Suns vice-captain Sam Collins backs Dew to coach for ‘many years’ amid Hardwick speculation
Rumours of Damien Hardwick taking over as Gold Coast coach has motivated the club’s players to ‘rally’ around their ‘great coach’ and get a ‘strong win’ this week.
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Gold Coast vice-captain Sam Collins has hit back at rumours Damien Hardwick would be a suitor to his club’s top coaching job, saying current holder Stuart Dew “absolutely” has the full support of the playing group.
Shortly after Hardwick’s shock resignation as Richmond senior coach on Tuesday morning, talk began of the three-time premiership coach returning to the job at another club with Suns leading the charge.
But since the fracas began, Collins has been the first Suns player to come out in support of Dew, saying the two-time AFL premiership player is “the man for the job.”
“I know that I absolutely think the full playing group have the support of Dewy and I think the club has come out and supported Dewy which is really good,” Collins said on Friday morning.
“But what was pleasing for me to hear is he has come out and said he is the man for the job and that we’re fully aligned as players, a club and Dewy, we’re all aligned.
“So hopefully we can have a strong win this week and really rally for him.”
Dew has coached 111 games for the Suns and holds a 31-79 win-loss record with one draw.
The 43-year-old played 180 games for Port Adelaide and won a premiership with the club in 2004. He also won a flag with Hawthorn in 2008 where he played 26 games.
Collins said speculative talk about coaching replacements is “a part of the AFL” before going on to say Dew is a “great coach” and “has really got the best out of me so I look forward to working with him closely for many years to come”.
The 28-year-old defender was complimentary of the work Dew had already done since taking up the senior coaching position at the Suns in 2018.
“We absolutely value Dewy,” he said.
“He is a great coach, he builds really strong relationships with the players.
“The way he educates, leads and develops our list is up there with the best.
“I think the culture and environment that he and the leadership group and the club have created so the boys can thrive and achieve their best up here is something he should definitely be proud of.”
The coaching speculation follows reports of former Suns coach Guy McKenna saying Hardwick would be a perfect fit to help the Suns retain their talented list as the premiership coach recharges his batteries before a new coaching adventure.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Dew said he did not expect to be going anywhere in response to the talk.
“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Dew said on Wednesday.
“I feel like we should be celebrating Damien, his contribution to the game, his journey … I certainly think 24 hours should have been sufficient to celebrate him.
“(But) it’s become a little bit of a sport as to who’s next. I find it amusing, (and) I texted Damien about it.
“I’m confident I’m the coach for this club now and into the future and I think the club’s pretty clear I am that too.
“I’m 10 games into a new contract.
“We’ve got a playing list I feel that’s committed to the club knowing I’m the coach.
“That connection is strong. I think we’ve committed to each other and that’s powerful.”
Dew assured he wanted to continue as Suns coach saying, “for me, I love this club and I think I’m the one to lead it, simple as that.”
On arrival to Darwin Airport ahead of his side’s big clash against the Bulldogs, Dew again reaffirmed he was the right person to lead the Suns.
“I’m really confident in my spot here, we’ve built a connection, myself and this playing group, and we’re committed to each other to
see it through,” Dew said on Thursday afternoon.
“That’s as simple as that, we’ve got a job to do.
“Whether it’s Damien or a loss, we can’t at any time lose focus on the next game, this one being in Darwin.
“It’s cliché, but it is a week at a time, otherwise you can get lost in the noise and that can distract you, and we have to make sure we remain focused.”
The 13th placed Suns will take on a Bulldogs side, who are on a hot five-game win streak, on Saturday night.
Territory Suns touch down in Darwin ahead of double-header
The Gold Coast Suns have touched down ahead of their Darwin double-header, with their large Territory contingent chomping at the bit to perform in front of friends and family.
The Suns are eyeing a climb up the table when they host back-to-back games at their second home against Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows.
To mark the occasion they’ve brought an 80-strong person travelling team with the club set to take on Footscry as well in a rare Darwin-based VFL curtain raiser.
And it’s that opportunity which will allow the entire eight-strong Territory contingent to play at TIO Stadium in some capacity.
Coach Stuart Dew called it a unique opportunity for the NT players who had all become core parts of the AFL and VFL squads.
