{"id":586489,"date":"2026-04-05T06:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T06:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/586489\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T06:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T06:01:13","slug":"afl-round-four-live-updates-melbourne-vs-gold-coast-western-bulldogs-vs-essendon-blog-scores-and-stats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/586489\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL round four live updates: Melbourne vs Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs vs Essendon \u2014 blog, scores and stats"},"content":{"rendered":"

50m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:09amAFL Sunday scoreboard\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Just nowSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:59am<\/p>\n

Ethan Read kicks one for Gold Coast\"Andrew<\/p>\n

This is back-and-forth stuff at the MCG!<\/p>\n

Mac Andrew gets the ball in the centre, and boots it long.<\/p>\n

The Demons give away a free kick for holding Ethan Read, and he kicks the goal.<\/p>\n

Who is going to grab control of this one?<\/p>\n

2m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:57am<\/p>\n

Mihocek answers for the Demons\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Melbourne could have been frustrated about allowing that Suns goal, but they don’t let it get to them.<\/p>\n

The Demons are winning contested ball and a great kick from on 50 leads to a brilliant contested mark by Brody Mihocek.<\/p>\n

It should have been spoiled by the Suns, but Mihocek shows strength and poise and he slots the goal.<\/p>\n

The lead is back to a kick.<\/p>\n

5m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:54am<\/p>\n

Gold Coast’s Lachie Gulbin kicks his first AFL goal!\"Andrew<\/p>\n

What an answer from the Suns!<\/p>\n

Matt Rowell got the ball out of a tackle, and he and Daniel Rioli just kept it moving downfield. A chain of handballs led from a chip from the wing to Lachie Gulbin in the forward pocket.<\/p>\n

The second-gamer took the mark – and he absolutely nailed the kick!<\/p>\n

Great goal and the Suns lead by 12.<\/p>\n

7m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:52am<\/p>\n

Early chance missed by Latrell Pickett\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The Demons have been getting on top at the clearances, and they got another centre clearance to start the second term.<\/p>\n

The ball was fed forward from Max Gawn to Latrell Pickett, who ran inside 50 but his kick pulled to the left.<\/p>\n

That could and should have been an early goal there.<\/p>\n

9m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:50am<\/p>\n

How good is Easter Sunday footy?\"Andrew<\/p>\n

No weekend off for you Andrew . Look forward to today\u2019s games. Are you doing both ?\n<\/p>\n

– Phillip<\/p>\n

Phillip,<\/p>\n

I’m happy to say I’m on for both games today – and if this one keeps going the way it’s started, then we should be in for a belter of a contest.<\/p>\n

10m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:49am<\/p>\n

QT stats\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Inside 50s: 15-11 Melbourne<\/p>\n

Clearances: 9-5 Melbourne<\/p>\n

Centre clearances: 3-1 Melbourne<\/p>\n

Contested Possessions: 30-25 Melbourne<\/p>\n

Uncontested Possessions: 67-64 Gold Coast<\/p>\n

Marks Inside 50: 5-4 Melbourne<\/p>\n

Hit outs: 12-9 Melbourne<\/p>\n

The stats favour the Demons, and the home side are getting the clearances and playing some solid football. They need to start finishing better.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

13m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:47amQT: Gold Coast 4.1 (25) leads Melbourne 2.6 (18)\"Andrew\"DanielDaniel Rioli has had a ton of the ball in the first quarter for the Suns (Getty Images\/AFL Photos)<\/p>\n

The siren sounds, and the Suns survive some late attacks until Christian Salem snaps a goal with the last kick of the quarter.<\/p>\n

All of a sudden the lead is back to seven points, and the Demons are right in this.<\/p>\n

The worry for Steven King’s men is that whenever Gold Coast get out they look capable of scoring – Daniel Rioli’s run has been important in particular.<\/p>\n

The visitors might have had a couple more goals if Ben King had not been squinting into the sun and the floodlights at one end of the MCG.<\/p>\n

The main thing is this has been an entertaining spectacle, and it doesn’t look like either side is going defensive any time soon.<\/p>\n

21m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:38am<\/p>\n

A big miss from Melbourne’s Jai Culley\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The Demons are still setting up chances, and that time they found Jai Culley in the right forward pocket.<\/p>\n

Instead of the drop punt, Culley went for the round-the-corner kick, but he pulled it badly to the right.<\/p>\n

A chance missed.<\/p>\n

23m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:36am<\/p>\n

King gets his second\"Andrew<\/p>\n

If you’re Melbourne right now, you’d be concerned about the regularity with which the Suns are getting out and free.<\/p>\n

They are spotting up their forwards and they hit King again inside 50.<\/p>\n

This time the full-forward nails the kick – he has two goals\u00a0 and the Suns have four.<\/p>\n

They lead by 16 points into time on.<\/p>\n

25m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:34am<\/p>\n

A rare miss from Ben King\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The Suns are looking dangerous when they go forward, and that time they kicked to Ben King who marked right side of 50.<\/p>\n

But King misses! That’s 20 kicks for the season for the Suns’ spearhead, who has 17.2.<\/p>\n

27m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:32am<\/p>\n

Zeke Uwland extends Gold Coast’s lead\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The Suns are the best team in the league in scoring from turnovers, and they just got another one there.<\/p>\n

When they jar the ball free, there are more Gold Coast players waiting to pounce.<\/p>\n

The Suns didn’t get it direct, but Ethan Read kicked wide from the pocket for Zeke Uwland to mark and goal.<\/p>\n

