ABC News
source: AAP
The Gold Coast Suns have thumped Essendon by 95 points at Carrara to break the club’s 15-year finals drought.
A seven-goal opening quarter set the Suns on the way, and they were never really challenged as they swept the Bombers away with a 23.15 (153) to 8.10 (58) victory.
The win, the largest margin in club history, boosted the Suns’ percentage enough that they leapfrogged Hawthorn to finish seventh.
Damien Hardwick’s men will travel to Perth in the first week of finals to face Fremantle in an elimination final, while the Hawks finish eighth, setting up an away elimination final against GWS.
This means the Western Bulldogs finish ninth and miss out on September.
Skipper Noah Anderson led from the front for the home side, racking up 34 disposals and 12 clearances, gaining 641 metres and kicking three great goals.
The best of them came when he barrelled into a Bombers player inside attacking 50, dislodged the ball, gathered and snapped a perfect kick from 25m out for his second goal in as many minutes.
Anderson told Fox Footy he was a bit stunned after his club finally clinched their goal of finals football.
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel real,” he said.
“Looking around at the older guys who’ve been here a long time.”
“I’m just so grateful we got to be out here tonight and have this experience.”
“Some times it felt like we had to learn the hard way and it wasn’t going to happen, but to get it done and to have nearly 20,000 people here on a Wednesday night, it’s just super special to be a part of.”
A solid crowd of more than 16,000 turned up at Carrara on a Wednesday night, and they got to celebrate their team becoming the last of the 18 AFL teams to make finals.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
