The area of Suns' improvement pleasing Hardwick most, Roos too patchy (2025)

FOR THE first time in club history Gold Coast has started a season with four consecutive wins, but it's the improving maturity that has impressed coach Damien Hardwick as much as the results.

Against North Melbourne on Saturday, the Suns were "lucky to be in front" at half-time, then trailed by eight points during the third quarter before storming home to kick 11 of the game's final 13 goals.

KANGAROOS v SUNS Full match coverage and stats

Shifting momentum mid-match has never really been part of Gold Coast's arsenal, no matter who was wearing the jumper, including during Hardwick's first year at the helm in 2024.

The three-time premiership coach said his team still had a long way to go to prove anything, but could see the development from last season.

"We're doing some things really well, and there's some areas of our game we can certainly improve," Hardwick said following the 52-point win.

"What I have been pleased with is there's various times in the game we've been challenged, and our players have been able to stifle momentum and then build our game back up.

"Previously we haven't been able to do that that well."

After being beaten around the clearances in the first two-and-a-half quarters, Gold Coast wrestled ascendency there before hammering home the advantage on the scoreboard.

Hardwick praised skipper Noah Anderson and vice-captains Touk Miller and Sam Collins for helping to turn the tide before Matt Rowell went into "beast mode".

In round three the Suns faced an under-the-pump Melbourne outfit, overwhelming it in the second half to win. Last week it was high-flying Adelaide that stormed home only to be turned away in the dying seconds by the Suns, while the win over the Kangaroos showed a different sort of character.

Again, Rowell was at the forefront with his 26 disposals that included 14 score involvements and 11 clearances.

"I think this is his best season he's had so far," Hardwick said.

"His ability to win the contested ball inside has always been known, but I think his ability to transition through the turnover game has become apparent and what has, in my opinion, taken his game to the next level."

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson was left to lament his team's inability to maintain a standard of play for all four quarters.

Much like his counterpart Hardwick pointed out, Clarkson said kicking 3.7 to the Suns' 6.1 in the first quarter with a strong breeze at their back was costly.

When Gold Coast put the foot down late in the third quarter, the Kangaroos wilted.

"They got on top in clearance and territory and the dam wall opened," Clarkson said.

"I'd like to think stoppages are a strength of our game and for two-and-a-half quarters it was, but for the last quarter-and-a-half it wasn't at the level it was early.

"Is that fatigue, is that structure, is that the heat? Who knows."

Clarkson said the problems ran deeper than just clearances though.

"We need to go deeper into games with the fundamentals," he said.

"We talk about stability behind the ball, it's not just that we didn't defend well. Sometimes we had the footy and just gave them the ball back far too easily and you can't defend behind that.

"If we can't get the basic fundamentals consistent over four quarters then we're going to battle to beat sides.

"We're showing enough in patches … that we can do it. We're not capable of doing it for long enough just yet."