rye
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- Apr 24, 2022
- 3,984
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- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast
7:20PM 4 May 2025
The Gabba
Introduction7:20PM 4 May 2025
The Gabba
This Sunday we face off against our ostensible rival in what some may have you believe is the biggest Q-Clash in the history of Queensland football. Although there will be an outcome for the game and one of the teams will get 4 Toyota AFL Premiership Points, I posit to the reader that Brisbane has already won. In fact, we have won so hard that the result of this game in the grand scheme of our club is meaningless. Our innumerable victories over the team down the highway means we could lose the next 20 years of Q-Clash and still be ahead. In many ways, Gold Coast has been our biggest supporter in our journey from a rabble to a powerhouse of the competition. Without their assistance I daresay we would have not won the premiership in 2024. In commemoration of their service, I thought to use the occasion of Q Clash 28 and this preview thread as a celebration of Gold Coast's terrific contributions to the success of the Brisbane Lions. A toast to the Gold Coast Suns, if you will indulge me.
The Bonds We Share
As alluded to above, Gold Coast has played a significant part in our success over the 5 years. We should reflect on some of the great contributors to our club who at some point in their career were deemed excess to needs at Gold Coast.
Sam Day (Free)
The Ashcroft Family
Marcus Ashcroft should not need an introduction for Brisbane supporters. Marcus would take his talents to Gold Coast and held the position of football manager there for some time. Although Marcus left Gold Coast some time ago, his legacy in Queensland football lives on. Not only is Marcus a legend in his own right, but we now have Will and Levi playing at Brisbane as father/son selections with Lucy looking a likely type as a future father/daughter selection. If Marcus had have remained at Gold Coast there is the possibility that these prodigious talents may have landed at Gold Coast as a part of their academy system. Thankfully we are living in the good timeline and get to enjoy a new generation of Ashcroft's dominate the AFL for the next decade.
Cal Ah Chee (Brisbane F2 + Brisbane F4)
Finals player of the year 2024 traded to Brisbane for pennies on the dollar. Ah Chee is a fan favourite at the lions and one of the nicest guys in football. It is difficult to see how Gold Coast let him go for such a low price, albeit Cal may have struggled to show his capacity to impact in September during his time at Gold Coast.
Dom Ambrogio (List Manager)
Jarryd Lyons (Free)
All Australian Squad, 2x Marcus Ashcroft Medallist and VFL Best & Fairest winner Jarryd Lyons. An integral and often overlooked part of our surge up the ladder, Lyons was an elite midfielder at his best who you could bank on week in and week out to rack up possessions and get the ball to the outside. Although some may argue there is no such thing as a free lunch, I would argue Lyons for zero trade capital is pretty close to it. And he always made sure to save his best for when he played against his former team. A true Brisbane man.
Stuart Dew (Forwards Coach)
It is easy to forget that at the bye last season the talking heads were ready to put a fork in Brisbane. Then, something changed. A figure who has an odd habit of bringing premiership success everywhere he has been bar Gold Coast joined the club on a part time basis. The hiring of Stuart Dew mid-way through the 2024 season may go down as one of the most astute moves the club has ever made. Since Dew has joined, Brisbane has only lost 3 games. A remarkable record and something that would not have been possible without his acrimonious end at Gold Coast. Dew joined the Lions full time in 2025 and has the forward group humming despite the loss of Joe Daniher. Thank you Stuart Dew!
Dayne Zorko (Pick 34 with Pick 47 returning)
I dare anyone reading this preview to find a better trade than this. A 5x Best and Fairest, 2x Marcus Ashcroft Medallist, 2x All Australian and former club captain for a 13 pick upgrade in the third round? Zorko is a shoo in for the Lions Hall of Fame and one of the best players to ever grace the club. Zorko continuing to have All Australian caliber seasons well into his late 30's is a sign of a true champion. The brickie from Broadbeach being a legend of Brisbane rather than Gold Coast really encapsulates the relationship our clubs share. Prediction
It doesn't really matter but for the fun of it - Dayne Zorko 40 touches. Josh Dunkley Marcus Ashcroft medallist. Touk Miller tries to start a fight with at least 6 of our players. Brisbane by 60 points and Gold Coast to commence upon their decade long tradition of completely collapsing by mid year.
Please share your favourite memories and moments from the Gold Coast Suns below!
