"All Gas, No Brakes."
That is the motto that the Gold Coast Suns have been told to live by in their club’s inaugural finals campaign - driven by their triple-premiership winning coach Damien Hardwick.
Their first race was arguably the hardest task in the AFL, flying to Perth and facing the most in-form team in the competition, with Fremantle fresh off winning 12 of their last 14 matches.
Checkpoint, passed.
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Their next race is a trip up the highway to face their big brothers, the reigning premiers on their home ground, The Gabba.
The Suns have only ever won in Brisbane three times, with the last time being in 2018.
But this time, the Suns can make a big statement against their big brothers.
The last time they met, the Suns showed they have exactly what it takes to beat the Brisbane Lions with an 11-goal victory to give the Suns their biggest-ever Q-Clash victory.
That game was purely won in the midfield, with the Suns' depth proving too much to handle for the Lions.
Matt Rowell’s first Marcus Ashcroft Medal-winning performance consisted of 37 disposals that were highlighted with 15 clearances.
While Noah Anderson’s 33-disposal, five-clearance night was matched by his midfield counterparts Brayden Fiorini (32 and four) and Alex Davies (30 and six).
Brisbane’s defeat to Geelong in last Friday night’s Qualifying Final was no different, with the Cats winning clearances and keeping the Lions to seven centre clearances - well down from their 2024 average of 12.
If the Suns can win the ball at the coalface, it will take away the Lions' ability to link the football into quick, uncontested marks and transitions.
This is a blueprint that was discovered early in the season by Simon Goodwin.
“This is a potential gameplan or blueprint for opposition sides when they come up against Brisbane,” triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt told Fox Footy after Melbourne’s round ten victory over the Lions.
“If you can take away their uncontested mark rate, you’re half a chance of beating them.”
That blueprint was used by both the Suns and the Cats en route to their victories in recent weeks - and will need to be used again this Saturday night.
As Hardwick said, “At some stage, little brother has got to step up and take them on on their home deck.”
And that stage is now.