Heritage Bank Stadium will play host to Saturday's AFL game between Gold Coast Suns and Richmond Tigers. The game kicks off at 4:20 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. Richmond Tigers game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Saturday March 9, 2024 at 4:20 pm
Where: Heritage Bank Stadium
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
Gold Coast Suns vs Richmond Tigers Odds
Gold Coast Suns vs Richmond Tigers Preview
Fittingly, the last time Richmond kicked off its season away from the MCG was against the Gold Coast Suns at Carrara way back in 2014.
Now ten years on, not much has happened at Tiger Land since – only three Premierships and one of the most shocking coaching resignations of the last 20 years.
In case you haven’t heard, after steering the yellow and black to the promise land on multiple occasions, legendary coach Damien Hardwick returns to the ranks to spearhead a talented Gold Coast list featuring Touk Miller, Ben King, and Matt Rowell.
A popular smokey pick to make the eight again, there’s plenty to like about the Suns heading into the year, particularly through the midfield where they were quietly one of the best teams in contested possessions and clearance differential last year.
Likewise, it’s also a new era at Richmond with not only Adam Yze at the helm, but also Premiership heroes like Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin opting for retirement.
As the cycle of footy tends to go, this shapes as an up and down year with next to no expectations – one that should give a glimpse into the future and Yze a look at which young players could be part of the leadership group.
Side by side, there really wasn’t much separating these two in terms of stats last year, making this the toughest game to pick of the entire weekend for mine.
Looking back, the Suns have won their last three over Richmond, but both sides boast different weaknesses that make them hard to trust with new coaches this early on.
For almost a decade, the Suns have had a tendency to start fast and finish slow, while the Tigers have some question marks up forward with Tom Lynch set to miss this opening round.
With the total set as high as 168.5 points, I’m happy to side with the Under on this one.
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Head To Head Bet
We're tipping Gold Coast Suns to win at $1.50 odds.
First Goal Scorer
First Goal Scorer: Ben King at $9.50.
Gold Coast Suns vs Richmond Tigers Teams
SUNS
B: B.Uwland, C.Ballard, S.Collins
HB: C.Budarick, A.Sexton, W.Powell
C: B.Fiorini, T.Miller, B.Ellis
HF: B.Ainsworth, B.Humphrey, T.Berry
F: B.King, M.Rosas, L.Casboult
FOLL: J.Witts – C, N.Anderson, M.Rowell
I/C: S.Flanders, N.Holman, J.Lukosius, D.Swallow, D.Macpherson
EMG: R.Atkins, W.Graham, N.Moyle
TIGERS
B: D.Grimes, T.Young, J.Gibcus
HB: J.Short – C, D.Rioli, N.Vlastuin
C: K.McIntosh, T.Taranto, S.Banks
HF: M.Rioli, L.Baker, S.Campbell
F: N.Balta, S.Bolton, J.Koschitzke
FOLL: S.Naismith, J.Hopper, D.Prestia
I/C: N.Broad, T.Dow, J.Ross, M.Pickett, S.Ryan
EMG: T.Brown, S.Green, N.Cumberland