Tom Hickey will wind the clock back 12 years on Saturday afternoon to play in arguably the most important game ever between his first AFL club and his fourth AFL club …. Sydney v Gold Coast at the SCG.
It was Round 22, 2012 when a then 20-year-old Hickey made his AFL debut for the Gold Coast Suns at Carrara. The former volleyball player had 14 possessions, a goal and six hit-outs in a 61-point loss to Adelaide.
It was the start of a career in which the now 32-year-old has become the first player in history to play for clubs based in four states. From Gold Coast to St Kilda and West Coast before he landed in Sydney in 2021.
He’s out-lasted most. From his first side only David Swallow is still at the Suns. And of the Sydney side that played on the same weekend only Sam Reid is still in red and white.
With Nick Malceski the only person to play for Sydney and Gold Coast, Hickey is usually one to play well against his former clubs. He certainly did in his own outing for the Swans against the Suns – an 87-point win at Marvel Stadium due to Covid in 2021 in which he was a standout with 18 possessions (13 contested), a goal, 25 hit-outs, four clearances and a team-high seven tackles.
It’s all part of a head-to-head record that sees the Swans with an 11-4 record against the Suns – 4-3 at the SCG. They have an 8-1 edge in 100-point scores between the clubs and an aggregate percentage of 153.3%.
But with the Swans’ season on the line on Saturday only one statistic is going to matter … the win.
On a four-game winning streak, half a game outside the top eight and among eight teams separated by one win from 5th-12th on the ladder, the home side needs to beat the 14th-placed Suns to keep in touch.
And while the overall head-to-head is strong after Sydney won the first eight meetings between the clubs, Gold Coast have won three of the last five – including the last two meetings at the SCG. It was the Suns by 14 points in Round 8 last year and 32 points in Round 7, 2020.
As Hickey prepares to relive old memories Swans co-captain Luke Parker will extend his run as the only player to play in every game between the Swans and the Suns. Jake Lloyd has played 12 – every game since his debut in 2014 – and Dane Rampe 11. Swallow has played 11 times for the Suns against the Swans.
Parker also has polled most Brownlow Medal votes in games between the clubs with eight – equal with Josh Kennedy.
Three players share the highest single-game possession count between the clubs – Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Gold Coast’s Gary Ablett. Each had 42. Sydney has had 26 games of 30-plus – Gold Coast only 11. Lloyd has three and Parker two of current players, and Touk Miller three for the Suns.
Lance Franklin holds the record for most goals in a game between the clubs – he kicked six in Round 23, 2021 – while Harry Cunningham, too, will have fond memories after he kicked a career-best four goals against the Suns all the way back in his 17th game at Carrara in 2014.
Suns spearhead Ben King has twice done well against the Swans – he kicked five goals at Carrara and four at Marvel – both in 2021.
Sydney’s highest score and biggest win against Gold Coast was at Docklands in 2021 when they kicked 21.10 (136) to 6.13 (49) and Franklin kicked his six.
Gold Coast’s highest score and biggest win against Sydney was the only time they’ve reached triple figures: 15.10 (100) to 9.6 (60) at Carrara in 2021.
The Suns will travel to Sydney 14th on the AFL ladder with a 9-11 record, having dropped out of finals contention when beaten by 28 points by Adelaide at Adelaide Oval under caretaker coach Steven King last Saturday.
King, four games at the helm since taking over from Stuart Dew, has gone win-loss-win-loss. A 26-point win over St Kilda at Carrara in Round 18 and a 41-point win over Brisbane at Carrara in Round 20 will be red flags for Swans coach John Longmire.
Suns midfield Noah Anderson will head to Sydney enjoying a career-best season. With 544 possessions he ranks 13th in the League and is 135 ahead of teammates Matt Rowell (409) and Darcy Macpherson (400).
Also prominent in the Longmire planning will be co-captain Touk Miller, who will return to the Suns after a one-match suspension incurred in the Round 20 Q-Clash against Brisbane involving the Lions’ Dayne Zorko.
Ben King (40), Jack Lukosius (36), Levi Casboult (20) and Ben Ainsworth (19) have been the Suns leading goal-kickers.
Anderson heads the Suns’ vote in the AFL coaches association player of the year award, polling 11 times for 71 votes to rank ninth overall. Rowell has polled nine time for 46 votes and co-captain Jarrod Witts nine times for 30 votes.
Rowell leads the League in tackles with 166 from Adelaide’s Rory Laird (155) and Sydney’s James Rowbottom (152).
Not prominent in the votes for the Suns but having an excellent season is key defender Charlie Ballard. With 79 intercept marks he ranks third in the League behind Richmond’s Noah Balta (86) and Collingwood’s Darcy Moore (80), while his 43 contested marks is third behind Carlton’s Charlie Curnow (51) and Moore (44).
Nick Blakey heads the Swans intercept marks with 37, while Hayden McLean’s 26 intercept marks is a club high.'
