By Michael Whiting, afl.com.au
Where and when: the Gabba, Saturday August 10, 4.35pm AEST
What it means for Brisbane: The Lions are locked with Geelong and West Coast at the top of the ladder and need to extend their seven-game winning streak to clinch that crucial top-two spot.
Some extra percentage wouldn’t hurt either if the chance arises late in the match.
What it means for Gold Coast: Pride – pure and simple. The Suns have lost 15 straight matches and would love nothing more than snapping that – and denting the dreams of their Queensland rivals – with an upset win over Brisbane.
The stat: This match pits the team with the most potent attack against the team with the leakiest defence in the competition. Brisbane leads the AFL with its average of 91 points a game, while Gold Coast concedes a league-worst 97 points a game against it.
The match-up: The battle between Alex Sexton (No.168 on the Official AFL Player Ratings) and Noah Answerth (492) should be a beauty.
Sexton is a clever goal-poacher who has snagged 35 majors this season despite the Suns’ struggles. Answerth, fresh off a Rising Star nomination, is racking up the small-forward scalps in recent weeks, keeping Luke Breust and Sam Lloyd goalless in the past fortnight.
It’s a big week for: Gold Coast skipper Jarrod Witts plays his 100th game.
The hulking ruckman has had a fabulous individual season – his first as co-captain alongside David Swallow – and would love to mark the milestone with a win.
