Heritage Bank Stadium will play host to Sunday's Round 12 AFL game between Gold Coast Suns and Essendon Bombers. The game kicks off at 4:00 pm with Gold Coast Suns heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Gold Coast Suns vs. Essendon Bombers game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Sunday June 2, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Where: Heritage Bank Stadium
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon Bombers Odds
Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon Bombers Preview
The Bombers are flying up in their quest for finals football, sitting pretty in second on the ladder, but the reality is, with a cruisy draw up to this point.
However, theyve got the perfect opportunity to prove the critics wrong and take a big scalp in terms of location and opposition when they head to North to face the Suns in the Gold Coast.
In typical Gold Coast fashion, they failed to take a big scalp on the road against the Blues, lacking energy in a big game for their top-eight aspirations.
With all that being said, theyre only one game out of the top eight, and with a win against the Bombers, their wins at home will keep them in the eight.
The Suns application around the contest was poor against the Blues, and if it wasnt for the power of Mac Andrew defensively, the Suns would have suffered a larger loss with the amount of inside 50 entries they were conceding.
Essendon wasnt too convincing against Richmond but was solid in their fast breaks in transition to open the ground up and find loose options inside 50.
Thats their challenge again this week and with the loss of Parish and Hobbs for the next few weeks in the midfield, they will prioritise how they move the ball in transition, without relying on stoppage dominance.
With the Gold Coast weather sitting at 20 degrees and raining on Sunday, it does give the Bombers a better chance at lasting the four quarters with the Suns, but we all know the Suns are exceptional in the wet and humid conditions.
The return of Jordan Ridley gave the Bombers a big boost last week, and theyll need yet another big performance from him to combat the Suns balanced mix of tall and small forwards who know their home ground exceptionally well.
A big statement could be made by the Bombers, but the Suns will come back hard after a poor outing against the Blues.
Content provided by Ladbrokes
Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon Bombers Tip
We're tipping Gold Coast Suns to win at $1.68 odds.
Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon Bombers Teams
SUNS
B: S.Collins, C.Ballard, M.Andrew
HB: S.Flanders, J.Jeffrey, A.Sexton
C: M.Rowell, T.Miller – C, S.Clohesy
HF: T.Berry, B.Humphrey, L.Johnston
F: B.King, B.Long, J.Lukosius
FOLL: J.Witts, N.Anderson, D.Swallow
I/C (FROM): R.Atkins, A.Davies, N.Holman, B.Ainsworth, S.Day, W.Graham, B.Uwland
IN: S.Flanders, R.Atkins, S.Day, W.Graham
OUT: J.Rogers (Omitted)
BOMBERS
B: J.Ridley, B.McKay, J.Laverde
HB: N.Martin, M.Redman, A.McGrath
C: D.Heppell, S.Durham, J.Kelly
HF: J.Gresham, H.Jones, A.Perkins
F: J.Stringer, P.Wright, K.Langford
FOLL: T.Goldstein, J.Caldwell, Z.Merrett – C
I/C (FROM): E.Tsatas, N.Cox, N.Hind, N.Bryan, A.Davey Jnr, A.Roberts, J.Menzie
IN: H.Jones, N.Bryan, A.Roberts, J.Menzie
OUT: N.Caddy (Illness)