Gold Coast v Port Adelaide Preview, People First Stadium

The anger and frustration was real for Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick after the Suns
remained winless away from home this season by losing to North Melbourne last Saturday.
A fuming Hardwick declared his club “need to grow the f*** up” if they want to play finals for
the first time in their history. Gold Coast return to their Cararra fortress, where they are 6-0
this season, to go with their 2-0 record at their other home in Darwin. But the Suns will be
without captain Touk Miller (injured). Port Adelaide have regained control of their season and
will fancy their chances of toppling the Suns as they have a good record against them.

Heading into this clash at People First Stadium, both Gold Coast and Port Adelaide will be looking to respond after mixed performances in recent rounds. The Suns have shown flashes of brilliance at home but have struggled with consistency, especially when matched against more experienced midfields. Meanwhile, Port Adelaide comes off a narrow loss that exposed some cracks in their defensive structures something the Suns may look to exploit with early forward pressure.

When reviewing AFL betting tips, recent head-to-head performances suggest a slight edge to Port, who have won four of the last five encounters between these two sides. However, Gold Coast’s younger players are beginning to step up, with impressive numbers from midfielders like Noah Anderson and Sam Flanders in recent games. If they can maintain possession and control the tempo early, they could make this a much tighter contest than expected.

In terms of player match-ups, keep an eye on the ruck battle and how it influences clearances a key stat in recent games involving both teams. As always, studying current form, injury lists, and venue records is crucial when weighing up your own AFL tips for the round.

TIP: Gold Coast by 11 points, Noah Anderson for 30 or more possessions