Gold Coast Suns will have the worst list ever put on an AFL field, says Matthew Lloyd
AS the AFL Trade Period enters its penultimate day, one club has been slammed by Bombers great Matthew Lloyd for a devastating run.
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ESSENDON great Matthew Lloyd has declared Gold Coast’s list as the “worst” ever put out on an AFL field.
The struggling Suns won just four games in 2018 and with a mass exodus of players in the off-season, including co-captain Tom Lynch and possibly other co-captain Steven May — Lloyd expects the club to put out one of the worst lists ever seen in the competition.
“Leigh Matthews, I sit with him every weekend on 3AW Football and he talks about the breeding ground that is the Gold Coast Suns and the Brisbane Lions,” Lloyd told AFL Trade Radio.
“Brisbane at least are finding their feet with David Noble, Chris Fagan, Luke Hodge — they’ve brought some great people in and they’ve suddenly held their players.
“But Gold Coast Suns, it’s the opposite of that. I’ve never seen anything like this. Gerard Healy says this year they were the worst team since Fitzroy, I think next year they get even worse. No Tom Lynch, most likely no Steven May.
“This will be the worst list we’ve ever seen put on an AFL field and they (Port Adelaide) are just openly saying we will take players within two years.”
McClure: I think next year we treat the Suns as their start up year
â NAB AFL Trade Radio (@traderadio) October 15, 2018
Dal Santo: I'd feel disappointed if I was drafted to that club. I feel sorry for those players#NABTradeRadio
No culture, no fan base, no players, no future. Millions pumped Into a team that was doomed to fail. @afl @thelistmanager @davidking34 @kanecornes
â John Whistler (@johnawhistler) October 15, 2018
The Power sent a warning to the Suns, declaring they would be targeting their potential Pick 2 and 3 prospects Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine in two years time when their contracts expire.
“If a Lukosius and a Rankine end up going to Gold Coast like SOS said, we’re probably pretty happy to try and get them back in a few years’ time,” Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps said on Monday.
“Because then it just becomes a two-horse race between us and the Crows, as opposed to a Victorian kid that wants to come back home — he’s potentially got 10 options. So that’s part of the discussion and strategy.
Lloyd explained that if the Suns could fix their environment, players would want to “stay and grow together” and stop the poor results.
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