30m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:29am<\/p>\n

Brody Mihocek answers for Melbourne\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The Demons reply!<\/p>\n

A nice move from the Demons, and Brody Mihocek marks and boots a big goal for Melbourne.<\/p>\n

That’s better from the home side.<\/p>\n

The lead is four points to Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

34m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:25am<\/p>\n

Ethan Read gets Gold Coast’s second\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The inside 50s are level at 4-4, but the Suns are just taking their chances. They moved it fast down the wing, and then long to the square.<\/p>\n

The ball bounced around but the Suns held it in forward 50, and Ethan Read grabbed it and snapped it from 15m out.<\/p>\n

It’s two goals to none so far.<\/p>\n

38m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:21am<\/p>\n

It’s a fast start at the MCG\"Andrew<\/p>\n

The ball is moving fast at the MCG.<\/p>\n

The Suns burst out of defence and nearly went coast-to-coast, but the Demons chopped it off.<\/p>\n

The home side then went forward and kicked long – it nearly bounced through, but Daniel Rioli punched it through for a point.<\/p>\n

42m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:18am<\/p>\n

Ben King kicks the opener for the Suns\"Andrew<\/p>\n

That didn’t take long!<\/p>\n

The Suns went forward early, Lachie Gulbin kicked long from the wing, and Ben King took a clean grab near the square.<\/p>\n

King kicks the goal, and it’s the Suns who lead after a minute’s play.<\/p>\n

44m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:15amWe are underway at the MCG\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Here we go at the MCG – it’ll be Max Gawn against Jarrod Witts in the ruck.<\/p>\n

There’s been an interesting call from the Suns – they’re putting Matt Rowell on the bench to start with! Look out when he finally does get on the park.<\/p>\n

47m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:12am<\/p>\n

Recent results between Melbourne and Gold Coast\"AndrewR17, 2025: Gold Coast by 19 (Carrara)R4, 2025: Gold Coast by 58 (MCG)R24, 2024: Melbourne by 54 (Carrara)R8, 2023: Melbourne by 5 (Carrara)R2, 2022: Melbourne by 13 (Carrara)R20, 2021: Melbourne by 98 (Docklands)<\/p>\n

Up until last year, the Melbourne Demons were a definite bogey side for Gold Coast. Twelve straight wins dating back to 2016 included some absolute beltings and some heartbreaking losses, including a one-point defeat at Carrara where the Suns led by a goal at the 30-minute mark and still lost by a point.<\/p>\n

But the new edition of Gold Coast that reached finals for the first time last year beat Melbourne twice along the way, including a near 10-goal win at headquarters.<\/p>\n

The Dees are coming off a morale-boosting comeback win over Carlton, and the Suns have some big outs, but Damien Hardwick’s men go into this as favourites to make it three on the bounce against the Red and the Blue.<\/p>\n

55m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:04amAre the Suns the real deal?\"Andrew\"TheThe Suns beat Richmond at the MCG in round two – can they get the points at headquarters again? (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

One of the frustrations of the Gold Coast Suns in previous years was their frequent strong starts to seasons before an inevitable late fade.<\/p>\n

Last year things changed. The Suns started 4-0 and were still 8-2 after 10 games.<\/p>\n

Even though they had a late blip, they made history on the Gold Coast by qualifying for a first-ever finals and then winning on the road against Fremantle in an elimination final.<\/p>\n

Expectations have lifted for this season, particularly with the arrival of Christian Petracca. The Suns have so far taken care of Geelong, West Coast and Richmond, all by margins of more than 50 points.<\/p>\n

The question is are they that good or have they had a soft start? Geelong looked a little underdone in opening round, while the Tigers and the Eagles are not world-beaters.<\/p>\n

Winning again at the MCG, and showing they can win without the duo of Petracca and Humphrey would be a start.<\/p>\n

The difference between being 4-0 and 3-1 going into Gather Round could be crucial, given the Suns have to face Sydney and Hawthorn in the next three weeks.<\/p>\n

1h agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 4:57am<\/p>\n

Teams are in for Demons vs Suns\"Andrew\"\"(AFL.com.au)<\/p>\n

No late changes to the sides, which you can see here.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, the Demons confirmed an injury to Bayley Fritsch, who is out with foot soreness. Fritsch kicked six goals over the last two games, including four in Melbourne’s comeback win over Carlton, so he will be missed.<\/p>\n

Also out is Changkuoth Jiath (calf) and last week’s debutant Paddy Cross (thumb).<\/p>\n

In to the side come Bailey Laurie in the forward line, plus the experienced Jake Melksham and key defender Daniel Turner.<\/p>\n

For the Suns, today will be another test of their depth. With Bailey Humphrey suspended and Christian Petracca recovering from a hamstring injury, Gold Coast selectors have pulled a surprise move by omitting Alex Davies, who has been one of the team’s best in-and-under midfielders this season.<\/p>\n

As far as ins go, however, they don’t get much bigger than Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell, who returns after a nasty finger injury.<\/p>\n

Also coming in are Lachie Gulbin and tall forward Jed Walter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"50m agoSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:09amAFL Sunday scoreboard Just nowSun 5 Apr 2026 at 5:59am Ethan Read…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,21452,4026,24706,4125,588,85,9391],"class_list":{"0":"post-586489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-bombers","14":"tag-bulldogs","15":"tag-demons","16":"tag-live","17":"tag-sport","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-suns"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}