The big night in Darwin that shattered records and the Cats

The record-breaking night shocked Geelong and could signal the Gold Coast’s delayed entrance as an AFL force.

After trailing by three points at quarter-time, master coach Damien Hardwick’s high-octane Suns scored seven, eight, and seven goals in the next three quarters in sweltering circumstances in Darwin on Thursday night, defeating the Cats by 64 points.

Geelong’s blunder allowed Gold Coast’s Jack Lukosius to score a gimme goal, setting off an avalanche of goals in their encounter.

“We moved the ball well [and] defended effectively.

“The last quarter, as a typical coach, you’re frustrated with the seven goals either way, but I think both sides were out on their feet and the defense just dropped away,” Hardwick said of the heavy scoring pace.

Gold Coast’s 26.8 (164) scoreline was the greatest in the club’s 14-year history, surpassing the 148 points they scored against the Giants 11 years earlier, and the most in any game this season.

The Suns’ 6-4 victory was also their best-ever against Geelong, who had suffered three successive defeats to wreck their 7-0 start after missing the finals as defending premiers last year.

The total 264 points between the clubs was also the highest of any match in 2024, and it was the third time both sides scored at least 100 points – yet the outcome concerned Cats coach Chris Scott.

Cats’ rotation bust

They went into combat without Jeremy Cameron (concussion), Patrick Dangerfield (hamstring), and Sam De Koning (hamstring tightness), as well as managed trio Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan, and Rhys Stanley.

However, Gold Coast was coming off a five-day vacation and playing their third game in 11 days. “We’ve been aware for a good three weeks now, besides 15 minutes [against Port Adelaide last week] that we’ve been a little bit off,” Scott stated.

“We were beaten by some good players on the ball. It was a pretty unusual scoreline – giving up so many points is unprecedented for us, and the stats don’t seem any better.

“We didn’t get our hands on the ball, and we didn’t handle the conditions well enough… we don’t have a track record of playing this poorly.

“It’s evident that we’re off track, and we need to address some issues. It’s a delicate line between not glossing over the issue, which we will not do, and not overreacting.”

Individual brilliance

Scott was not kidding about the “good” Gold Coast players surrounding the Sherrin.

Ascendant star Noah Anderson, the Suns’ club champion last season, recorded a career-high 42 disposals, surpassing Port Adelaide legend Kane Cornes’ ground-record 41 against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin in 2008.

Anderson also scored two goals, contributed 15 points, gained nearly 700 metres, six inside 50s, and made four clearances.

Matt Rowell and Sam Flanders both had personal best disposal games, with 35 and 37, respectively. Rowell had eight clearances, ten tackles, and 11 scores, while Flanders finished with seven intercept possessions, five rebound 50s, and seven scoring involvements.

Top End specialist Jack Lukosius set the tone with three goals in the opening quarter and five for the night, as well as five goal assists and 12 scoring opportunities. Only former Bulldogs champion Brad Johnson has scored more goals at TIO Stadium than Lukosius.

“You recognize the ‘Fonz’…” “He couldn’t say the word ‘wrong’,” Hardwick explained.

“We tried him again; he played forward and looked really lively, a class above, so he’ll play forward this week. Hopefully, it’s a long-term one, and the coach doesn’t put him down again.

“One thing I pride myself on is being open and honest that I don’t always get it right.” I prefer to make strong decisions, but it doesn’t mean they are always correct, so we went through that.”

Another first-round draftee, Bailey Humphrey, added five goals to his total, while Ben King’s four helped him take the Coleman Medal lead with 29.

What does this result mean?

Gold Coast were a hot selection to make the finals for the first time after recruiting Richmond’s triple championship coach, Hardwick, for the season.

Hardwick has a quality roster at his disposal, and he expects his new team to play similarly to how he did with the Tigers.

The Suns have scored 99 or more points five times this season, including totals of 164, 120, and 112 in the last month.

They are currently in sixth place with six victories from ten games, with a trip to Marvel Stadium against Carlton on Saturday week.

The Blues dramatically altered their season last year with a 59-point thrashing of the Gold Coast in Round 14.

Following the Carlton match, the Gold Coast will face Essendon (home), St Kilda (away), Fremantle (away), and Collingwood (home), giving them an opportunity to show themselves in a difficult period.

Geelong’s strong start to the season keeps them in the top two at this point, but the Bombers, Demons, Giants, Power, and Blues could all pass them this round.

Scott will not allow panic to set in at the Cattery, but they are plainly more vulnerable these days, with many of the club’s stalwarts in their sunset years and the burgeoning youth still finding consistency at the highest level.

Geelong, too, faces a tough schedule, beginning with the Giants at GMHBA Stadium next week, followed by poor Richmond (GMHBA), top team Sydney (SCG), Carlton (MCG), and a rising Essendon (MCG).