Gold Coast lost their final game of 2017 by 115 points, kicking only three goals in the process. They had literally two scoring shots after quarter time.
Since then, Gary Ablett has left, and a new coach, Stewart Dew, has been installed. Their best player, Tom Lynch, is out of contract at season’s end and, with suitors lining up, would be mad to stay.
Right now, the Suns are in a position where they are the most irrelevant team the VFL/AFL has had in over 100 years. No money, no supporters, no hope.
Let’s see what 2018 has in store.
B: Jack Bowes, Rory Thompson, Kade Kolodjashnij
HB: Pearce Hanley, Steven May, Jarrod Harbrow
C: Aaron Hall, Jarryd Lyons, Matt Rosa
HF: Aaron Young, Tom Lynch, Jack Martin
F: Ben Ainsworth, Peter Wright, Callum Ah Chee
Foll: Jarrod Witts, Michael Barlow, Lachie Weller
Int: Sam Day, David Swallow, Touk Miller, Will Brodie
Em: Tom Nicholls, Brayden Fiorini, Michael Rischitelli
There is nothing to get excited about looking at the squad above, and the initial impression is that any result other than wooden spoon would be a sterling effort by all involved.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Gold Coast have the youngest list in the league, and in many ways are worse off than when they entered the competition in 2011.
The Suns have three players aged 30 or older – Michael Barlow, Matt Rose and Michael Rischitelli – hardly the most inspiring collection of names to lead the way. Jarrod Harbrow and Pearce Hanley are next in line, and will turn 30 in 2018. Harbrow has been a solid citizen since moving up north, while Hanley can at least inject some run and class if he can stay fit enough.
The next bracket of players is made up of those that joined the club in the early years, several of whom probably wouldn’t make the list of any other club, and players who weren’t getting a regular game elsewhere and have taken an opportunity to continue playing AFL.
Lynch is the marquee name in this group but went backwards last year, perhaps burdened by his first season of co-captaincy in a dysfunctional team. He didn’t impose himself as an individual like he had in the past, and was too often a passive presence or non-entity on the field.
Steven May can rightfully be considered as one of the best key defenders in the league, Aaron Hall is a valuable runner that plays with freedom to great effect, while Jarryd Lyons is in the conversation for most underrated player in the competition. Jarrod Witts relished getting an extended run as number one ruckman last year and was arguably Gold Coast’s most consistent player.
Lynch, May, Hall, Lyons, Witts and Hanley are going to be at the core of any wins the Suns have this season. They’ll have to perform well, always, and bring their less experienced and less talented teammates along with them.
Of the other list members in the middle age (in football terms) bracket, David Swallow and Aaron Young will be handy in their roles as inside mid and roaming forward pocket respectively, Rory Thompson once had potential but seems to go backwards every year, while the likes of Alex Sexton, Jesse Lonergan and Sean Lemmens add nothing to the footballing landscape yet played almost 50 games between them last season.
Sam Day is on the comeback trail from a nasty hip injury, and has a place as a bits and pieces tall if he can get back to what he was, which really wasn’t that much.
Gold Coast has plenty of young players, as always, which they are hoping will come through together and drive the club to a maiden finals position at some stage.
A lot was given up for Lachie Weller, which brings about pressure of its own, although this is alleviated by going to an off-Broadway club. Peter Wright has produced similar numbers across the last two seasons, but has been a valuable contributor for such a tall young player. He will make a big leap forward this season or next.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Jack Martin does get better each year, but what, exactly, is he going to become? He’s not a small forward in the traditional sense, but is very lightly-framed for a marking player. He’s been tried everywhere and can play, so we’ll learn a little more this year.
Kade Kolodjashnij and Touk Miller have plateaued or even gone backwards in recent seasons, but showed enough in their early days to say they can still go up a level or two. They’re both only 22 and still have time on their side, but football watchers are an impatient lot.
The Suns have seven players taken in the top 20 at the last three national drafts, which is over 10 per cent of available draftees in that bracket over this time.
Callum Ah Chee has had the most exposure of this lot, having played 30 games, followed by Brayden Fiorini (15), Ben Ainsworth (13), Jack Bowes (11), Jack Scrimshaw (4) and Will Brodie (3).
Will Powell was taken at pick 19 in the 2017 national draft, as a very speculative pick. Someone must have seen something they liked, given Gold Coast are in a position where they need to nail every selection.
All of these youngsters should get opportunities this year, with several of them likely to take their place in Round 1, so a spot will be theirs to lose. A rebuilding side is always interesting to watch, as we try and assess who is going to ‘make it’, and who is on track to be a top-liner.
(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Stewart Dew was a premiership player at both Hawthorn and Port Adelaide and spent almost a decade as assistant coach at Sydney. Credentials don’t come much more enhanced, so he will have the respect of all as he tries to establish the right behaviours and attitudes learned in his time at those clubs. He is a patient man, and will need to be throughout what is sure to be a long season.
In four of the first five rounds, Gold Coast play North Melbourne, Carlton, Fremantle and Brisbane, all of their fellow contenders for the wooden spoon. A win or two in that run is imperative, even though none of these games will be played at Metricon due to the Commonwealth Games.
If the Suns are 0-5, we should shut them down and move them to Tasmania during the mid-season byes. Perhaps we should do that anyway.
Prediction: 18th
David C
Guest
They'll finish above Carlton and North I feel. They'd want to win a couple of those first 5 games though starting with North in game 1.
