The Gold Coast Suns produced the best win in their history and one of the biggest upsets in the AFL in recent years to defeat the Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday by 24 points.
The Suns were missing several key players including Sam Day, Tom Lynch, Jack Martin and David Swallow and were down by 29 points in the first quarter. They definitely had their backs against the wall.
Most pundits were expecting the Swans to come away with a percentage boosting win however the Suns had other ideas.
One of the best parts about the win, was that everyone in the team played their role and it was some of the unheralded types that played their best individual games of the season.
Port Adelaide recruit Aaron Young played undoubtedly his best game for his new club in a best on ground display where he kicked four goals, laid seven tackles and had 17 disposals.
Another new recruit in Lachie Weller kicked two goals and had 23 disposals and took seven marks and forgotten defender Rory Thompson kept Buddy Franklin goal-less.
Young gun Alex Sexton was another to impress, kicking three goals and having 16 disposals. It is the form from these players that would make coach Stuart Dew very happy as so often they have relied on guys like Tom Lynch and Gary Ablett when he was at the Suns and David Swallow to get them over the line.
They may still lose Steven May and Tom Lynch who have had offers to go to clubs in Melbourne next year, however it is wins like this that builds character and this may give the Suns the confidence boost for the remaining five games and going into next season.
There is no doubt that Dew has some work to do but if the Suns can pick up some quality mature age players or gun draft picks then who knows what might happen next year.
Maybe we could see an experienced player like Jarryd Roughead from the Hawks or another mature age star come to the club as a player/coach.
We have seen how successful Luke Hodge has been at the Brisbane Lions this year.
Whilst the Lions have only won the four games this year, their season has been better than that and winning three out of their last four games has shown they have definitely improved.
Dew could also do with some extra help in the coaches box and perhaps a senior premiership coach like Mick Malthouse or Mark Williams to lend a hand could be another possibility.
In a disappointing year for the Suns, this win against Sydney could prove to be just what the club needs and it may even make Tom Lynch and Steven May think twice about leaving if they can see a bright future.
Another positive about the win against the Swans is that players who are seeking more opportunities at another club may be keener to move across to the Gold Coast.
