Stuart Dew’s message that led his Suns to produce a 56-point turnaround and stunning win in Darwin
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew details the ‘simple’ speech he gave to his players before they went on to score nine straight goals in a crucial win over Adelaide in Darwin.
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Gold Coast were staring down the barrel of a 5-7 record and potentially another season without September action when Adelaide powered to a 35-point advantage in the second term.
But a stunning 56-point turnaround where nine straight goals were piled on saw the Suns gain a 21-point lead and go on to win their second game in a row in Darwin.
“It was simple footy, we nailed what we were after,” Dew said.
“We spoke about, we can’t get this margin back in five minutes, we are going to have to play a pretty solid quarter to try and peg it back and get it within reach.
“To be able to overtake at that point (early in the third), I think they got a lot of energy out of that (and continued to score).”
The Suns didn’t get their first lead of the game until the early stages of the third term when Matt Rowell kicked the Suns’ sixth goal in a row.
The 16.16 (112) to 13.9 (87) triumph was the Suns’ fifth win in seven matches, which now gives them a genuine top-eight chance as they sit in 11th position on the ladder, equal on 24 points with four teams above them.
It was truly a remarkable fight back for the Suns but as much as it was impressive on the field, the same can be said for the coaching performance of Stuart Dew.
A message was needed at quarter time to gain control of a 21-point deficit and at half time when the margin was at 17 points.
Dew successfully laid out a plan which instilled belief in his players and a way back into the game.
“The message was simple,” he said.
“What was it, 21 points at quarter time, I think we did, we said five minutes in, we can’t kick three in three minutes.
“If we were within reach at half time, we will take it and back ourselves.
“I think our guys are really fit and in these conditions, they are difficult.
“We ran the game out well, we spoke about that at half time that we had another gear and we felt that we could start to outnumber.
“I think Adelaide did that better than us in the first half so I think our boys had a clear picture of what works and we were able to stick to the task.”
Dew said he was “proud” of the win and “rapt” to see his Suns come away with eight points from their two matches at Darwin’s TIO Stadium.
With his team sitting in 11th on six wins, Dew made it clear he had “aspirations” for his side “to play finals.”
“We’re 6-6, I think our percentage is just on 100 so we will take a breath now and reload for the second half of the year,” he said.
“I sat here last week saying we won’t look further than the Carlton footy club (next opponent).
“That’s the art of elite sport, let’s not get carried away too far ahead.”
The Suns will take on Carlton and Hawthorn following their bye next round.
Captain’s Run: The Adelaide Crows have arrived in Darwin for their blockbuster Suns clash at TIO Stadium
Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks is planning on the ball being on the deck in their blockbuster clash against the Gold Coast Suns at Darwin’s TIO Stadium on Saturday night.
But he also understands his Crows side will have a large ground to play on with space to move the ball.
“It’s really a wet game depending on that humidity level,” Nicks said on Friday.
“We obviously watched Bulldogs and Gold Coast closely last week.
“It’s wet weather footy, embrace the contest, there is the ability to play, it is quite a large ground. We look forward to that.
“They performed so well last week, we got a lot out of watching them. They are playing some of their best footy the Gold Coast.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge.”
The Crows will have star forward Izak Rankine playing against his former side in the Suns where he spent four seasons before coming to South Australia this year.
The Suns have won four of their past six matches to gain a 5-5 record and 12th position on the ladder.
On the other hand, the Crows are coming off a solid 17-point victory over Brisbane at home which takes them to seventh on the ladder with six wins from 11 games.
Team changes
Gold Coast - In: nil. Out: Mac Andrew (club suspension).
Adelaide - In: Brodie Smith, Mitchell Hinge. Out: Josh Worrell (omitted), Ned McHenry (omitted), Patrick Parnell (sub).
Gold Coast Suns’ youngster Malcolm Rosas Jr excited to continue playing AFL footy in the Top End
Malcolm Rosas Jr was the first Territorian drafted as part of the Gold Coast’s link with the Top End, and has now cemented his place among a team with sights on playing finals footy.
The now 21-year-old was the first Territorian to join the Gold Coast Suns as part of the Darwin zone connection in 2019.
It followed years of showing his promise both for his junior club Darwin Buffaloes in the NTFL and for NT Thunder in the NEAFL.
Now the small forward has stamped down his place in the side playing on the weekend in front of friends and family as the Suns beat sixth-placed Western Bulldogs.
“It was great beating a top eight team in front of family and friends, they were all there which was good,” Rosas said.
“Coming up is always something I look forward to during the season, it’s something for all of us NT boys to look forward to, just such a surreal experience.
“I always wanted to play AFL and to now be doing that and playing every weekend gives the chance to showcase what I can do.
“I get really excited each week when I get the chance to run out, I’m happy and want to keep going and hopefully this year we can push for finals.”
The Suns’ Territory contingent has only grown since Rosas’ draft with good friend Joel Jeffrey joining the side a year later.
Now in 2023 they’re up to eight players either from the Territory or with links to the NT including Jed Anderson, Ben Long, Sean Lemmens, Jy Farrar, Lloyd Johnston and Sandy Brock.
