Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade has accused the AFL of failing to properly support the Suns

PORTABLES, no air-conditioning, insects and rats. It doesn’t sound like what an AFL club should be like but that is what the Suns have been dealing with.

Rodney Eade has accused the AFL of failing to properly support Gold Coast.

RODNEY Eade has accused the AFL of failing to properly support Gold Coast, labelling the club’s old facilities “worse than when I went to the Brisbane Bears”.

Third-year Suns coach Eade revealed the Suns still paid about $4 million less than expansion rival GWS in football department expenditure.

The Suns have just moved into a brand new training facility but Eade says the players have had to endure six seasons in antiquated facilities.

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The club also had its chief executive Travis Auld poached by the league, and was criticised by AFL boss Gillon McLachlan for securing Dogs fitness guru Justin Cordy.

Despite this the Suns have recently signed up a host of young players including Jack Martin, Peter Wright, Touk Miller and Tom Lynch.

Eade said co-captain Steven May was only weeks from re-signing, with the club’s quartet of top-10 picks from last November’s draft likely to extend their contracts soon.

Rodney Eade has accused the AFL of failing to properly support Gold Coast. Picture: Colleen Petch

The Suns last week moved into a new $22-million training and administration centre after working out of portables since their first season.

“They were nearly as bad if not worse than when I went to the Brisbane Bears,’’ Eade told the Herald Sun.

“People don’t realise how archaic the facilities were and what players have had to endure. It is just incredible.

“No air-conditioning in the gym when it’s 35 degrees and 90 per cent humidity, insects and rats.

“We are still the lowest footy spend in the competition. We don’t get much help here so we have to make good decisions on how we spend it.

“It’s not a quick process. That is about sponsorship and it’s a tough market up here but hopefully the AFL can see their way to support us more.”

Eade says while others compare the two expansion clubs, it was not a level comparison.

“They had different rules for drafting and (the ability to trade 17-year-olds) like Jack Martin and Jaeger O’Meara, so that’s fine.

“They had bigger list sizes and a bigger salary cap. Their football expenditure is about four million dollars bigger than ours.

“That is where you get frustrated. Not so much with the advantages they have with draft picks. That is fine, good on them.”

The league does not reveal football department spending but on unofficial 2014 figures the Suns trailed the entire competition.

Those figures are the most recent available and saw the Suns spending over six million dollars less than the league leaders Fremantle — $24.8 million to $18.5 million — when player salaries were included.

Rodney Eade says comparisons between the Suns and Giants are unfair. Picture: Getty Images.

Eade said the Giants had again boosted medical staff over the summer, with players identifying that area as one of concern several years ago.

“I don’t think Justin (Cordy) is getting as much as what is reported in the media. It leaked out from another club who were unhappy he didn’t go there,’’ Eade said.

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“I could see early on that things had to change, we had to do some things differently here.

“We have boosted our medical resources, they have been target areas and we have just got a good physio in from Carlton.

“It’s easy to preach to players to stay for loyalty but if it’s not given back in resources and professionalism they see through that.”