Mick McGuane reviews Gold Coast’s season, searches for areas Suns can improve
Peter Wright’s failure to deliver on his top-10 draft potential was just one reason Gold Coast’s 2019 season imploded. What are the Suns biggest problems — and can they be fixed?
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It was a season that started with plenty of promise with three wins in the first four games.
But that’s where the sunshine ended for the Gold Coast as they finished the season on the bottom of the ladder with 18 straight losses.
The Suns’ promising early form was built on an appetite for the contest and a very strong stoppage game, but considering the profile of AFL footy right now that stoppage game is not sustainable.
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Operating at 61 per cent kicking efficiency is clearly not acceptable for AFL standards so they have got some work to do there. It’s the second worst to Fremantle in the competition.
There were some individual positives. Jarrod Witts rucked manfully, trying to give them first use at stoppages and their hitout differential proved that. So he has done a lot right there.
Alex Sexton has had a great year kicking 39 goals through his 22 games in combination with Peter Wright. But the reality is if they are going to hang their hat on those two guys to be a Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt or a Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling combination, they will stay where they are.
And I have seen enough from Ben King to say that he is an emerging talent.
Besides that, the Suns don’t bat terribly deep. It is fair to say their list maybe is just not good enough for AFL or to compete harder for longer against the best teams in the competition.
So what do they need? They need the consistency of their best personnel on the park, that’s a start. And they’ve got to try to get some All-Australian influence on their list.
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When you look at their list, their key defenders in Rory Thompson, Jack Hombsch and Sam Collins, who are out at the moment, are they All-Australian defenders? The answer to that is no. Have they got an All-Australian midfielder right now fully fit? They are relying on David Swallow, Brayden Fiorini, Touk Miller. They are not in the category of Patrick Dangerfield, Dustin Martin and Nathan Fyfe.
Sexton is their leading goalkicker with 39, he is more or less a hybrid forward rather than a key forward. I think that’s where their issues clearly lie.
Most successful clubs have got an All-Australian player or a number of them at their disposal, that’s where their priority and challenge is for the Suns.
I reckon there is a great opportunity for Gold Coast to get an experienced football person into help Stuart Dew. A senior elder statesman who has been there and done it before could benefit the team. Would Michael Voss be considered back in Queensland? Someone that knows that state’s football landscape and can help bring people back to the ground.
Originally published as Mick McGuane reviews Gold Coast’s season, searches for areas Suns can improve
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