By Michael Whiting

GOLD Coast coach Guy McKenna is at a loss to explain his team's second-half collapses after another terrible third quarter cost the Suns against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

After leading at half-time the past four matches, Gold Coast suffered another third quarter meltdown, conceding 7.7 to 0.2.

Whatever McKenna is saying – and the Suns are doing – at half-time, it simply isn't working.

Gold Coast has won just one quarter after half-time in its nine matches this season.

McKenna said the Suns have tried everything to arrest the worrying trend, but so far nothing had worked.

"We changed our warm-up at half-time, our messaging at half-time and all those sorts of things," he said.

"[That was the] first time we did that. We go around in circles trying to find the reasons ... we've just got to drive these boys to stay focused for longer."

McKenna said the problem was a combination of mental and physical, but denied a lack of effort was the issue.

He said the Suns had to play smarter.

"We've got to keep demanding and coaching the boys," he said.

"You steel their minds, they steel their bodies. We've shown enough when they do that, we're more than competitive but we're just unable to maintain that competitiveness in the mind for four quarters at the moment.

"Our hard ball gets were in front at half-time but the third quarter we had three or four guys charging in and they have one or two.

"Their two win (the ball) and get in on the outside and they're off to the races and kick easy goals. It's about getting the balance but you can't fault the boys' efforts, their willingness for the contest."

Sam Day – arguably Gold Coast's best with three goals – said the Suns could feel the change in momentum after half-time, but had trouble stemming the tide.

"We've worked on keeping the voice up and not dropping our heads," he said.

"I think it's about being smarter around the ball, not all going and chasing the ball. Being more switched on around the contests and knowing your role."

"When we play well, we play very well so I think our best is good enough to win games. It's just being able to let sides not get runs on like today and sticking at it."
  

By Michael Whiting

GOLD Coast is still searching for its first win of the season after coughing up a seven-goal third term to Port Adelaide on the way to a 48-point loss at Metricon Stadium.

The Power led by one point at half-time, but put the contest away in the third quarter, kicking 7.7 to 0.2.

The onslaught included a burst of five goals in six minutes as Port Adelaide won 17.16 (118) to 10.10 (70).

It was Port's third win of the season, erasing memories of last year's upset loss against the Suns, and spoiling Gold Coast's first anniversary celebrations of Metricon Stadium in the process.

It was the first time the Power have won back-to-back games since they defeated Melbourne and Richmond in the final two rounds of 2010.

"I thought we came out a bit lazy in the first 10 minutes ... and then we were able to wrest back control of the game," Port coach Matthew Primus said after the win.

"Our third quarter - probably everything we judge ourselves on: our contested stuff, our structure around stoppages - was beautiful and we are able to generate a lot of our forward play out of that."

Port had to survive a small fourth quarter scare as the Suns kicked three goals early to reduce the margin from 48 points to 30.

But the damage was done in the third term, when Matthew Broadbent, Kane Cornes, John McCarthy and Danyle Pearce all kicked goals home from outside the 50m arc.

The Power went inside 50 a staggering 22 times to 11 in the quarter. Gold Coast lost its run, its ambition and effectively the contest in a withering 15-minute burst.

Pearce was sublime for the victors, breaking the tag of persistent Joel Wilkinson to finish with 28 quality disposals.

He had plenty of running mates who benefitted from the ruck work of Brent Renouf, including Travis Boak (28 disposals and three goals) and Brad Ebert (29).

Cornes did a stellar job on Suns captain Gary Ablett, restricting the Brownlow medallist to 24 touches and gathering the same number himself.

It was a poor result for the Suns, just 24 hours after extending the contract of coach Guy McKenna for two years.

McKenna said the third quarter capitulation was indicative of where his team was at.

"Another three quarter effort, but that's probably where we're at, at the moment," he said.

"We squared the last quarter, but (conceding) 7.7 in the third quarter is obviously unacceptable.

"We've got to keep demanding and coaching the boys out of that."

Gold Coast kicked the first two goals of the match but trailed by 11 points at the first change after butchering a number of simple opportunities.

Ablett's grubber from 15m hit the post, as did Kyal Horsley's long bomb from 50m, while Josh Caddy inexplicably missed everything from 20m out.

The teams traded goals in the second quarter - won by the Suns for the sixth time this season - as two of Gold Coast's best players, Sam Day and Andrew McQualter, kicked two each.  

PORT ADELAIDE 4.4 7.7 14.14 17.16 (118)
GOLD COAST 2.5 7.6 7.8 10.10 (70)

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Boak 3, Broadbent 2, Brad Ebert 2, Brett Ebert 2, McCarthy, Pearce, Schulz, D.Stewart, Trengove, Westhoff
Gold Coast: Day 3, McQualter 2, Ablett, Brown, Horsley, Rischitelli, Sexton

BEST
Port Adelaide: Boak, Pearce, Cornes, Brad Ebert, Broadbent, Renouf
Gold Coast: Day, McQualter, Lynch, Stanley, Iles

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Port Adelaide: Paul Stewart replaced Daniel Stewart in the third quarter
Gold Coast: Alik Magin replaced Karmichael Hunt in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Foot, Jeffery, Mollison

Official crowd: 12,416 at Metricon Stadium  

The Gold Coast SUNS have this week announced a joint partnership between the Club, Rotary Gold Coast and the Gold Coast Community Fund. The partnership grew from the Club’s objective to give back to the local community and a desire to work with reputable organisations.

