Coast Clash
Australian rules football rivalry in Queensland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Coast Clash is an Australian rules football rivalry, contested by the Gold Coast Suns[a] and the Southport Sharks in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1] The clubs, which are both based on the Gold Coast in Queensland, first played each other in a senior match in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) during the 2011 season.[2] After the NEAFL disbanded in 2020, both clubs moved to the VFL.[3][4]
(Gold Coast 113−77 Southport)
(Southport 111−56 Gold Coast)
| First meeting | 28 May 2011 (Gold Coast 113−77 Southport) |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | 19 April 2025 (Southport 111−56 Gold Coast) |
| Next meeting | 4 April 2026 |
| Trophy | Doc Mackenzie Cup |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 22 |
| All-time series | Gold Coast: 14 wins  Southport: 6 wins |
Since September 2022, Gold Coast and Southport have played for the Doc Mackenzie Cup, named after Alan 'Doc' Mackenzie (1946–2022), who served as Southport's president and a member of the Gold Coast board.[5][6]
As of the end of the 2025 season, Gold Coast has won 14 matches of the 21 matches played.[7] Since joining the VFL in 2021, Southport has been more successful, winning four Coast Clash matches to Gold Coast's two.[8][9]
Notable matches
Abandoned 2021 match
In round 11 of the 2021 VFL season, the second Coast Clash of the year was scheduled to take place on 26 June 2021.[10][11] However, the match was postponed because of COVID-19 border restrictions implemented by the Queensland Government for people travelling from Greater Sydney, with Gold Coast having played Sydney at Tramway Oval two weeks earlier.[12][13]
The match was rescheduled to take play on 31 July 2021 at Carrara Training Oval.[14] Half an hour before the match begun, the Queensland Government announced a snap lockdown affecting south-eastern Queensland, which would begin at 4pm the same day.[15] The match begun as scheduled at 10:30am, with Jacob Townsend kicking the first goal for Gold Coast followed by Southport's Kwabey Boakye levelling the scores, before Jed Foggo kicked two behinds for the Suns.[16]
After ten minutes of play, all players were ordered off the field and the match was abandoned for no result.[17] Although the match was officially declared abandoned, the finishing scores were 1.2 (8) to 1.0 (6).[18]
The match was rescheduled to be held in round 18, but the VFL season was curtailed on 1 September 2021.[19][20]
Results
| # | Year | League | Rd | Home | Away | Ground | Date | Winner | M | H2H | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Score | Team | Score | ||||||||||
| 1 | 2011 | NEAFL | 9 | .svg){kind=small} Gold Coast |
18.5 (113) | Southport |
11.11 (77) | Sir Bruce Small Park | 28 May | GCS | 36 | +1 | [21] |
| 2 | 14 | Southport |
9.6 (60) | Gold Coast |
24.11 (125) | Fankhauser Reserve | 2 Jul | GCS | 95 | +2 | [22] | ||
| 3 | 2012 | 2 | Southport |
10.5 (65) | Gold Coast |
19.17 (131) | Fankhauser Reserve | 31 Mar | GCS | 66 | +3 | [23] | |
| 4 | 2013 | 7 | Gold Coast |
16.10 (106) | Southport |
11.11 (77) | Carrara Stadium | 4 May | GCS | 29 | +4 | [24] | |
| 5 | 2014 | 1 | Southport |
12.16 (88) | Gold Coast |
9.4 (58) | Fankhauser Reserve | 29 Mar | SOU | 30 | +3 | [25] | |
| 6 | 14 | Gold Coast |
4.6 (30) | Southport |
25.15 (165) | Carrara Stadium | 5 Jul | SOU | 135 | +2 | [26] | ||
| 7 | 2015 | 5 | Gold Coast |
17.16 (118) | Southport |
16.8 (104) | Carrara Stadium | 9 May | GCS | 14 | +3 | ||
| 8 | 14 | Southport |
13.10 (88) | Gold Coast |
18.10 (118) | Fankhauser Reserve | 11 Jul | GCS | 30 | +4 | |||
| 9 | 2016 | 14 | Gold Coast |
14.11 (95) | Southport |
9.8 (62) | Carrara Stadium | 2 Jul | GCS | 33 | +5 | ||
| 10 | 20 | Southport |
11.6 (72) | Gold Coast |
13.7 (85) | Fankhauser Reserve | 14 Aug | GCS | 13 | +6 | |||
| 11 | 2017 | 10 | Gold Coast |
23.18 (156) | Southport |
6.3 (39) | Carrara Stadium | 3 Jun | GCS | 117 | +7 | ||
| 12 | 17 | Southport |
6.4 (40) | Gold Coast |
14.14 (98) | Fankhauser Reserve | 22 Jul | GCS | 58 | +8 | |||
| 13 | 2018 | 9 | Southport |
12.7 (79) | Gold Coast |
14.9 (93) | Fankhauser Reserve | 2 Jun | GCS | 14 | +9 | ||
| 14 | 2019 | 11 | Southport |
9.9 (63) | Gold Coast |
