Suns show toughness in upset Cats win

May 6, 2017 - 1:19 PM Gold Coast has shown resilience in an AFL win over Geelong on Saturday, with coach Rodney Eade saying he was willing to lose the game if it meant his team could show grit when things got tough.

And that trait may serve them well in coming weeks, with Gary Ablett appearing to suffer a shoulder injury in the 18.16 (124) to 15.9 (99) victory over his former club at Metricon Stadium.

The Suns recorded their highest ever score against the Cats but Eade said he was most impressed by his team sticking to their game plan.

Geelong mounted a comeback in the third quarter but the young Gold Coast side managed to absorb the pressure.

"We spoke about being resilient during the week and I was really pleased that we could stick at playing the way we wanted to play," Eade said.

"If that had of meant we were going to lose then so be it."

Jarrod Harbrow exemplified the commitment to their game plan, keeping a cool head in defence and proving the structure for the Gold Coast's rebounding style of play.

Harbrow finished with 30 disposals, nine intercept possessions and eight contested possessions.

Ablett continued his strong form, booting a sensational, swirling goal from just inside 50 on the right hand side in the first quarter.

The dual Brownlow Medallist did stop a few hearts when he ran off clutching his shoulder late in the second quarter.

He returned to the field but looked hampered for the remainder of the match.

David Swallow showed the talent which earned him the no. 1 draft pick in 2010.

The West Australian's career has been hampered by injury but if his tenacity has provided inspiration for his teammates off the field, his 20 contested possessions proved enough inspiration on it.

Elsewhere, Gold Coast co-captain Tom Lynch ran rampant, with the tall forward kicking three goals, two goal assists and 22 disposals.

Geelong coach Chris Scott say he's disappointed his team's performance, with the Cats registering 48 inside 50s compared to the Gold Coast's 71.

"There are clear things in our game that we need to improve, on one level its easy to identify and hopefully relatively quick to fix," Scott said.

"But what we're delivering at the moment is leading to us being a very mediocre side."

Geelong's star duo of Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood were kept under wraps by a combative Gold Coast midfield.

Source: AAP