“We’re excited, it’s good to be back and it’s great to have both squads here as well,” Dew said.
“We have eight players with connections to the Territory, which is unique and something we never would have thought could happen going back three years.
“For them to play in front of family and friends is unique and exciting, I think they would love that and will take the opportunity to play well.”
Former Darwin Buffalo Malcolm Rosas Jr has cemented his place in the side which currently sits 13th on the AFL ladder.
He and fellow Territorian Joel Jeffrey lit up TIO Stadium last year, both showing how to get the job done in the Top End.
And it’s the skills they showed a year ago which could have Jeffrey called back into the main side for the double-header in front of his home crowd.
Former St Kilda player Ben Long is another pushing for AFL contention, while Lloyd Johnston, Sandy Brock and Jed Anderson have all impressed at VFL level.
It’s those performances and the increasing cohort of Territory players which Dew believes will grow the club’s supporter base in the Top End.
While the club will also be targeting school visits and trips to the Tiwi Islands to further integrate themselves into the community.
“We want everyone in the Territory to be Suns supporters and winning helps that,” Dew said.
“Last year we created a positive feel around the group and community, and reaching out in that way is another job for us to do over the next 10 days.
“This trip is a really good mix of the obvious business, downtime and some fun community visits, which the players who missed out last time are really looking forward to.”
AFL champion reveals what ‘determines’ wins in Darwin
Darwin’s AFL team Gold Coast Suns could go as high as seventh or fall to as low as second last on the ladder after back-to-back games at TIO Stadium in the next fortnight.
The AFL side, still chasing their first finals appearance since joining the competition in 2011, currently sit in 13th and will play against two top eight sides in the Western Bulldogs on Saturday before facing Adelaide Crows a week later in Darwin.
Ahead of the crucial matches, Suns co-captain Jarrod Witts said pressure would be a key focus in sweaty Top End conditions.
“We have seen a few stats and it is a pressure game up there in Darwin,” Witts said.
“The ball is obviously on the deck a little bit more and teams are able to apply a bit more pressure.
“So that is going to be an important part of the game and have a determining outcome on the result I reckon.”
The Suns hold a strong record at TIO Stadium in recent times with wins over Hawthorn and North Melbourne coming by more than 60 points last season.
Witts said he “loved” coming to the Territory following last year’s “great trip.”
The 30-year-old remained focused on maintaining the winning atmosphere the Suns created in the Top End last time, despite knowing the effect the next two matches could have on his side’s season.
“Every game is important at this point with where we are sitting,” the 2019 club champion said.
“It’s our second home ground up there and we want to try and cement it as our really important place to go and play strong footy.
“We will obviously look ahead towards the Bulldogs and try not look too much further than that.”
The Bulldogs will enter Round 11 on a hot five-game win streak while the 4-6 Suns will be aiming for their fourth win in six weeks.
The Suns have shown potential this season with a 19-point win over reigning premier Geelong in Round 4.
Recently, they have also had competitive encounters with Melbourne where they could have won by a point with a late set shot in Round 8, and Brisbane where they were down by five points early in the last quarter last week.
The Crows, who the Suns play in Round 12, are currently two spots below the Bulldogs in 8th position with a 5-5 record.
VFL curtain raiser locked in for Gold Coast Suns-Western Bulldogs Darwin match
A VFL curtain raiser between the Gold Coast Suns and Footscray Bulldogs has been confirmed for the Round 11 clash at TIO Stadium in Darwin following discussions between the AFL and clubs.
The Suns played back-to-back AFL home-and-away games at TIO Stadium last season where they defeated Hawthorn by 67 points before knocking off North Melbourne by 62 points.
This year, the Suns reserve VFL side will join the seniors for the first game and spend the weekend as one whole group, which Suns football manager Wayne Campbell expects to benefit the club.
“We obviously came up last year and spent the two weekends there and the whole week and it was all incredibly positive,” he said.
“The only thing we lacked is we had to spilt our program; the VFL boys stayed back here (on the Gold Coast).
“It was probably the one learning out of it, we were really keen for them to come up.
“Fortunately, the Western bulldogs were really keen and the AFL were first keen to do it as well so they will come up to play a curtain raiser to the first game between the Dogs and Suns.
