The Coast Clash is an Australian rules football rivalry, contested by the Southport Sharks and the Gold Coast Suns in the Victorian Football League (VFL). 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. After the NEAFL disbanded in 2020, both clubs moved to the VFL.

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 Gold Coast's board.

, Gold Coast has won 14 matches of the 22 matches played. Since both clubs joined the VFL in 2021, Southport has been more successful, winning five Coast Clash matches to Gold Coast's two.

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. 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 at Tramway Oval two weeks earlier.

The match was rescheduled to take play on 31 July 2021 at Carrara Training Oval. 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. 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.

After ten minutes of play, all players were ordered off the field and the match was abandoned for no result. Although the match was officially declared abandoned, the finishing scores were 1.2 (8) to 1.0 (6).

The match was rescheduled to be held in round 18, but the VFL season was curtailed on 1 September 2021.

Results # Year League Home Away Ground Date Winner Ref Team Score Team Score 1 2011 NEAFL 9 Gold Coast 18.5 (113) Southport 11.11 (77) 28 May 36 2 14 Southport 9.6 (60) Gold Coast 24.11 (125) 2 Jul 95 3 2012 2 Southport 10.5 (65) Gold Coast 19.17 (131) 31 Mar 66 4 2013 7 Gold Coast 16.10 (106) Southport 11.11 (77) 4 May 29 5 2014 1 Southport 12.16 (88) Gold Coast 9.4 (58) 29 Mar 30 6 14 Gold Coast 4.6 (30) Southport 25.15 (165) 5 Jul 135 7 2015 5 Gold Coast 17.16 (118) Southport 16.8 (104) 9 May 14 8 14 Southport 13.10 (88) Gold Coast 18.10 (118) 11 Jul 30 9 2016 14 Gold Coast 14.11 (95) Southport 9.8 (62) 2 Jul 33 10 20 Southport 11.6 (72) Gold Coast 13.7 (85) 14 Aug 13 11 2017 10 Gold Coast 23.18 (156) Southport 6.3 (39) 3 Jun 117 12 17 Southport 6.4 (40) Gold Coast 14.14 (98) 22 Jul 58 13 2018 9 Southport 12.7 (79) Gold Coast 14.9 (93) 2 Jun 14 14 2019 11 Southport 9.9 (63) Gold Coast 12.6 (78) 15 Jun 15 — 2020 3 Gold Coast — Southport — 2 May — — — — 11 Southport — Gold Coast — 13 Jun — — — 15 2021 VFL 6 Southport 17.14 (116) Gold Coast 5.3 (33) 21 May 83 16 16 Gold Coast 1.2 (8) Southport 1.0 (6) 31 Jul ABAN — 17 2022 21 Gold Coast 14.10 (94) Southport 12.13 (85) 13 Aug 9 18 PF Southport 14.25 (109) Gold Coast 13.3 (81) 11 Sep 28 19 2023 8 Southport 10.14 (74) Gold Coast 12.4 (76) 13 May 2 20 2024 7 Gold Coast 8.10 (58) Southport 16.9 (105) 12 May 47 21 2025 4 Southport 16.15 (111) Gold Coast 8.8 (56) 19 Apr 55 22 2026 3 Southport 22.13 (145) Gold Coast 10.9 (69) 4 Apr 76

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 Ref Team Score Team Score 1 2009 — Southport 6.3 (39) Gold Coast 3.5 (23) 20 Mar 16 2 2015 NEAFL Gold Coast 18.15 (123) Southport 2.2 (14) 14 Mar 109 3 2016 Gold Coast 9.8 (62) Southport 11.13 (79) 12 Mar 17 4 2021 VFL Gold Coast 15.3 (93) Southport 6.11 (47) 27 Mar 46 5 2024 Gold Coast 11.4 (70) Southport 14.6 (90) 1 Mar 20 6 2026 Gold Coast 13.8 (86) Southport 7.3 (45) 6 Mar 41

Records Highest scores # Score Club Game 1 25.15 (165) Round 14, 2014 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium 2 23.18 (156) Round 10, 2017 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium 3 22.13 (145) Round 3, 2026 (VFL) at Fankhauser Reserve 4 19.17 (131) Round 2, 2012 (NEAFL) at Fankhauser Reserve 5 24.11 (125) Round 14, 2011 (NEAFL) at Fankhauser Reserve

Lowest scores # Score Club Game — 1.0 (6) Round 16, 2021 (VFL) at Carrara Training Oval — 1.2 (8) Round 16, 2021 (VFL) at Carrara Training Oval 3 4.6 (30) Round 14, 2014 (NEAFL) at Carrara Stadium 4 5.3 (33) Round 6, 2021 (VFL) at Fankhauser Reserve 5 6.3 (39) 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 Ref 2013–2015 2016–2021 2018–2019 2016; 2021– 2018–2020 2021– 2016–2017 2018–2019 2011–2024 2026– 2025– 2024 2019–2024 2025– 2015 2003 2011–2016 2017–2022 2011 2006; 2010 2018– 2014

See also QClash Rivalries in the Victorian Football League

Notes

References

External links