Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Gold Coast have snapped their 10-game losing streak, finally ending their “months of hell” in a nailbiting 2-point win over a persistent Giants side in Canberra.
Sunday afternoon’s wet-weather affair saw a dominant performance from the Suns’ reigning Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell, racking up a career high 40 disposals and season-high 17 clearances.
The Giants held the margin hovering around two goals throughout the entire last quarter, but the Suns held on for their first win since May.
Retired Demons star Gerard Healy told Fox Footy the Suns had endured “three months of hell”, losing 10 games in a row after starting the season with a promising 7-3 record.
Over the ten-game streak, they fell by less than 10 points on four separate occasions, dropping from the top 4 down to 14th in a dramatic fall.
The Suns were already mathematically out of the finals coming into Sunday’s clash, but head coach Damien Hardwick had placed heavy emphasis on clearing their slate with a win on their way into 2027.
The Suns’ coach told Fox Footy pre-game that he “hadn’t “had a great year personally”.
“I’ve sort of gone away from my own philosophy a little bit,” he said.
“I’ve laid the blame firmly with me.
We’re always trying to evolve.”
NEEDING A GIANT MIRACLE
The Giants’ wildcard hopes have been left hanging on a thread after Sunday’s loss.
They require losses in the final games from both Carlton and St. Kilda, and must win all their games on their own run home.
2026 would become the first time the Giants don’t play finals since head coach Adam Kingsley took over at the beginning of 2023, should they not compete.
The Giants also lost key players to injury throughout Sunday’s clash, with Jayden Laverde (rib) and Toby Bedford (back) both exiting the game before the big break.
GWS will take on 16th placed West Coast at home next weekend, before travelling to Adelaide for the final game of the season in what will likely be a must-win clash for the Giants.
RISING SUNS
When Sam Collins was named as a late out, the Suns’ defensive aerial ability was instantly dashed, but a young Sun stood up in his place.
Mac Andrew racked up 8 marks and 11 intercept possessions in what was a decisive performance for him in the Suns’ defence.
The 22-year-old halfback held Giants marksman Aaron Cadman to zero marks for the first time in 2026.
Andrew complimented his dominant intercept game with 3 score involvements and 13 disposals
Brisbane premiership defender Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy that Andrew was “putting on a clinic”.
Andrew’s performance was overshadowed by reigning Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell in arguably what was the best performance of his career.
The young Sun had the ball on a string, racking up a career-high 40 possessions and season- high 17 clearances, complimented by 10 inside-50s from himself alone.
Rowell put in the work on the defensive side too, claiming a whopping 16 tackles.
Gerard Healy told Fox Footy that Rowell was “in a class of his own” throughout the match.
Kingsley admits finals ‘unlikely’
GWS head coach Adam Kingsley conceded the Giants’ wildcard chances are “unlikely” after their narrow 2-point loss to the Suns.
The Giants entered Sunday’s clash in Canberra with an opportunity to temporarily jump into the wildcard positions before Carlton played St Kilda, but GWS failed to capitalise.
They now require both the Blues and the Saints to drop games on their own runs home, and must win both their remaining games.
GWS will host West Coast next weekend before heading to Adelaide to take on the Crows to round out their home and away season.
Kingsley said their finals situation was “disappointing, but that’s how it is”.
“I don’t know if it’s impossible yet but it’s difficult now and that’s the reality of it,” he said.
“There’s nothing we can do about it now.
“We’ll continue to move on, we’ve got two more games, and we’ll do our best and try and win both and see if that is enough to qualify, but it looks unlikely.”
Kingsley reassured the Giants would “continue to push to the finish line” despite being realistically out of the finals.
The Giants coach was left frustrated at his side’s poor entries into their attacking 50.
“I don’t think we really stressed their defence as much with our entries,” he said.
“I felt like we could’ve attacked the goals a little bit more, but we didn’t.”
He applauded Mac Andrew’s defensive performance for the Suns.
“He took a few intercept marks, and he repelled a lot,” he said.
“I didn’t think we helped with some of our kicks to our forwards, I don’t think we connected that well, or as well as what we could’ve.”
Hardwick; Suns ‘on the verge’
Damien Hardwick has accepted his team has been “disappointing” this year, but maintains the club is “on the verge of something”.
The Suns coach’s young side held off a fast-finishing Giants side to hold on in a scrappy wet weather affair, featuring standout performances from young guns Mac Andrew and Matt Rowell.
Hardwick told reporters post-game that he and his team “want as much scrutiny as possible”.
“What we’ve got to understand is our footy club is on the verge of something,” he said.
“We welcome the scrutiny, because what it means is we are relevant you know we have been disappointing this year and we accept that, we accept responsibility.”
“ (2026) is going to have been a very very important year for us both on and off the field about the learnings we’ve come away with.”
Hardwick pointed to Sydney’s transition from 2025 into 2026 as something his club is modelling itself after.
“They had a disappointing year (last year), much like we have this year, and they went to work on some things, and look at where they are now,” he said
“Come and watch our trainings, you wouldn’t know we’ve had 10 losses in a row the way the guys show up every week.”
Dimma’s side takes on the Lions at Gabba for the QClash next weekend, before travelling to Melbourne to take on the Saints to round out their season.
Both games hold major consequences for either team’s finals pictures, while the Suns have nothing to lose.
GWS Giants 2.4 3.7 8.8 11.11 (77)
Gold Coast Suns 3.4 5.5 10.8 11.13 (79)
GOALS
Giants: 2 Gruzewski, 2 Greene, 2 Cadman, Brown, Stringer, Thomas, Delana, Coniglio
Suns: 3 Miller, 2 Humphrey, 2 King, Gulbin, Walter, Lombard, Powell
BEST
Giants: Greene, Whitfield, Brown, Oliver, Coniglio
Suns: Rowell, Miller, Andrew, B Uwland, Anderson
INJURIES
Giants: Laverde (rib), Bedford (back)
Suns: N/A
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
3 M Rowell
2 T Miller
1 T Greene