“It’s really exciting for us but really exciting obviously for footy in Darwin too with a couple of games up there as well.”
Campbell, who joined the Suns last year following a successful four-year stint at the Giants, said he believed the curtain raiser would offer a “competitive advantage” for their group.
“The connection really, anytime there is a curtain raiser, it is great,” he said.
“There is the practicality of staff being able to see the game and being involved in both games.
“There is the piece around the AFL boys being able to watch the VFL boys.
“But for us, especially being able to spend four days of the year together in a beautiful spot like Darwin, we feel it is a real competitive advantage for us.”
Gold Coast has nine players on its list who have connections to the Territory.
Jed Anderson, Ben Long, Joel Jeffrey, Malcolm Rosas Jr, Sandy Brock and Lloyd Johnston who were born in the NT, as well as AFLW Suns player Ashanti Bush.
Jy Farrar’s brother has been a standout in the NTFL in recent times and Sean Lemmens has a family link to the Tiwi Islands.
With the announcement of the VFL curtain raiser for Round 11, it means every men’s player on the Suns list with friends and family in the Territory will get the opportunity to play in front of them.
Anderson is set to play in the Top End again but this time as a Sun following last year’s game where he was in North Melbourne colours taking on his current club.
Gold Coast Suns defender Jy Farrar unveils Indigenous jersey design
A Gold Coast Suns side filled to the brim with Territory talent has unveiled its Indigenous jerseys for the team’s upcoming clashes at ‘fortress Darwin’.
The Suns have embraced the Top End as their second home and will play back-to-back games at TIO Stadium against the Bulldogs (May 27) and Adelaide (June 3), on the back of a successful 2022 double-header.
And with nine players on their list with connections to the Territory, the side is hoping to maintain its solid Darwin form in front of friends and family.
Joel Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas Jr are among the players who grew up playing at TIO, and last year set the stadium alight playing for the first time as AFL stars at their childhood ground against Hawthorn.
Defender Jy Farrar also has plenty of Territory connections with his brothers being standout players in the NTFL over the past few years.
And the Indigenous jersey heavily features elements from his own artwork, Our Cultural Journey.
It also incorporates the Gold Coast community with fans and spectators given the chance to add their fingerprints to the design.
The jersey includes the crocodile, designed by Trent Lee, to represent the NT, while the Luther Cora-created eagle represents the Gold Coast.
“We wanted to do it a little bit differently this year with the whole community chipping in,” Farrar said.
“We had a big painting at one of our home games and members and fans were given the chance to stamp their fingerprint on it, so it was more like a community creation, that was something I was pretty proud of.
“It’s special to be able to showcase our Gold Coast community on the guernseys, represented through our members, fans and supporters fingerprints in the design.”
The Suns will wear the jersey across both of the Sir Doug Nicholls rounds and the second of their two matches at TIO Stadium.
And it’s TIO which the Suns recognise as their fortress after winning both their matches there in 2022 against Hawthorn and North Melbourne.
“Darwin is our fortress and our second home,” Farrar said.
“The Gold Coast Suns love playing there and love winning there, and going back to spend time in the community getting around the kids and running footy clinics.”
Farrar didn’t get to play the first Darwin match of 2022 as he recovered from a concussion, but was fit and firing in the second match against North Melbourne.
In 2023 he’s looking forward to heading out again with more Territorians around him, including one time opponent Jed Anderson and former St Kilda star Ben Long.
Suns veteran Sean Lemmens also has Territory links to the Tiwi Islands, while Territory recruits Lloyd Johnston and Sandy Brock are on the hunt for their first game in Suns colours.
“It means a lot, most of us have a connection up in Darwin,” Farrar said.
“So if you get the opportunity to play up there you’re obviously playing for a little bit more than just a footy game, you’re playing in front of family and friends.
“It gives you that extra bit of hop in your step, so it’s a privilege to play in Darwin.
“For (Rosas and Jeffrey) especially playing on their home deck they grew up on, I’m sure they made some very special memories winning those two games and playing in their hometown.
“For me it was real good after sitting on the sideline in the first game, then to get the call up in the second game was great playing in front of my brothers.”
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