The idea of the initiative is to engage crowds at Metricon Stadium in a season-long fundraising effort on match days to encourage footy fans to donate loose change, and in turn help the local community. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to both charity organisations, as well as to the community-minded membership-based football club.

Gold Coast SUNS Community Programs Manager, Corey Bell, said it’s exciting to announce this three way partnership with so many home games still left in the 2012 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

“The opportunity for match day fundraising generated a lot of interest from charities all over the country, and as a core value of the Club, we wanted to ensure we focussed our support on the Gold Coast.”

The Gold Coast Community Fund was an obvious choice as one of the most established entities in South East Queensland, having been around for 10 years and raised around $1.2million for local Gold Coast beneficiaries. Rotary was one of many charities that approached the Club looking for a joint endeavour in match day fundraising, and was an apt partner with a wide reaching network of over 20 clubs and around 1,300 members on the Gold Coast.

“As a Club we are indebted to the Gold Coast community. Without their support, we wouldn’t have won the 17th AFL licence. We are dedicated to giving back to our community, and do so across a plethora of programs, initiatives and appearances throughout the year both in season and in the off season,” Bell said.

“The best thing about this partnership is that while we are raising funds through match day raffles, we have been able to find yet another way to support the local community.”

Chairman of the Gold Coast Community Fund, Simon Bennett, echoes this sentiment.

“The best part of joining forces is how the fundraising initiative will benefit the local community here on the Gold Coast.

“It’s great to partner with the Gold Coast SUNS for the work that we do in the community. This partnership with the Club and Rotary for match day fundraising raffles, cements the affiliation our organisations have with each other.”

The fundraising effort will begin at Metricon Stadium’s first birthday celebration tomorrow, when the Gold Coast SUNS take on Port Adelaide.

Tune into SUNS TV to hear from Guy McKenna 

By Michael Whiting

RE-SIGNED Gold Coast SUNS coach Guy McKenna admitted he had doubts a contract extension would come his way after a winless start to the season.

The SUNS put weeks of speculation behind them on Friday by re-signing inaugural coach McKenna until the end of 2014.

The West Coast great said there were times early this season when he wondered whether he would keep his job.

"I think you always think that," McKenna said at Metricon Stadium on Friday morning.

"But behind the scenes, the board, the chairman, the CEO, the players themselves have been very encouraging.

"You back yourself in but there's lonely times by yourself. We had that disappointing loss against Geelong in the NAB Cup and we go down to GWS (the following week) and we get beaten by them and you continue to scratch your head but you back your faith of the system and the personnel to buy into that and I've been able to see that over the last four to six weeks."

McKenna joined the club in its inaugural year and has coached the team through under-18, VFL and now AFL level.

Gold Coast SUNS chairman John Witheriff backed McKenna to take the SUNS from a fledgling team to a consistent force.

"Guy has been charged with the unique challenge of bringing together a playing group that predominately consisted of talented teenagers who were yet to play a senior game of AFL football and transforming them into an elite team," Witheriff told goldcoastfc.com.au.

"That transformation was always going to take longer than Guy's original contract period and the board was unanimous in its belief that Guy deserves the opportunity and time required to complete this challenge."

Witheriff said the club is now entering its second phase and the nature of the senior coaching job would change but McKenna has earned the right to undertake the challenge.

"Phase one started four years ago when we set-up the foundations of the club, building an administration, fan base, playing group and Metricon Stadium," he said.

"Phase two, is about success and that will be reflected in Guy's approach as senior coach.

"The reality for us is we're moving into phase two and phase two means in the next four years we've got to win consistently, and during that time, the position of senior coach will change from a developmental approach to a winning approach."

McKenna has an unflattering 3-27 win-loss record in his two seasons, but said the SUNS had solidified their values, their team and the way they wanted to play.

"It's about continuous improvement," he said.

"I'm sure there's people out there that at zero and eight (wins and losses) you scratch your head and say 'is there improvement?' but we see that. I'm very excited about our future, short term and long term.

"I know with another 20 or 30 games into these fellas it's going to be frightening up here."

Although not committing to any goals in the coming two years, McKenna said he expected the SUNS to be a force in that timeframe.  

The Gold Coast SUNS have extended the contract of senior coach Guy McKenna for a further two years, until the end of the 2014 season.

Gold Coast SUNS Chairman, John Witheriff said McKenna was in the process of guiding the team from AFL newcomers to a consistent high performing team.

"Guy has been charged with the unique challenge of bringing together a playing group that predominately consisted of talented teenagers who were yet to play a senior game of AFL football and transforming them into an elite team."

"That transformation was always going to take longer than Guy's original contract period and the board was unanimous in its belief that Guy deserves the opportunity and time required to complete this challenge."

Witheriff said the board conducted a review into the senior coaching position as the club needed to identify what areas of the senior coaching position would change as the GC SUNS continued to evolve, entering its second phase as a club.

"Phase one started four years ago when we set-up the foundations of the club, building an administration, fan base, playing group and Metricon Stadium. Phase two, is about success and that will be reflected in Guy’s approach as senior coach."

"The reality for us is we're moving into phase two and phase two means in the next four years we've got to win consistently, and during that time the position of senior coach will change from a developmental approach to a winning approach.” Witheriff said.

McKenna said he was pleased with the review process and was looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I was extremely comfortable with the process and I am thrilled that I will have the opportunity to continue as senior coach of the Gold Coast Football Club.”

“Everyone at the Gold Coast Football Club has a role to play in the evolution of our club and the game on the Gold Coast, I am proud of what the club has achieved so far and it's my challenge to ensure we now deliver a winning attitude at the club in the coming years.”