Brisbane coach Michael Voss believes the days of Gold Coast having a “free hit” against his club are over and the Queensland rivalry alive following his club’s narrow AFL win over the Suns on Saturday.
The Lions kept their slim finals hopes alive with a scrappy 8.11 (59) to 5.18 (48) win over a wasteful Suns, who booted just one goal and nine behinds in the final quarter despite holding the ascendancy.
Voss said the days of the Suns being whipping boys will end in 2013 after so far shouldering few expectations in their one and three-quarter seasons in the AFL.
“The first two years, Gold Coast have had a bit of a free hit,” he said.
“We sit here as a club and we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t.
“If we win, we’re supposed to. If we lose, it’s like `oh well what happened there?’
“Next year that finishes. There’s no free hits any more.”
Those words are sure to fan the flames of the rivalry between the two clubs in coming years.
Suns coach Guy McKenna is all too familiar with derby games after playing six of his 12 seasons with West Coast against bitter crosstown rivals Fremantle.
And he expects the Lions-Suns rivalry to grow to the same level.
“Having been a part of those over in the west, this is what happens,” McKenna said.
“Regardless of games played, ages of sides or where you sit on the ladder … the boys understand what’s at stake – it’s Queensland pride.
“That’s probably why (the loss) is burning in a lot of the players guts.
“You see a result like you do (from Saturday’s match) we’re going to see a lot more of those.
“It’s going to be high-pressured, skills are going to be exposed, goal-kicking is going to be exposed.
“That’s the nature of the beast. It’s going to be a fairly hotly and fiercely fought contest.”
Lions back Josh Drummond suffered cramp in the match but is not expected to be in any doubt for their clash against West Coast on Sunday.
Daniel Rich will be unavailable for the trip west as he sits out the second match of his a two-game suspension for rough conduct against St Kilda in round 16.