Gold Coast Suns reveal strategy to stop last season AFL fade-outs

The Suns have moved to stop the fade-outs that have marred the back-end of recent AFL seasons, implementing a strategy that has been in the making for the past four years. DISCOVER THEIR BOLD PLAN HERE

THE Suns have moved to stop the fade-outs that have marred the back-end of recent AFL seasons, implementing a strategy that has been in the making for the past four years.

Gold Coast has a history of starting seasons strong under coach Stuart Dew before struggling to maintain the winning momentum.

It has resulted in a huge number of losses in the second-half of most seasons, winning just six games in the back half of the year since Dew took over in 2018.

Head coach Stuart Dew is seen during a Gold Coast Suns AFL training session at Austworld Centre Training Ovals on December 15, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

The club made strides in this space in 2021, winning four of its last 11 games but if it is to push for an inaugural finals berth in 2022 then more improvement is needed.

Suns general manager of football performance Wayne Campbell revealed the reason behind the last season fatigue that led to a dip in performances and the change in the structure of pre-season training that will help the team avoid that this season.

When the club set out to revamp the list, prioritising young high-end draft picks who would need multiple years to develop, they knew finals weren’t in the picture in the short term.

So they put a training load into the group that would hurt them in the back end of seasons early but build their bodies to be ready for their tilt at the top eight.

Touk Miller in action during a Gold Coast Suns AFL training session at Austworld Centre Training Ovals on December 15, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“When you are young and inexperienced you are probably not going to win as many games as when you are more experienced,” Campbell said

“Therefore you can put a body of work into the players physically in the pre-season that may leave them fatigued towards the end of the season.

“It will really come to fruition as they get into their third, fourth and fifth years with big preseasons under their belt.

“(High performance manager) Alex Rigby has adjusted it a little bit this year.

“They are still training hard, don’t get me wrong. They have put in an enormous body of work and they are going to be able to fresh up in the season so we are in games right up to Round 23.”