12.6 (78) | Fankhauser Reserve | 15 Jun | GCS | 15 | +10 | ||
| — | 2020 | 3 | Gold Coast |
— | Southport |
— | Carrara Stadium | 2 May | — | — | — | [27] | |
| — | 11 | Southport |
— | Gold Coast |
— | Fankhauser Reserve | 13 Jun | — | — | — | [28] | ||
| 15 | 2021 | VFL | 6 | Southport |
17.14 (116) | Gold Coast |
5.3 (33) | Fankhauser Reserve | 21 May | SOU | 83 | +9 | |
| 16 | 16 | Gold Coast |
1.2 (8) | Southport |
1.0 (6) | Carrara Training Oval | 31 Jul | ABAN | — | +9 | |||
| 17 | 2022 | 21 | Gold Coast |
14.10 (94) | Southport |
12.13 (85) | Carrara Stadium | 13 Aug | GCS | 9 | +10 | ||
| 18 | PF | Southport |
14.25 (109) | Gold Coast |
13.3 (81) | Fankhauser Reserve | 11 Sep | SOU | 28 | +9 | [29] | ||
| 19 | 2023 | 8 | Southport |
10.14 (74) | Gold Coast |
12.4 (76) | Fankhauser Reserve | 13 May | GCS | 2 | +10 | ||
| 20 | 2024 | 7 | Gold Coast |
8.10 (58) | Southport |
16.9 (105) | Carrara Stadium | 12 May | SOU | 47 | +9 | ||
| 21 | 2025 | 4 | Southport |
16.15 (111) | Gold Coast |
8.8 (56) | Fankhauser Reserve | 19 Apr | SOU | 55 | +8 | [30] | |
| 22 | 2026 | 3 | Southport |
— | Gold Coast |
— | Fankhauser Reserve | 4 Apr | — | — | — | ||
Practice matches
Before entering the TAC Cup, Gold Coast played its first competitive match on 20 March 2009 against Southport – who were playing in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) at the time – at Carrara Stadium.
| # | Year | League | Home | Away | Ground | Date | Winner | M | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Score | Team | Score | ||||||||
| 1 | 2009 | — | Southport |
6.3 (39) |  Gold Coast |
3.5 (23) | Carrara Stadium | 20 Mar | SOU | 16 | |
| 2 | 2015 | NEAFL | Gold Coast |
18.15 (123) | Southport |
2.2 (14) | Carrara Stadium | 14 Mar | GCS | 109 | [31] |
| 3 | 2016 | Gold Coast |
9.8 (62) | Southport |
11.13 (79) | Carrara Stadium | 12 Mar | GCS | 17 | [32] | |
| 4 | 2021 | VFL | Gold Coast |
15.3 (93) | Southport |
6.11 (47) | Carrara Stadium | 27 Mar | GCS | 46 | [33] |
| 5 | 2024 | Gold Coast |
11.4 (70) | Southport |
14.6 (90) | Carrara Training Oval | 1 Mar | SOU | 20 | [34] | |
| 6 | 2026 | Gold Coast |
13.8 (86) | Southport |
7.3 (45) | Carrara Training Oval | 6 Mar | GCS | 41 | ||
Records
Highest scores
| # | Score | Club | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25.15 (165) | Southport | Round 14, 2014 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium |
| 2 | 23.18 (156) | Gold Coast | Round 10, 2017 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium |
| 3 | 19.17 (131) | Gold Coast | Round 2, 2012 (NEAFL) at Fankhauser Reserve |
| 4 | 24.11 (125) | Gold Coast | Round 14, 2011 (NEAFL) at Fankhauser Reserve |
| 5 | 18.10 (118) | Gold Coast | Round 14, 2015 (NEAFL) at Fankhauser Reserve |
| 17.16 (118) | Gold Coast | Round 5, 2015 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium |
Lowest scores
| # | Score | Club | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1.0 (6) | Southport | Round 16, 2021 (VFL) at Carrara Training Oval |
| — | 1.2 (8) | Gold Coast | Round 16, 2021 (VFL) at Carrara Training Oval |
| 3 | 4.6 (30) | Gold Coast | Round 14, 2014 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium |
| 4 | 5.3 (33) | Southport | Round 6, 2021 (VFL) at Fankhauser Reserve |
| 5 | 6.3 (39) | Southport | Round 10, 2017 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium |
Shared history
Steve Daniel, who served as Gold Coast's NEAFL coach in 2016 and 2017, moved to Southport for the 2018 season and remained its head coach until the end of 2024.
Multi-club players
This list includes players who have been listed for Gold Coast in the AFL and the NEAFL.
| Player | Years at GCS | Years at SOU | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Boston | 2013–2015 | 2016–2021 | |
| Brayden Crossley | 2018–2019 | 2016; 2021– | |
| Jacob Dawson | 2018–2020 | 2021– | |
| Ryan Davis | 2016–2017 | 2018–2019 | |
| Sam Day | 2011–2024 | 2026– | |
| Ben Jepson | 2025– | 2024 | |
| Hewago Oea | 2019–2024 | 2025– | |
| Andrew Raines | 2015 | 2003 | [35] |
| Seb Tape | 2011–2016 | 2017–2022 | |
| Joel Tippett | 2011 | 2006; 2010 | [36] |
| Lachie Weller | 2018– | 2014 |
See also
Notes
- The Gold Coast Suns compete in the Australian Football League (AFL) at a senior level, with its reserves team in the VFL (and formerly the NEAFL).