Four words from Touk Miller's dad used as inspiration for Gold Coast's win over Hawthorn

7NEWS

16-05-2025

Touk Miller helped ice the contest in his milestone game after his father had delivered the inspiration for their enthralling eight-point defeat of Hawthorn in Darwin.
The top-four sides took turns dominating on Thursday night at TIO Stadium, the Hawks leading in the final quarter after going behind by 32 points in the second term.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Touk Miller's dad delivers epic pump-up speech.
But the Suns — chasing a maiden finals appearance — had the answers in a 16.8 (104) to 15.6 (96) win that jumped them ahead of the Hawks (7-3) into second on the live ladder with a 7-2 record.
Miller (22 disposals, eight clearances, two goals) ran freely early, then popped up with a major that pushed the lead to eight points late in the final quarter.
That came after father Wylie, an American soul singer and bass guitarist, delivered a rousing pump-up speech to the players the day before his son's 200th game.
In the speech, Wylie said 'all gas, no brakes', which was used by Suns coach Damien Hardwick as inspiration.
'We did mention it, and used a great line from his dad — 'All gas, no brakes' — as inspiration,' Hardwick said.
'It's funny how the emotional connection can be of significant importance in a time of need. I thought our last quarter was very good.
'For the players to get up and drag themselves over the line for that special individual was quite a significant milestone.'
The back-to-back wins over the Western Bulldogs and Hawks in Darwin has the Suns firmly on track to play finals for the first time in their history.
'We're excited to play against contenders and be on the winning end,' Hardwick said.
'It's a sign of the growth. We were disappointing in these matches last year, especially when challenged.
'We've still got a lot of home games to come. The exciting thing is that we win away. That's one of our aims. The guys have grown.
'This group is gaining belief, momentum and where we go is up to us.'
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Sam Mitchell 'torn' after close loss
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has reminded his side that they're 'good but not great' after becoming the latest victims of the red-hot Gold Coast.
Last season's Gold Coast spanking reduced the Hawks to 0-5, but sparked their resurgence that led to a tight, semi-final exit.
Conscious of their progress since then - and the Suns' new-found legitimacy - Mitchell will leave Darwin with mixed emotions.
'I'm a bit torn,' Mitchell said.
'There's part of me, at 30-something points down that's pleased and proud but there's also a part that shows we're not where we want to be just yet.
'We've shown we're making progress in that direction but we've got work to do to beat the best sides.
'The Suns, here, are in that category.
'We're about where we deserve to be and that standard we hold ourselves to is getting higher and higher.
'This time last year it was easy to improve. Now we're a good side, but we're not a great side.
'That's the challenge now, what we accept of each other, just need to continue to make those gains.'
Hawthorn will host ladder-leaders and defending premiers Brisbane, a team they've beaten on each of their last five attempts.
'The goal is to compete with the really good sides when it really matters. Today was an opportunity, and our next game is against Brisbane, so we get another chance,' he said.
Mitchell praised inexperienced ruckman Ned Reeves in his battle with Gold Coast's dual rucks Jarrod Witts and Ned Moyle and gushed at Nick Watson's first-half impact.
The 20-year-old kicked three goals despite the Suns' midfield dominance but was unable to add to that tally in the second half.
'When the rest aren't going that well it's quite hard to be the one that stands out and does the right thing at the right time,' Mitchell said.
'Without him in the first 40 minutes, we were well and truly out of it.
'His challenge is to do it for longer ... that's what comes when you're 20 years old.'