GOLD Coast’s midfield stayed back for extra centre bounce training on Tuesday afternoon following a “blunt” review of its loss to Melbourne.
Coach Damien Hardwick was scathing of his midfielders following the 20-point loss, describing it as a “wake-up call”, and then gave more direct feedback when the team reviewed the match on Tuesday.
Captain Noah Anderson said the midfield took responsibility for the Suns’ first defeat of 2026, and the coach reminded them of where they let themselves down.
“(It was) Blunt enough, but with probably a little bit more perspective than he had after the game,” Anderson said of Hardwick’s review.
“He told us what we needed to hear. Some non-negotiables we definitely didn’t deliver on as a playing group.
“Contest stuff, physicality, effort stuff, toughness. We just got beaten around the contest.”
Melbourne won contested possessions by 22, clearances by 11 and generated 14 more inside 50s in a dominant performance.
Ahead of facing Sydney on Saturday at Gather Round, Gold Coast’s midfield was put through its paces on Tuesday.
While the forwards and backs left People First Stadium after 30 minutes of the light session, the men in the middle stuck around for another 15 minutes.
Working with midfield coach Shaun Grigg, Anderson, Matt Rowell, Jarrod Witts, Wil Powell and co went through a series of scenarios in the middle of the ground.
“We’ve picked up on a trend that other teams have been coming up against us with a plan at centre bounce,” Anderson said.
“It’s something that hasn’t happened consistently against us in my career. We’re just trying to work through that as a group.”
Noah Anderson during Gold Coast’s training session at People First Stadium on December 1, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
Off-season recruit Christian Petracca has missed the match with a hamstring injury and was put through his paces earlier in the day.
Although unlikely to face the Swans, the club will give him every chance with a test later in the week.
Matt Rowell and Christian Petracca in action at Gold Coast training on December 1, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
“I’ve got full confidence we’ll be able to bounce back and that the group in there we have will be able to deliver for the rest of the year on those standards,” Anderson said.
“Yes, it was a disappointing day, but it’s a long year and I’m confident we’ll bounce back.
