Dead-rubber melee erupts as Suns end ‘season from hell’ with win over Saints

Gold Coast have ended their “season from hell” with a 14.19 (103) to 12.8 (80) win over St Kilda that featured a fiery melee belying the game’s dead-rubber status.

Both sides entered Thursday night — played in front of a sparse but passionate Saints crowd under the Marvel Stadium roof — playing for their teammates, with Nick Holman (Suns) and Dougal Howard (St Kilda) retiring on a night Bradley Hill notched his 300th AFL game.

But several players were still up for the fight in the fourth quarter with Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell and teammate Ben Long both involved for the Suns.

“Ben Long comes in, watch out for Ben Long, he can throw them,” Brian Taylor called on Channel 7.

“There’s a few who don’t want to be there but Bailey Humphrey’s right in the middle, he likes being there. Rowell’s had his second or third jumper ripped!

“Long in the background and Hugo Garcia going at it, and Long’s just laughing at him! Look at Garcia gritting teeth, he just wants to go him ... who would’ve thought we’d see that in the last game?”

Hamish McLachlan added: “Have we taken a phone call from Dana White? It’s the UFC.”

The melee almost threatened to start again after Rowell’s missed set shot from the boundary.

“This might keep going! Oh the crowd’s into it, the players are into it, everyone’s into it,” Taylor said.

But Kane Cornes, who had high hopes for the Suns entering the season, said it was too little, too late.

“Be nice if Gold Coast showed this level of fight in their nine-game losing streak, wouldn’t it?” he said.

“It’s a bit late. Kind of laughable that you want to show some aggression now.”

McLachlan added: “They were 7-3, in the top four, at one point premiership favourites. Then it just became a season from hell.”

St Kilda kept coming in the aftermath to the melee and Liam Ryan cut the margin with his second goal of the night.