partner Ivan Soldo suffered a broken thumb, leaving the Tigers woefully short of big men in the middle. “We lose Nank late – PCL – we mightn’t have any rucks next week so it’s going to be a challenge,” Hardwick said. He said star forward Tom Lynch will be sidelined for a number of weeks even though his hamstring strain was reportedly minor.
SCOREBOARD
GOLD COAST SUNS: 2.3 4.4 8.7 14.10 (94)
def
RICHMOND TIGERS: 5.3 9.8 12.11 13.14 (92)
GOALS
Suns: Chol 3, Ainsworth 2, Anderson 2, Holman, Fiorini, Miller, Oea, Swallow, Day, Rowell Tigers: Bolton 3, Riewoldt 3, Cumberland 2, Pickett, Edwards, Short, Graham, Aarts
GREG DAVIS’ BEST
Suns: Miller, Ainsworth, Ellis, Holman, Witts, Swallow, Chol
Tigers: Bolton, Prestia, D Rioli, Baker, Grimes, Riewoldt
GREG DAVIS’ VOTES
3 — Shai Bolton (Rich)
2 — Touk Miller (GCS)
1 — Ben Ainsworth (GCS)
INJURIES
Suns: Rosas (hamstring)
Tigers: Lynch (hamstring)
Crowd: 18,031 @ Metricon Stadium
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