IS there such thing as calling it too early?
We know we’re only early into the 2020 season but boy have the Suns been impressive.
First they knocked off premiership fancies West Coast by 44 points before making their match against Adelaide the following week look like a training run at Metricon.
MORE AUSSIE RULES
SECRET SUNS PART 2: WHY GOLD COAST DON’T NEED RIVAL STAR
SECRET SUNS PART 1: ‘FLOOD THEIR DESKS’
To put it simply, we’re on the Suns 2020 bandwagon and seats are filling up fast.
Ahead of the club’s Round 4 win against the Fremantle Dockers, we reached out to five prominent Gold Coast footy figures to get their thoughts on the Suns’ 2020 chances.
Could we see the men qualify for finals for the first time in their 10 year history just months after the women did it during their maiden AFLW campaign?
Only time will tell.
Lynton Martin
Suns super fan
Why could the 2020 Suns finally be the real deal and the making of the club?
The way we are playing footy is exciting. We have great speed, passion, and pressure across the whole ground. Everyone has each other’s back which will go a long way to making the club successful. We have gotten the culture finally right and competition for spots is red hot meaning no one will be gifted games. The young brigade has brought a whole bunch of energy into the club and the older boys are feeding off it!
What do they need to do now to take the next step?
We need to show we can play when the pressure is on. We’ve had two great games so far but our challenge is consistency. Especially with a young team we will have ups and downs but we just need to show the footy world that we can play and live up to the favourites tag. If we can do that, we might be the real deal and continue making progress to success!
Kalinda Howarth
Suns AFLW player and All-Australian
Why could the 2020 Suns finally be the real deal and the making of the club?
When the AFLW team first came into the club we were made to feel very welcome by the boys and they had a great culture already embedded. We have a real whole of club mentality and hopefully the boys were inspired after we made finals for the first time in our season.
What do they need to do now to take the next step?
A bunch of us girls went along to watch the boys play last weekend and we were really impressed. They’re playing a really exciting brand of footy so if they can keep that up for the rest of the year we’re sure they’ll have a great season.
Michael Rischitelli
Inaugural Gold Coast Sun and former vice-captain
Why could the 2020 Suns finally be the real deal and the making of the club?
It’s obviously very early days. During the history of the Suns, we seem to play pretty well at the start of year. The real test going to be during the year if they do pick up any injuries as such but so far they’ve shown promise. They’re working together really well and everyone doing bit. The midfielders are working hard, the backs are working well together and the forwards are always on the move so it’s pretty hard to defend when you have all those areas working well together. Coming into the fourth round, they’ve got another test but they don’t have to change too much. If they can keep doing what they’ve been doing last few rounds, it’s looking positive from club and they can hopefully start building something special.
What do they need to do now to take the next step?
For the most part, it’s going to be about not overthinking it and stick to what they’ve been doing. They’ve been starting games really well and it looks like they’re working harder than opposition by watching it. The last two rounds, they’ve been a lot cleaner around ball and they’ve gotten more numbers around the ball to the point it looks like they’ve got an extra man on the field. It’s a fair indication you’re working harder than your opposition when you’re questioning whether there’s 18 or 19 blokes on the field.
LOCAL AUSSIE RULES
BUDARICK DESTINED FOR GREATNESS
AFL PREMIERSHIP CAT LOST TO COAST QAFL CLUB
Nicole Graves
Coolangatta QAFLW coach
Why could the 2020 Suns finally be the real deal and the making of the club?
There’s a couple of differ anomalies this year and teams who haven’t been successful playing good footy. The Suns are young and exciting. They have a nothing to lose attitude style attitude and they’re really committed to one another. A few talented young guys have signed on so they obviously believe in whatever Dewy is doing down there. They’re playing with freedom, enjoying each others company and they’re definitely up and about but time will tell.
What do they need to do now to take the next step?
It’s a timing thing now. They’ve got a core group of senior guys who have been at club for few years. The improvement is going to come from the young guys. If you can get a couple seasons into those middle tier, 50-100 game players, success will come with the balance of youth and experience.
Steve Daniel
Southport Sharks NEAFL coach
Why could the 2020 Suns finally be the real deal and the making of the club?
I don’t think this year will quite be their year. I think they’ve shown enough improvement already but next year is going to be a big year for them. They’re going be a good side, but it’s all about getting games into their young guns. They’ve got a lot of young talent approaching 40-50 game marks so if you can get 18 games into them, they’ll develop nicely.
What do they need to do now to take the next step?
I think they’ve got what they need now to be honest. They’ve put together an impressive list but they need a bit of belief to grow together as a group. They’re showing that already so the future is looking pretty bright.
Add your comment to this story
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout
Track Watch: Doubts grow over star Sun’s Opening Round chances
The Suns could be on the verge of a major Opening Round blow, with one of their brightest stars now officially in doubt to make their first clash of the season against the Bombers.
‘F*** I miss it’: How the Cutters managed to sign former Sun
After stepping away from the AFL due to mental fatigue, former Richmond Tigers premiership star and Gold Coast Sun Brandon Ellis has rediscovered his love for the game, signing with the South Cairns Cutters for the 2025 season. This is why.