'Biggest game' of the year? Time for newcomers to create their own history
There's at least 150 of the 200-odd games in an AFL season that will attract more attention in an often Victoria-centric football media than Sunday's clash between Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast. Symbolically, though? I'm not sure there's all that many more important.
Even the Giants' often on-point social media accounts had tongue firmly planted in cheek early this week when they posted: "The biggest game on the football calendar, it's time for the Expansion Cup".
But it perhaps says enough about both these clubs that in the 15th season of Gold Coast's existence and 14th for the Giants, we're still referring to them like the "new kids" in the classroom rather than identifying them more by their achievements. Which, let's be frank, are pretty scarce.
Certainly in Gold Coast's case, the Suns yet to appear in an AFL final and several times along the way having been regarded more as a joke than a serious football club.
GWS has a lot more runs on the board. The Giants have even played in a grand final, albeit one (in 2019 against Richmond) in which they were thrashed by close to 100 points. They've reached finals seven times in the past nine seasons.
But even the club itself would acknowledge that if it is to ever really crash through the barrier of widespread popular acceptance and support in that largely still rugby league-dominated expanse of Sydney's west, a premiership sooner than later is a must.
Gold Coast? Well, it's a big few weeks in a big year for the Suns. Why? Because, to borrow a line from Crosby, Still, Nash & Young's "Déjà vu": "We have all been here before".
Last year, Damien Hardwick's first as the Suns' coach, saw the Suns 7-5 at this same stage of the season. From the final 11 games, they'd win just four. The sort of collapse which was de rigueur for Gold Coast long before the Richmond premiership coach's arrival.
This time, it's 8-4 after 12 games leading into last week's bye. Superficially at least, there's a better feel about the state of play now.
The Suns' last outing ended in defeat, but as losses go, it was a very respectable one at Geelong with the Cats at the top of their game, exactly the sort of assignment which only a couple of years ago would inevitably have seen Gold Coast wiped off the park.
There's a degree of solidity we haven't seen about the Suns before. They're currently ranked top four for both defence and attack. Midfield, their biggest stars - skipper Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller - are in great touch, and the experience and run of senior additions to the mix Daniel Rioli and John Noble has really given them better ball movement.
Theoretically, the bye should have come at the right time, the Suns having lost their past two games but able to take stock, focus on the positives. But their history of dramatic late-season fade-outs will surely be playing on a few minds in the Suns camp.
A win on Sunday against a proven side on a real high after having knocked over reigning premier Brisbane on the Lions' own Gabba turf last Saturday would surely frank Gold Coast's credentials as a serious finals player in 2025.
As for Greater Western Sydney, the Giants are thereabouts for a third season in a row under Adam Kingsley, having won 15 games each in 2023 and last year, and currently 8-6 after the Brisbane win, without skipper Toby Greene no less, not to mention spiritual barometer Callan Ward.
That was a terrific win, coming from behind, another reminder of just how capable the Giants are. Their greatest bugbear this season, however, has been consistency.
GWS got off to a great start with four wins from their first five games, the highlight a comprehensive 52-point win over Collingwood in opening round, a victory which has looked better by the week as the Pies have gone from strength to strength.
MORE AFL NEWS
But the Giants then lost four of their next five, interspersed with another tremendous, gritty win over Geelong, which was followed by a lame home loss to Fremantle. They also lost to Port Adelaide at a time the Power were on a four-game losing streak.
That was redeemed at the Gabba last week, but now comes another personnel challenge, with star full-back Sam Taylor out for at least the next month with a broken toe, and important midfielder/forward Brent Daniels sidelined again.
The Giants earned a reputation for getting it done against the odds two years ago, but undid much of those hard-won gains with a couple of now-infamous chokes in finals last year against Sydney and Brisbane after having finished top four.
If they're going to scale the premiership mountain, they're going to need to string good form together for longer. Sunday's game against Gold Coast would be a great way to back up last week's significant victory.
Gold Coast, meanwhile, knows there's a considerable army of sceptics out there fully expecting their 2025 campaign to implode. But if Hardwick's Suns can get the better of the Giants away from home, we might have some compelling evidence we are in fact dealing with a different beast this year.
Significant stakes for the Giants and Suns, both of whom would love to be known for something more than simply being the two most recent additions to the AFL competition.
