Blog log from R18 of 2024: Gold Coast vs Port Adelaide

Jeffrey gets back just in time to rush a rolling snap. (Q1 3:58)
Holman is pinged for contact on Wines 20m out on a slight angle, unlucky as Wines had slipped over at a stoppage and Holman tripped over his body. Wines kicks the first goal. (Q1 6:22)
Butters is brought down in the centre by Uwland to cause a turnover, Long passes to Lukosius 20m out in front for the opener for the Suns. (Q1 9:58)
Drew passes to Dixon on the boundary 45m out after a rebound around outer wing started by Sweet. The kick goes to the top of the square, no goal results. (Q1 14:08)
King marks a Powell pass from outer wing on the lead 40m out on the flank, nothing Zerk-Thatcher could do there. The set shot fades right into the near goalpost. (Q1 16:13)
Mead roves and runs to CHF for a kick off the left, Ballard runs back with the flight to the square but the ball floats away from him and takes a lovely off break for a goal! (Q1 21:43)
Bergman is pinged for a hold on Walter in the pocket 30m out, his screwing snap falls on the line, did Houston get a touch or did it nick the post? Review shows a finger, point. (Q1 23:58)
Clohesy kicks from midfield to a hole that opened up at the hotspot for King to dive and mark for goal number one. (Q1 25:06)
Anderson plays on to advantage from a free at a stoppage on the HFF but shoots across the face from 35m. (Q1 27:35)
Farrell’s short kick in towards Rozee is intercepted by Long 25m out but Long doesn’t make him pay with a miss to the left. (Q1 28:27)
Finlayson sends a lovely low pass from members wing to Lord leading down the flank to 30m in front of Andrew. QT siren sounds, Lord kicks straight. (Q1 30:38)
Horne-Francis catches Flanders high at a ball up on members wing then throws him to ground to concede 50, Flanders converts from 35m on a slight angle. (Q2 4:56)
Lukosius feeds Johnston who runs to 45m on a slight angle and rams through another one for Gold Coast! (Q2 6:24)
Narkle roves deep in the pocket 20m out, two Suns converge so he tries his luck off a step… hits the near right post. (Q2 9:22)
Lukosius marks a short Long pass 35m out near the boundary on the end of a rebound around outer wing, he curls in another one for the Suns. (Q2 13:17)
Drew feeds Boak for a running snap from 45m on the flank but he misses. (Q2 21:19)
Powell starts a rebound from the last line, Rosas is on the end of it to screw through a snap across the body from 40m for another one for Gold Coast! (Q2 22:49)
Port has a need for speed and it’s Mead released by Rozee to goal on the run from 35m after the next bounce. (Q2 24:18)
Budarick intercepts a dump kick too easily over Byrne-Jones at half forward and pumps it back in, Ainsworth snaps the goal from under the pack 20m out, Suns building a lead! (Q2 26:23)
Horne-Francis takes a contested grab in front of Uwland 40m out near the boundary. Only his second disposal of the game, this, but the drop punt is straight through for a goal. (Q2 28:09)
Rosas snaps his second goal from the pocket 20m out off the left after Aliir comes back with the flight and ends up spoiling his man Zerk-Thatcher to cause the crumb. (Q2 29:28)
Drew passes short to Narkle 45m out in front after Port bosses the first bounce of Q3. Sparkle delivers a lovely set shot. (Q3 0:47)
Lord passes across half forward to Francis Evans at exactly the same spot as Narkle’s shot, Evans repeats the dose! (Q3 2:04)
Drew’s unpressured rebound kick misses Houston in the centre, Jeffrey mops up and passes to Humphrey 45m out in front who makes Drew pay with his first goal. (Q3 6:28)
King leaps in front of Zerk-Thatcher to clunk a mark 25m out in the pocket, he steers through a nice set shot for another to reverse Port’s excellent start to the quarter. (Q3 8:20)
Dixon has three Suns around him going for a Francis Evans pass to the pocket 30m out but takes the grab, his set shot floats across the face to the right. (Q3 10:08)
Sweet bangs through a long goal after receiving from Dixon and snapping off a step off the right. (Q3 11:41)
Anderson rolls through a goal from 15m after Walter strips Houston in a tackle following a throw-in. (Q3 14:06)
Francis Evans wins a free on Andrew in the pocket 30m out but also kicks across the face. (Q3 17:34)
Rowell roves on the wing and gives to Anderson who checksides cleverly past Horne-Francis to Long 40m out on a slight angle. Long kicks truly, Suns nearing a winning lead now. (Q3 18:36)
Horne-Francis marks behind Ballard in the pocket and goals from 20m. (Q3 22:41)
Gold Coast rebound around outer wing in the sunshine, King feeds Powell who jinks away from Narkle onto his left and slams through a fine finish from 40m on the flank! (Q3 25:52)
Uwland snaps from 40m on the flank but that one floats across the face to the left. (Q3 29:17)
Butters marks 45m out near the boundary and threads the needle with a quality set shot to give Port some hope leading into 3QT. (Q3 30:41)
Powell kicks from the HFF to the top of the square after the first bounce of Q4, Humphrey is all on his own to rove and waltz into the open goal! (Q4 0:33)
Dixon flies over a pack at the hotspot in front of Butters to clunk a long Francis Evans ball, he boots his first goal on a quiet day. (Q4 4:06)
King marks again on the lead 25m out on the flank but hits the far left post. (Q4 8:43)
Ainsworth marks at half forward, within range but decides to go to Long 45m out, not much improvement in metreage or angle. Long misses to the right. (Q4 10:21)
Horne-Francis gets sucked in by Holman’s needle at a stoppage in the pocket and scrags him to give away a dumb free kick, but Holman’s kick is narrow from 25m. (Q4 13:21)
Humphrey misses a running snap from 40m near the boundary. All the play in Gold Coast’s half in the last five minutes. Port undermanned and on the ropes. (Q4 18:37)
Horne-Francis feeds Boak for a snap from the pocket 20m out after a stoppage but that’s Boak’s fifteenth consecutive behind in the seniors. (Q4 20:34)
Francis Evans kicks to an empty square from outside CHF, ball pitches and takes a nice off break towards the goal line but Collins gets back just in time to touch it through. (Q4 21:58)
Repeat inside 50 after the kick in for Port, Mead feeds Boak who steers it just inside the left post for a much-needed goal from 35m! (Q4 22:37)
3:39 to go and Port haven’t looked like it all day but they are still technically in this one. (Q4 22:57)
Flanders kicks wide of congestion at half forward to Johnston 45m out on the flank, who calls on the team to settle down then takes his time over the set shot… hooks it right. (Q4 24:33)
2:23 to go and still three kicks in it. (Q4 24:33)
Port rebounds up the guts from the kick in, Davies smothers Narkle’s snap from the HFF and that will be the ball game. (Q4 25:33)
Butters passes to Finlayson 20m out on a slight angle but rushes the set shot and misses. 50 seconds left, even if that one had gone through there wasn’t enough time. (Q4 26:49)