Tom Lynch the Sun (left) and Tiger have one thing in common in 2020, Gold Coast’s Metricon Stadium as a home ground
Barring an unforeseen mishap in his recovery from a hamstring injury, former Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch will play an AFL final at Metricon Stadium before the Suns.
It’s a situation dripping with so much irony that even “Big Bang Theory’s” Sheldon Cooper would stand to get wet … assuming, of course, that Pasadena’s favourite theoretical physicist was a footy fan.
And why wouldn’t he be?
Only this weird and wonderful 2020 season could dish it up, but it’s the sort of quirk we’ve come to expect with displaced teams playing “home” matches interstate.
Of course, had it not been for Gary Ablett’s busted shoulder, the AFL’s expensive northern expansion side may well have broken its home final duck in 2014.
In July that year, the Suns won a thriller over Collingwood by five points despite losing Ablett to injury during the third quarter.
Lynch kicked two goals, as did fellow key forward Charlie Dixon, and Harley Bennell kicked one from 26 disposals. Sam Day bagged four majors in what remains a career-high haul.
Steven May, Jack Martin and Jaeger O’Meara were there, too, as were Trent McKenzie and Dion Prestia. The latter two will play key roles in other clubs’ flag pushes this season, alongside Dixon and Lynch respectively.
At 9-6 after that win, the Suns sat eighth on the ladder. Only percentage separated them from the sixth-placed Magpies and they were a win clear of the chasing pack. You could just about smell the finals at Carrara.
Alas, it was not to be, and with Ablett sidelined they managed just one more win for the season, finishing 12th.
Fast forward to 2020, and Gold Coast has not won more than six games in a season since that club-best 2014 campaign.
But the measures put in place by the AFL to work around coronavirus restrictions this season mean the gradually growing band of footy fans on the “Glitter Strip” and surrounding region will finally get a finals match on their doorstep.
It comes more than three decades and about 200 matches since the Brisbane Bears first lobbed at Carrara in April 1987.
PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.
The Suns connection to Friday night’s historic semi-final will be limited to Lynch, Prestia and perhaps Josh Caddy for the “home” team – Richmond.
Queensland’s premier AFL venue, the Gabba, will host the grand final and is free for use this week. On Saturday, it will host the Geelong-Collingwood semi-final.
So why are the Tigers playing at Metricon Stadium? A valid question, but the answer is clear if you look at some key details.
Only a few drop punts from Lynch’s big right boot separate Richmond’s KDV Sports and Royal Pines hubs from the venue.
The Saints, meanwhile, are based about 220km north in Noosa, and will have to travel two-and-a-half hours by bus – or much longer if recent theme park traffic heading south from Brisbane is any guide.
“At the end of the day, it’s closer to where we are (based) right now,” Tigers captain Trent Cotchin said. “We’ve played quite a few games there this year … we feel like it’s our home away from home and we’re looking forward to getting back there on Friday night.”
Richmond has played six matches at Metricon Stadium this season for six wins, conceding an average of just 39 points. It hasn’t lost at the ground since 2014.
St Kilda’s record there this year is 2-1, including a horror loss to also-rans Fremantle after kicking seven goals to one in the first quarter. The Saints have played just five fixtures at Carrara in the last five seasons.
“We don’t mind,” Saints captain Jarryn Geary told Channel 9, when quizzed about the scheduling. “We have taken everything in our stride this year and I think we will drive up Thursday afternoon and stay up there like we did the previous game against Hawthorn.
“It might be good for me to get up there and get a good night’s sleep away from the two little ones, so I’m pretty happy with that. “We will just deal with it like we have dealt with everything else this year and hopefully perform really strongly.”
The slight edge in familiarity almost certainly won’t be a decisive factor, but you take what you can get in finals.
And if Lynch manages his average two-plus goals a game at Metricon Stadium this season, the Tigers might just get home.
