The Gold Coast Suns’ woes can be traced back to the very beginnings of the club in 2010
GOLD Coast is the AFL’s problem child and its struggles can be traced back to the very beginnings of the club in 2010 with under-resourcing and inexperience building the Suns’ foundations on sand.
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GOLD Coast is the AFL’s problem child and its struggles can be traced back to the very beginnings of the club in 2010.
Under-resourcing from the AFL and inexperience at the top built the Suns’ foundations on sand.
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It’s lead to poor performances on the field and a player exodus that has left the club bereft of stars.
We look at the major failings in the Suns’ early days that are still being felt today.
1. Launched in 2011 under the guidance of a first-time coach, captain, football boss and chief executive (Guy McKenna, Gary Ablett, Marcus Ashcroft and Travis Auld).
2. Trained and operated out of hot tin sheds for seven years.
3. Hired disgraced fitness boss Dean “The Weapon” Robinson and sports scientist Stephen Dank.
4. Recruited cocaine kid and NRL code-hopper Karmichael Hunt.
5. Ongoing player culture issues, described as “terrible” by ex-coach Rodney Eade.
6. Coming and going of five high-performance chiefs in first five years (Stephen Schwerdt, Andrew Weller, Matthew Kennedy, Justin Cordy, and Robinson).
7. Permanently under-resourced football department that missed out on top footy staffers Neil Balme, Simon Lloyd and Blair Hartley.
8. Ongoing player retention crisis, headlined by the departure of Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy, Charlie Dixon and now Tom Lynch.
9. Inability to attract top-end talent, underlined by the desperate gifting of pick No.2 for Fremantle’s Lachie Weller last October.
10. AFL’s lowest membership of just 12,108.
THE POISONED CHALICE
Chairman, Tony Cochrane: Outspoken former V8 Supercars boss concedes the club requires special AFL assistance.
Chief executive, Mark Evans: Ex-AFL football operations boss has been in the job for almost two years and struggling to reverse its fortunes.
Coach, Stuart Dew: Highly-rated Sydney assistant took over from Rodney Eade late last year and inherited a dog’s breakfast.
List boss, Craig Cameron: Journeyman operator battling one of footy’s toughest jobs.
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Originally published as The Gold Coast Suns’ woes can be traced back to the very beginnings of the club in 2010
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