How Noah Anderson sits right with the AFL’s best 100 games into his career
He delivered arguably the biggest moment in his club’s history, and Noah Anderson is certainly living up to the hype of being a top two draft choice, cementing himself among the game’s best midfielders.
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Damien Hardwick knew it was coming.
Thankfully now he can sit back and laugh about it.
The crowning moment of Noah Anderson’s journey to 100 AFL games was always going to be THAT kick.
When the Suns sat down to celebrate their vice-captain’s magic milestone this week with a special highlights package, the punctuating play was of course his after-the-siren goal against Richmond in 2022.
It was a bittersweet replay for the ex-Tigers coach, who still has vivid memories of the day a 21-year-old Anderson had 26 disposals and kicked two goals to lift the Suns to a famous victory.
“It was an incredible game that one, looking back. Not from my point of view personally,” chuckled Hardwick. “But it probably sums up how cool, calm and collected he is and why he’s one of the very best leaders at our footy club.”
It was just over two years ago that Anderson’s match winning heroics were written into Gold Coast folklore. In the 47 games since he has further elevated himself into the upper echelon of AFL midfielders.
In a tumultuous 2023 season that included the sacking of Stuart Dew, previously the only senior coach he had ever known at AFL level, Anderson went on to win his maiden club best and fairest with a record vote count.
As it stands he would be among the frontrunners to do so again this season.
Under Hardwick and new midfield coach Shaun Grigg’s tutelage, Anderson has further elevated his game in 2024. He is averaging more disposals, goals and score involvements than ever before.
But the Gold Coast coach knew of his young midfielder’s incredible talent long before he walked through the door at Carrara. What has surprised him this year is everything else.
“I’ve only been here a short period of time and I can see the player he is, but to look at the player he has become … what I’ve really been impressed with (about) Noah – he’s learned off Touk, Witts and Collins – is just his leadership has started to really come to the fore,” Hardwick said.
Perhaps an often overlooked aspect of his leadership, particularly at a club like Gold Coast that had a history of wantaway high-end draft picks, was Anderson’s decision to sign a long-term extension at the start of last season.
That four-year deal, following in the footsteps of great mate Matt Rowell’s extension, signalled a turning point for the Suns. They were no longer simply a staging ground for talent that rival clubs could then poach.
In Hardwick’s mind there is no question Anderson will become a 300-gamer for the Suns.
“He’s played 100 games and we certainly feel he has another 200 great games with this footy club and we’re really excited about the prospect of him being the player we think he can be.”
And there it is: “the player he can be”. To Hardwick, the sky is seemingly the limit for his young gun.
| Noah Anderson’s First 99 AFL Games | |||||
| Player | Disposals | Clearances | Inside 50s | Score Involvements | Metres Gained |
| Noah Anderson | 24.5 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 433 |
| Lachie Neale | 25.2 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 5.1 | 276 |
| Sam Walsh | 27.4 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 333 |
| Marcus Bontempelli | 21.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 360 |
| Zach Merrett | 24.8 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 373 |
| Zak Butters | 20.6 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 5.6 | 271 |
Anderson already has the runs on the board. His numbers through the first 99 games of his career rival that of some of the competition’s absolute best.
He’s averaged more disposals than Marcus Bontempelli and Zak Butters, more inside 50s than Sam Walsh, Lachie Neale and Zach Merrett, and more clearances than all of them combined through those players’ first 99 games.
What makes Anderson so damaging is that, like Brisbane star Hugh McCluggage, the majority of his disposals are by foot. When he gets the ball in his hands, he is always looking to make the biggest impact.
He has missed just three games across his career: two to a broken hand and one through illness. Your greatest ability is availability, and the Suns’ vice-captain ticks that box.
But Hardwick and Anderson still see the potential for growth in his game.
In a way, the star midfielder’s season has mirrored that of the Suns’ – stellar at home but less so on the road.
On the Gold Coast and in Darwin he has averaged a staggering 32.6 disposals and 7.7 clearances, but away those numbers drop to 25.5 and 4 per game. Not awful, but a clear decline.
Of his 65 coaches’ votes this season, 63 of them have come in home games.
“He’s on the journey. He has a little bit of a way to go,” Hardwick said. “He’s an incredible player, incredible leader and incredible person. We’re lucky to have him.
“The way he plays the game, he leads from the front. He’s a special talent, Noah.”
Importantly, Saturday’s QClash encounter with Brisbane is at People First Stadium, where Anderson has done his best work this season.
In his 100th game, the stage is set for him to lock horns with Brisbane’s star-studded midfield and prove he is one of the best on-ballers in the business.
Like all QClash encounters, the victor will almost certainly be decided in the middle of the ground.
“Their midfield is as good as anyone’s going around but we back our boys in as well,” Hardwick declared.
“I thought they got the better of us in that part of the game last time we met, so the challenge will be firmly set for our players.
“It’s going to be a hell of a battle. From our point of view, we’re really confident that our guys will be capable of getting it done.”
Originally published as How Noah Anderson sits right with the AFL’s best 100 games into his career
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