Fans can't wait for struggling Gold Coast Suns to get fit

THE Suns are not fit enough judging by the way West Coast made them look like witches hats last weekend.

THE Suns are not fit enough. I'm not basing that on GPS data - the way West Coast made them look like witches hats last weekend is enough for me.

At the end of last year the club's high-performance guru Dean Robinson, who was hired for the crucial task of turning the inaugural intake of boys into men, was poached by Essendon.

The man who calls himself "The Weapon" has become a bit of a celebrity, having been successful at Geelong and now the Bombers.

The Suns replaced him with a graduate and gave rehab expert Andrew Weller the extra responsibility of high-performance manager.

Sadly, it seems to be another example how a budget operation like the Suns cannot compete with the bigger clubs.

A recently released table of annual footy department expenditure shows the AFL ladder isn't the only place the Suns are cellar dwellers.

Suns CEO Travis Auld has always maintained he didn't believe Guy McKenna needed a senior figure to serve as a senior assistant-football director. The review supposedly supported that view. But in reality, the Suns can't afford to bring in a big name to hold Bluey's hand.

Auld's problem is he can't be seen to be complaining about the lack of resources at his disposal. The Suns are funded by the AFL and you don't bite the hand that feeds you, especially when you are starving.

Auld must know deep down McKenna is crying out for help. It is why Malcolm Blight has now been seconded from the board for a minimal fee for the next 10 weeks.

Mark Thompson and Rodney Eade are proving invaluable for rookie Collingwood and Essendon coaches Nathan Buckley and James Hird. Sure their lists are at the peak but Auld only has to look at the changes at Brisbane since Mark Harvey joined to see the benefits of bringing in experience.

But back to the fitness.

The Suns have never really been fit enough or strong enough and everybody accepts that because it takes several pre-seasons to attain the base of an elite AFL running player.

But they have not advanced at an acceptable level and they desperately need more resources and expertise.

What made last weekend so disappointing was that the Suns looked like they wanted the footy more than the Eagles in the second quarter. Then they just stopped.

The second half was almost unwatchable. Actually, that is being a little nice. I turned off and I'm sure others did too.