There's at least 150 of the 200-odd games in an AFL season that will attract more attention in an often Victoria-centric football media than Sunday's clash between Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast. Symbolically, though? I'm not sure there's all that many more important.
Even the Giants' often on-point social media accounts had tongue firmly planted in cheek early this week when they posted: "The biggest game on the football calendar, it's time for the Expansion Cup".
But it perhaps says enough about both these clubs that in the 15th season of Gold Coast's existence and 14th for the Giants, we're still referring to them like the "new kids" in the classroom rather than identifying them more by their achievements. Which, let's be frank, are pretty scarce.
Certainly in Gold Coast's case, the Suns yet to appear in an AFL final and several times along the way having been regarded more as a joke than a serious football club.
GWS has a lot more runs on the board. The Giants have even played in a grand final, albeit one (in 2019 against Richmond) in which they were thrashed by close to 100 points. They've reached finals seven times in the past nine seasons.
But even the club itself would acknowledge that if it is to ever really crash through the barrier of widespread popular acceptance and support in that largely still rugby league-dominated expanse of Sydney's west, a premiership sooner than later is a must.
Gold Coast? Well, it's a big few weeks in a big year for the Suns. Why? Because, to borrow a line from Crosby, Still, Nash & Young's "Déjà vu": "We have all been here before".
Last year, Damien Hardwick's first as the Suns' coach, saw the Suns 7-5 at this same stage of the season. From the final 11 games, they'd win just four. The sort of collapse which was de rigueur for Gold Coast long before the Richmond premiership coach's arrival.
This time, it's 8-4 after 12 games leading into last week's bye. Superficially at least, there's a better feel about the state of play now.
The Suns' last outing ended in defeat, but as losses go, it was a very respectable one at Geelong with the Cats at the top of their game, exactly the sort of assignment which only a couple of years ago would inevitably have seen Gold Coast wiped off the park.
There's a degree of solidity we haven't seen about the Suns before. They're currently ranked top four for both defence and attack. Midfield, their biggest stars - skipper Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller - are in great touch, and the experience and run of senior additions to the mix Daniel Rioli and John Noble has really given them better ball movement.
Theoretically, the bye should have come at the right time, the Suns having lost their past two games but able to take stock, focus on the positives. But their history of dramatic late-season fade-outs will surely be playing on a few minds in the Suns camp.
A win on Sunday against a proven side on a real high after having knocked over reigning premier Brisbane on the Lions' own Gabba turf last Saturday would surely frank Gold Coast's credentials as a serious finals player in 2025.
As for Greater Western Sydney, the Giants are thereabouts for a third season in a row under Adam Kingsley, having won 15 games each in 2023 and last year, and currently 8-6 after the Brisbane win, without skipper Toby Greene no less, not to mention spiritual barometer Callan Ward.
That was a terrific win, coming from behind, another reminder of just how capable the Giants are. Their greatest bugbear this season, however, has been consistency.
GWS got off to a great start with four wins from their first five games, the highlight a comprehensive 52-point win over Collingwood in opening round, a victory which has looked better by the week as the Pies have gone from strength to strength.
MORE AFL NEWS
But the Giants then lost four of their next five, interspersed with another tremendous, gritty win over Geelong, which was followed by a lame home loss to Fremantle. They also lost to Port Adelaide at a time the Power were on a four-game losing streak.
That was redeemed at the Gabba last week, but now comes another personnel challenge, with star full-back Sam Taylor out for at least the next month with a broken toe, and important midfielder/forward Brent Daniels sidelined again.
The Giants earned a reputation for getting it done against the odds two years ago, but undid much of those hard-won gains with a couple of now-infamous chokes in finals last year against Sydney and Brisbane after having finished top four.
If they're going to scale the premiership mountain, they're going to need to string good form together for longer. Sunday's game against Gold Coast would be a great way to back up last week's significant victory.
Gold Coast, meanwhile, knows there's a considerable army of sceptics out there fully expecting their 2025 campaign to implode. But if Hardwick's Suns can get the better of the Giants away from home, we might have some compelling evidence we are in fact dealing with a different beast this year.
Significant stakes for the Giants and Suns, both of whom would love to be known for something more than simply being the two most recent additions to the AFL competition.
