Gary Buckenara analyses Gold Coast Suns list after the 2017 season
GOLD Coast is in trouble and the time has come for the club to draw a line in the sand, writes GARY BUCKENARA. And that may mean making a tough call on Gary Ablett.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
GOLD Coast is in trouble and the time has come for this club to draw a line in the sand.
With a new coach set to come in and potentially other changes to the football department the Suns have a decision to make: Do they target fringe players from rival clubs to fill gaps in the list? Or, do they start again?
GARY BUCKENARA WILL ANALYSE EVERY CLUB’S LIST. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EDITION ON MONDAY
In my opinion, the time if right for the Suns to clear its decks and start again, and that includes trading Gary Ablett.
Gold Coast has been far too reliant on Ablett and considering he has limited time left in the game, this club would be best served by just granting him his wish and trading him back to Geelong, while securing the best deal it can.
If the Suns are stubborn and refuse to trade him because they’re driving a hard bargain, then Ablett has already floated the idea he will retire. Does that help Gold Coast? No it doesn’t. They won’t have Ablett and they won’t have any draft pick or player the Cats might be willing to use in a trade deal.
I think the Suns could push for a pick and a player from Geelong for him. Maybe a Jake Kolodjashnij even though he’s re-signed — could he be swayed to play alongside his brother Kade? Or even a George Horlin-Smith who isn’t getting a regular game but would add to the Suns’ list and importantly, he’s come from a good environment at Geelong.
GARY BUCKENARA: TOP 10 PICK A MUST FOR STRINGER
TOM LYNCH: CO-CAPTAIN COULD WALK OUT ON SUNS
NEW COACH: STUART DEW APPOINTED SUNS SENIOR COACH
TRADES: ADAM SAAD SET TO LEAVE GOLD COAST FOR ESSENDON
Make a brave and smart decision, Gold Coast. Don’t be pig-headed.
What about Tom Lynch? He’s the co-captain but is a restricted free agent at the end of next year and there’s no doubt clubs will come asking for him at trade time despite the fact his manager has said he is committed to the club for next season. But the door has been left open for his to leave with only a major turnaround in the club’s performance to stop him from leaving.
Clubs will still ask the question.
The likelihood is that in Lynch’s time at the club he won’t play finals, even though he’s only about to turn 25. So has a big decision to make himself about what he wants in his career and whether he can achieve that at Gold Coast.
The Suns also have a decision to make. I addressed making the brave decision with Ablett, do they make the brave decision on Lynch?
NEW ARRIVAL? MOTLOP TOURS SUNS FACILITIES
ABLETT DEAL: SUNS TO SEEK ESTABLISHED PLAYER IN DEAL FOR ABLETT
PLAYER MOVEMENT: HOW CATS CAN FACILITATE TRADE FOR GAZ
HARRY TAYLOR: BRING GAZ HOME
A new coach has been installed in Stuart Dew, so the club is starting again, starting fresh and considering a deal on Lynch — which would need to be a mega one — would kickstart that.
As a club, the Suns would obviously want to keep him because he’s a star and a leader and the face of the club but because all of that, he would command a huge price tag — at least two first-round picks or a pick and a star player — in a trade that the Suns could use to stockpile draft picks and bring in young talent.
Would a deal set the Suns up for the future as the club undergoes major change both on and off the field with a rebuild?
Get two top draft picks — and use at least one on one of the good key talls in this year’s draft that will develop with the rest of the young kids the club has brought in, such as the four top-10 picks it had last year — and maybe even a player that could help the side now?
Obviously a club like Collingwood would be very keen to acquire Lynch. How much will they want him?
Gold Coast is in the box seat here because even if Lynch stays and then decides he wants to go next year, the club can still match any bid that comes for him. But at the moment he is a contracted player and if he wants to leave and a club, like Collingwood who has shown in the past it is willing to pay overs to get the player they desperately want, then they will need to come to the party with a huge deal.
The Suns are in the position they are because they didn’t take full advantage of the draft and salary cap concessions it received from the AFL as much as GWS did and so many players have left the club for various reasons, including off-field behaviour, many of them high draft selections.
As things stand right now, Gold Coast is at least a couple of years behind Brisbane. The improvement at the Lions this year has been them gone past Gold Coast despite finishing one spot below the Suns on the ladder.
