<p>Welcome to The Huddle’s AFL Finals previews!</p> <p>After a long season and one of the tightest races ever to secure a place in the September action, we are down to the final eight teams that will battle it out for this year's AFL Premiership.</p> <p>As we gear up for all the September action, it’s time to look at and preview all the teams that have qualified for the AFL Finals in 2025.</p> <p>It took them to the very last day of the season, but the Gold Coast Suns have finally qualified for their first-ever finals series.&nbsp;</p> <p>With a star-studded list, how far can they realistically go in their first September campaign?</p> <p>For the latest news, analysis, picks, and betting tips, read our Gold Coast Suns finals preview below!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Gold Coast Suns Road to the AFL Finals</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>They had a false start when their Opening Round clash against Essendon got postponed thanks to South-East Queensland’s inclement weather. With early season byes not matching up, the game was pushed to the very end of the season.</p> <p>How lucky that turned out to be, but we’ll get to that.</p> <p>When they did finally get to the park, they made a serious statement. An 87-point demolition of the Eagles kicked things off in emphatic style.</p> <p>Four straight wins marked the best start to a season in Suns history. But then, right when the hype started building, we got the first reminder of why trusting the Suns has always come with a health warning: a flat loss to Richmond at Marvel Stadium. Of course it had to be that game, after all the pre-match chatter around Damien Hardwick and his Marvel Stadium comments…</p> <p>They bounced back quickly, though. A strong home win over Sydney followed, with Bailey Humphrey delivering a breakout performance that hinted at something special in his development.</p> <p>Then came the first Q-Clash of the year—and big brother Brisbane put the Suns back in their place.</p> <p>Still, the Suns looked right at home up in Darwin, grabbing two solid wins from their annual stint in the Top End. That stretch, followed by a win over St Kilda (and a cheeky “nepo baby” barb from Ross Lyon on the way out), had the Suns sitting pretty in the top four. Surely—surely, they couldn’t mess it up from here?</p> <p>Well.</p> <p>Back-to-back losses to Fremantle (at home) and Geelong (away), then a third straight L against the Giants in what was, admittedly, a cracking game, brought back the familiar trust issues.</p> <p>They steadied with wins over a struggling Essendon and an out-of-sorts Melbourne. Then came the real test: a Friday night blockbuster at home—their first ever Friday night home game—against the reigning premiers, Collingwood.</p> <p>It was a huge occasion, and the Suns delivered. They kept the Pies goalless in the first half and, despite a late wobble, sealed the deal thanks to heroics from Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell. It was one of the club’s most mature, composed wins ever—and for the first time in years, it felt like they might actually stick the landing.</p> <p>Naturally, the very next week, they got belted by Adelaide. This time, they were the ones kept goalless in the first half, en route to a 10-goal drubbing. The yo-yo was well and truly back.</p> <p>But true to form, they responded again. In front of a fired-up home crowd, they dismantled Brisbane in the return Q-Clash—possibly their most complete performance of the year. They followed it up with a big win over Richmond, then held off a fast-finishing Carlton to put themselves on the edge of locking in a historic finals spot.</p> <p>Two wins from their final three games would’ve guaranteed them top four. But, in classic Suns fashion, they lost to GWS (who’ve always had the wood on them) and then somehow managed to fall to a Port Adelaide side barely holding itself together.</p> <p>Suddenly, it looked like the whole season might go up in flames.</p> <p>Luckily, that postponed Essendon match—moved to the end of the season—was still in their back pocket. And all they had to do was beat a patched-up Bombers outfit at home.</p> <p>They did just that—convincingly.</p> <p>At long last, after years of promise, false dawns, coaching changes, and heartbreak, the Gold Coast Suns officially locked in their first-ever AFL finals campaign.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Gold Coast Suns Players to Watch</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Matt Rowell</h3> <p>There are some players you watch and think, ‘I can’t wait to see that guy play Finals Footy’</p> <p>That’s exactly the player Matt Rowell is.</p> <p>His ball hunting skills and ability to explode and drive out of the contest have been eye-catching and are exactly the traits needed to separate big finals.&nbsp;</p> <p>He’s one of the elite midfielders in the competition and will hopefully excel when the lights shine brightest.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Noah Anderson</h3> <p>Rowell’s running mate in the Suns engine room, and lifelong best mate, Anderson, has had close to the perfect year in his first year as captain of the Suns.&nbsp;</p> <p>He and Rowell form the formidable one-two punch in the midfield that easily get on top of oppositions with their ball handling and burst. Anderson’s eye for goal and finishing on the move is also an exceptional trait that has separated many games this season.&nbsp;</p> <p>He’ll be fun to watch here on the big stage.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Daniel Rioli</h3> <p>Premiership experience always counts for something, but when you’re bringing it to a side that has never, ever played finals before in their history, it heightens your role in the upcoming campaign.&nbsp;</p> <p>After missing the final third of the season with injury, Rioli returned full of running against the Bombers and looked set for another finals campaign.</p> <p>He has a massive role to play as a senior player and driver of the Suns ball movement.&nbsp;</p> <p><br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Why can Gold Coast win the AFL Premiership?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Rowell, Anderson, King.&nbsp;</p> <p>Three absolute stars of the competition have shone this year and have elevated themselves to be among the elite of the competition.&nbsp;</p> <p>Recruits John Noble and Daniel Rioli have added much zip and run out of the Suns' back half, making them such a damaging proposition moving the ball forward, and having X-Factors in Ben Long and Bailey Humphrey forward of the ball is another consideration for coaches when they are planning in match committee.&nbsp;</p> <p>They certainly have the talent and have shown that their best football is elite. But can they handle the heat of finals footy?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What will hold Gold Coast back from the 2025 AFL Premiership?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Suns only have 21 games worth of AFL Finals games experience on their list.</p> <p>That’s the lowest of all the competing clubs in the 2025 finals series.&nbsp;</p> <p>A first final away in a hostile environment, too. I think we’re putting this year down as a learning experience and a down payment on future years.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> First-round exit</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>How many AFL Premierships does Gold Coast have?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>None.</p> <p>The Suns have never played finals, and therefore, have not won a Premiership.</p> <p><br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>Gold Coast Suns Premiership Odds:</h2>