There's at least 150 of the 200-odd games in an AFL season that will attract more attention in an often Victoria-centric football media than Sunday's clash between Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast. Symbolically, though? I'm not sure there's all that many more important.
Even the Giants' often on-point social media accounts had tongue firmly planted in cheek early this week when they posted: "The biggest game on the football calendar, it's time for the Expansion Cup".
But it perhaps says enough about both these clubs that in the 15th season of Gold Coast's existence and 14th for the Giants, we're still referring to them like the "new kids" in the classroom rather than identifying them more by their achievements. Which, let's be frank, are pretty scarce.
Certainly in Gold Coast's case, the Suns yet to appear in an AFL final and several times along the way having been regarded more as a joke than a serious football club.
GWS has a lot more runs on the board. The Giants have even played in a grand final, albeit one (in 2019 against Richmond) in which they were thrashed by close to 100 points. They've reached finals seven times in the past nine seasons.
But even the club itself would acknowledge that if it is to ever really crash through the barrier of widespread popular acceptance and support in that largely still rugby league-dominated expanse of Sydney's west, a premiership sooner than later is a must.
Gold Coast? Well, it's a big few weeks in a big year for the Suns. Why? Because, to borrow a line from Crosby, Still, Nash & Young's "Déjà vu": "We have all been here before".
Last year, Damien Hardwick's first as the Suns' coach, saw the Suns 7-5 at this same stage of the season. From the final 11 games, they'd win just four. The sort of collapse which was de rigueur for Gold Coast long before the Richmond premiership coach's arrival.
This time, it's 8-4 after 12 games leading into last week's bye. Superficially at least, there's a better feel about the state of play now.
The Suns' last outing ended in defeat, but as losses go, it was a very respectable one at Geelong with the Cats at the top of their game, exactly the sort of assignment which only a couple of years ago would inevitably have seen Gold Coast wiped off the park.
There's a degree of solidity we haven't seen about the Suns before. They're currently ranked top four for both defence and attack. Midfield, their biggest stars - skipper Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller - are in great touch, and the experience and run of senior additions to the mix Daniel Rioli and John Noble has really given them better ball movement.
Theoretically, the bye should have come at the right time, the Suns having lost their past two games but able to take stock, focus on the positives. But their history of dramatic late-season fade-outs will surely be playing on a few minds in the Suns camp.
A win on Sunday against a proven side on a real high after having knocked over reigning premier Brisbane on the Lions' own Gabba turf last Saturday would surely frank Gold Coast's credentials as a serious finals player in 2025.
As for Greater Western Sydney, the Giants are thereabouts for a third season in a row under Adam Kingsley, having won 15 games each in 2023 and last year, and currently 8-6 after the Brisbane win, without skipper Toby Greene no less, not to mention spiritual barometer Callan Ward.
That was a terrific win, coming from behind, another reminder of just how capable the Giants are. Their greatest bugbear this season, however, has been consistency.
GWS got off to a great start with four wins from their first five games, the highlight a comprehensive 52-point win over Collingwood in opening round, a victory which has looked better by the week as the Pies have gone from strength to strength.
MORE AFL NEWS
But the Giants then lost four of their next five, interspersed with another tremendous, gritty win over Geelong, which was followed by a lame home loss to Fremantle. They also lost to Port Adelaide at a time the Power were on a four-game losing streak.
That was redeemed at the Gabba last week, but now comes another personnel challenge, with star full-back Sam Taylor out for at least the next month with a broken toe, and important midfielder/forward Brent Daniels sidelined again.
The Giants earned a reputation for getting it done against the odds two years ago, but undid much of those hard-won gains with a couple of now-infamous chokes in finals last year against Sydney and Brisbane after having finished top four.
If they're going to scale the premiership mountain, they're going to need to string good form together for longer. Sunday's game against Gold Coast would be a great way to back up last week's significant victory.
Gold Coast, meanwhile, knows there's a considerable army of sceptics out there fully expecting their 2025 campaign to implode. But if Hardwick's Suns can get the better of the Giants away from home, we might have some compelling evidence we are in fact dealing with a different beast this year.
Significant stakes for the Giants and Suns, both of whom would love to be known for something more than simply being the two most recent additions to the AFL competition.
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