Yes, Gold Coast hasn’t had a lot of luck with injuries and that has stifled their development to a degree but that is just one factor among a whole lot of factors that have contributed to the club being in the position it is today.
Former coach Rodney Eade has said he didn’t realise the depth of the problems at the club in terms of culture and the challenges it faces given Gold Coast is a party town and players might, at times, forget why they’re there and that’s to play AFL.
The challenge for the club is to remove that holiday-like feel and develop a professional culture where players are dedicated, hardworking and diligent in their training and live the lifestyle of an elite athlete.
The Suns need to take all that into account in their recruiting, too. This club cannot afford to take a risk on any player or players whose commitment or work ethic is questioned. It simply doesn’t have time for that and that’s where these culture issues often spread.
The recruiting team led by Scott Clayton will need to pay particular attention to pre-draft interviews with players as much as it does any player’s football ability. This is to make sure it is bringing dedicated individuals into the club who want to be successful AFL footballers.
This also extends to any players it is considering targeting from rival AFL clubs.
There is a huge job to be done so this club doesn’t turn into a basket case. They need to get it right from the club structure to the players they retain and then bring in to the culture to the appointment of the new coach.
Having said all that, Gold Coast doesn’t have the worst list in the competition. If all players are fit it can be competitive and hopefully can start to build a winning culture, which will help it retain those talented young players who keep leaving.
But there needs to be a clean out of players and the Suns should be aggressive in doing that this year and next year so it can invest in the 2017 and 2018 drafts to complement its four top-10 picks from last year.
WHAT THEY NEED
First and foremost it’s luck with injuries. That will obviously help them be more competitive as a side and fast-track the development of those kids like Ben Ainsworth, Will Brodie, Jack Bowes and Jack Scrimshaw who are highly-rated young players.
In terms of the balance of the list and areas that need bolstering or addressing it’s competitors. Players who have that competitive edge who are fanatical at the contest and are committed to being the best they can be.
UNDER THE PUMP
The whole club is under pressure. The Suns need to get their key appointments right because the players, recruiting and list management teams and the coaches are all under pressure.
In terms of specific players, Matt Rosa hasn’t really delivered since joining the club although he has had some injury concerns. In any case, he needs to have a big season next year. Jesse Lonergan was a high draft pick but just hasn’t nailed down a spot in the midfield, Brayden Fiorini hasn’t quite come on as expected, Daniel Currie has been around for a long time but has been overtaken again, this time by Jarrod Witts, and Trent McKenzie has been around for a long time but has really fallen away.
David Swallow is an interesting one. He’s had so many injuries and I’m concerned that has really limited his potential as a player. He needs to have a big year in 2018 and have a strong pre-season because at the moment his body lets him down every few weeks and when he is on the ground, he’s just not contributing like we know he can.
BUCKY’S LIST CHANGES
Jarrad Grant and Mitch Hallahan have been delisted and rookies Keegan Brooksby, Ryan Davis and Cameron Loersch are gone but I expect there to be more changes. Rosa has probably had his day but he could be retained as a bit of depth, Lonergan has had plenty of chances as well and it’s time for Currie and McKenzie to move on.
CRYSTAL BALL
If the Suns can get some luck with injuries then the list is talented enough to be knocking on the door of finals next year but can they actually do it? I’m not sure.
Two years of really good drafting, development and luck with injuries is probably a bit more realistic for a finals time frame but even then, given all the issues at this club, there’s no guarantee.
Gary Buckenara helped build Hawthorn’s three-peat premiership list and now he runs a rule over club lists in an exclusive column for the Herald Sun.
Buckenara was a major part of Hawthorn’s recruiting team between 2004-2015 and was responsible for bringing Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis to the Hawks in 2004 when he was the Hawks’ sole full-time recruiter.
Suns’ tipping point: What needs to happen to keep Rowell from Cats
Geelong is yet again in pursuit of a star rival midfielder, this time it being Matt Rowell. But is it actually possible? Callum Dick examines the possibility of Rowell in the blue and white hoops.
Telling move behind shock AFL trade rumour
Kane Cornes says reports about Gold Coast gun Matt Rowell reveal much more than face value about the former No. 1 draft pick.