And as a frequent sight on the field Rosas hopes he’s becoming someone young Territorians can look up to, including Johnston and Brock who are starting to make waves of their own in the VFL side.
“I’m not really big vocally, but I try to lead through my actions and do the right things off and on the field and hopefully they look up to me,” he said.
“Footy has always been big up in Darwin, but it has only got bigger with the Gold Coast and the AFL contributing to the community.
“You don’t get a lot of AFL players come up to the Territory so it’s always good to get out there and see all the kids and fans and how they react when they see us.
“Particularly because when I was little growing up in Darwin we didn’t really get a lot of that.”
TIO Stadium has become a fortress for the Gold Coast in recent years with the win over Bulldogs their third in a row, owing in part to the side’s acclimation to the heat.
Next foes Adelaide pose a significant threat, however a win here puts the Suns right in the mix for finals come the end of the season.
And with Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, who were drafted at the same time as Rosas, firing in the midfield the young Territorian believes his side just need to back their style to get the result.
“It just comes down to sticking to our game plan, we play a good brand of footy and go hard at the ball,” Rosas said.
“They’ve got a pretty tall backline so hopefully we can get the ball to ground which will let us smalls go to work as a forward line.
“And hopefully from there we can continue to push for finals. I’m excited for what the future holds for the team.”
‘Makes sense’: Dew in for more Suns games in Darwin
Gold Coast Suns coach Stuart Dew said it would “make sense” to return to Darwin next season and have a partnership between the AFL and NT government extended.
In 2019, a partnership was announced between the three parties which secured one AFL game per season in Darwin for four years from 2020 to 2023.
Dew said the club’s unbeaten record in Darwin over the past two years and connection his players have with the Top End made it clear the partnership should continue.
“So far, what are we (up here), 3-0, makes sense to keep coming back if we can,” Dew said on Wednesday afternoon.
“We feel at home, we feel like the players enjoy coming here not only for the game but for the life experience and learning where our players are from.
“We are very supportive of our partnership with the Northern Territory and I’m sure that it will get talked about post this trip.
“But for now, we want to come for two wins, we have got one and I think that is where we keep our focus.”
The Suns side have eight players on its men’s list who are connected with the Territory including Malcolm Rosas, Ben Long, Joel Jeffrey and Jy Farrar who played in the AFL side on Saturday.
Dew’s support for further Suns AFL games in the Top End follow calls from former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley who said he would “love” to see the club play more games in Darwin to “make it a competitive advantage” for them.
“It’s different conditions, it’s difficult to play up there and if the Gold Coast played there a couple of times a year … and they haven’t been beaten up there since last year,” Buckley said.
An unscathed Gold Coast Suns side from last week’s win over Western Bulldogs will face Adelaide at TIO Stadium this Saturday.
Jy Farrar extends contract with Gold Coast Suns as squad explores the NT
Gold Coast Suns players have immersed themselves in communities across the Top End, as one of their Territory-linked players was handed a contract extension.
Defender Jy Farrar was selected by the Suns as pick 60 in the 2019 Draft after impressing in the Adelaide Crows SANFL side.
And incidentally on the week his side will play the Crows in Darwin at TIO Stadium Farrar was handed a contract extension until 2025.
“I’m really excited that Suns have seen me in their future, it’s great,” Farrar said.
“Gold Coast is my home and I love the Suns and everything they have given me.
“We’ve got such a talented and determined group and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else as we continue to push towards success for this club and this city.”
It comes just a couple of days after Farrar came on as the super sub in the Suns win over the Western Bulldogs, playing six minutes in the Indigenous strip he helped design.
Since then the players have done the miles in their exploration of the Northern Territory during their stay in the Top End for back-to-back AFL games.
Early this week following their wins in the AFL and VFL on Saturday, players visited the Tiwi Islands, Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park as part of their community support.
Half a dozen of the players, including Alex Davies, Oscar Faulkhead, Jy Farrar, Elijah Hollands, Joel Jeffrey, Jeremy Sharp and James Tsitas, visited the town of Jabiru in Kakadu and met with locals.
“We love coming up here in Darwin, it’s good to get up in the community and spread the love and spread footy,” Farrar said.
“We’ve got boys from the Territory and obviously it’s good for them to come back here and get into the communities.”
Tsitas previously came to the Top End as a player for both Nightcliff in their premiership winning 2019-20 season, and later for Southern Districts where he dominated the stats.
The 28-year-old said the trip was “really good” as they got to learn more about Indigenous culture, including practices on how to live off the land.
The players got the true Territory experience spotting more than 15 crocodiles and had insightful stories shared by local tour guides.
Kids from the Jabiru Area School met with the Suns players and got to experience a game of footy supported by former AFL footballer Richard Tambling who worked at the school.
“He took us out with the kids after school and we played a game of footy which was awesome,” Tsitas said.
“There is so much young talent down there in Jabiru. To see the speed and skill was unreal.
“They are just fun loving kids, they got around us, you could see their big bright smiles, (they’re) super energetic, it gave us a real kick.
“It was an awesome day.”
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