Suns Shine In The Sunshine

Mackay turned out in force to watch the stars of the AFLW take to Great Barrier Reef Arena last Saturday.

It was the Gold Coast Suns facing off against St Kilda, with both sides looking to bounce back from big defeats in round four of the 2022 competition.

With the sun shining above, fans of all ages took to the arena for the match, with mums, dads, boys and girls all donning their favourite guernseys.

Great Barrier Reef had previously hosted three elite women’s matches since the partnership between the Suns and Mackay Regional Council began in 2019; a partnership that was extended for four years in July.

“The Suns have made Mackay our second home for our AFLW team and we’ve had great support from the region every time we visit,” said Gold Coast Suns Chief Executive Mark Evans.

“We’re committed to bringing marquee AFLW matches to Great Barrier Reef Arena and continuing to grow women’s football in the region, which has seen a 50 per cent participation increase since 2018.”

AFLW Returns To Mackay

The Gold Coast Suns eclipsed St Kilda in Mackay on the weekend, regaining their confidence after a 73-point thrashing at the hands of the Brisbane Lions the week before.

While the first major went the way of the Saints in the 7th minute, it was to be their only goal until the last quarter, with the Suns dominating the majority of the game.

The Suns had the match all but won in the third, keeping the Saints scoreless and slotting three goals of their own.

While St Kilda finished with a strong last quarter, the Suns were able to hang on, winning 5.12 (42) to 4.4 (28), claiming their second win of the season.

The Suns’ Charlie Rowbottom proved why she was picked first in the 2021 draft, collecting a game-high 30 touches, six clearances and laid nine tackles.

Kalinda Howarth also turned it on, booting Gold Coast's first goal to finish with two majors and 22 possessions.

Howarth, who is of Indigenous descent, celebrated her first goal with a special dance as the Suns wore their First Nations jumper.

Local stars Lauren Bella and Wallis Randell both performed well in front of their home crowds, with six and 11 disposals respectively.

Bianca Jakobsson was the Saints' leading ball-winner with 19 possessions, while key forward Caitlin Greiser slotted two goals to be St Kilda's only multiple goalkicker.

Gold Coast coach Cameron Joyce said he was impressed with his team’s performance.

"We knew the Saints had come in with some decent form and held Melbourne for the last three quarters as well, which I think can get underestimated,” he said.

“Just the way our girls went around the contest and were able to then get the ball forward for us and give us a chance to score, it was really pleasing."

The AFLW fixture is the first of many elite games coming to Great Barrier Reef Arena this spring, with the ground to host nine WBBL matches over a week in October.

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Image: The Gold Coast Suns took on St Kilda at Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday to claim their second win of the season. Photos supplied: Gold Coast Suns

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