Bludger
Guest
That won't happen. AFL and QLD government have contracts. They just need a few players here and there and they will be a good draw. Don't forget North Melbourne took 50 years to win a flag after entering the competition. It takes a while. Who is there right mind is tipping North Melbourne to beat the Suns? Might be time to get checked for dementia? Suns will be ahead of North. They get 12 games in QLD for starters.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Cam, everything you say about the Suns betrays how little you really know about them. "Ablett doing his shoulder was the point where they really spiralled out of control." WTF? The Suns were in the Top 8 when Ablett did his shoulder! They won the game!! They were still in Top 8 contention 5 rounds later!!! What actually happened was that the team in 2014 simply couldn't lift to overcome injuries to key players. You will remember how Richmond suddenly woke from the dead to run the table to snatch 8th? Not much separated the Tigers and Suns that year, given the fact that the Suns had beaten the Tigers earlier in the season. If you like headlines and muckraking, you might look to the changeover from McKenna to Eade. Rocket's version is that the club was a morass of drugs and booze, with a terrible culture and limited talent. Kinda sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't it? The reality was that Eade came in and instituted a whole new regime that really pissed off a lot of the players. They came to hate Eade and starting leaving that very season, with others following suit in 2016. The exodus was finally stemmed when the Suns blessedly got rid of Eade, who didn't even bother to address the players in his haste to get to the airport. Wanker! I'm not saying the Suns are going to win the flag, but the way everyone goes on about how rubbish they are when they don't have the first clue is down to the Melbourne media running Caro Wilson's War. Richmond played a terrible game in Round 23 in 2016 and turned around to win the Flag. The Suns have the pieces in place to be competitive in every single game in 2018. Last season, despite some great wins against the Eagles, Cats and Hawks, the list was so shallow that a few key injuries saw the whole team fall apart. Paying Gary Ablett $1M to NOT play didn't help the win/loss record by year's end, and you had better believe he will not be missed.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Hobart had 3 games played there in 2017, with an average crowd of 10,000. Launceston had 4 games for an average of 13,000. Carrara had 10 games with an average of 14,000. I’m not seeing the crowd numbers you’re talking about. Now admittedly a team that was actually Tasmania’s, as opposed to North/Hawthorn might pull a bit more, but then you have to offset the reduced crowd numbers due to lack of scarcity of games. If Hobart only gets 3 chances to watch AFL and only 30,000 people go, I’m not necessarily convinced that say 11 games is going to equal anymore than 110,000 – certainly it wouldn’t exceed it by much. All the economic modelling suggests that there are far less sponsorship dollars and exposure to be had in Tasmania, rather than on the Gold Coast. It’s incumbent on you as the outlier from the evidence to make the case that the pot of gold is so much larger down there. Certainly there are companies and outfits down there who would be keen to get on board, but you’re talking operating expenses of probably 55-60 million dollars if they’re to be competitive with the Melbourne clubs year on year and that sort of money is beyond the pale for any football club in Tasmania. I’m not actually making a case – I’m just acknowledging the circumstances as they exist, and why I feel they don’t suit a Tasmanian team. I like how you blithely say that the Tasmanian state government with its already heavy dependence on federal funding will just pay a couple hundred million for a new stadium & facilities. There’s also the small matter of compensating the Queensland government for walking away from their investment in the new stadium and money they put into the Suns. Anyways, that’s my explanation of events, I’m very confident it stacks up better than anything else you’re going to put up
Cat
Roar Guru
Indeed, since the Suns inception they have played 77 home games. Of those, only 8 have been 10k or less. The Suns have played in an additional 11 sub-10k games as the away side.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
When you get your news from the Herald Sun, how can you ever expect to be taken seriously? Name when the Suns have had sub-10k attendances! FYI the Suns have consistently drawn larger crowds that the NRL Titans since day 1 and continue to do so. This financial insolvency you speak of is rubbish - the AFL has a 2.5 BILLION dollar broadcast right package, so the Suns creating 22 extra games each year is worth over $130 Million to the AFL, so handing over $20 to $25 Million a year is just equalisation. Here's some more facts for you - - AFL participation was up over 10% in Queensland in 2017 - Female participation rose by 40% - 15% increase in schools participating in Auskick
anon
Roar Pro
Less sponsors, new facilities, new stadium, less dollars to be spent on it. Less corporate dollars in general. That’s basically what I am saying. Sponsorship is a function of ratings and attendance. Gold Coast get neither and Tasmania would do better. New stadium and facilities are upfront costs that can be amortised over the life of the facilities. No doubt the government would pay for most of it anyway. Then you have the fact that Tasmania is part of the footy heartland. You make a very flimsy case for having a team on the Gold Coast over Tasmania.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Less sponsors, new facilities, new stadium, less dollars to be spent on it. Less corporate dollars in general. That's basically what I am saying. I agree that a team in Tasmania would play better to the fabric of sport than the Gold Coast, but the argument for that needs to be advanced in terms of cultural or sporting reasons, not financial reasons. Essentially you need to make the case that Tasmania deserves more money to be spent on it because it's got more history in the code. Make that argument, not one based on finances, and I won't give you such short shrift.
anon
Roar Pro
I don't understand why the operating expenses of a Tasmanian team would cost significantly more than one on the Gold Coast. Is Tasmania just more expensive in general than the Gold Coast?
Paul D
Roar Guru
Suns had $25 million given to them last year by the AFL to help them break even due to a shortfall in sponsorship. A tasmanian team, according to an article only 8 days ago, would cost at least $40 million/year according to the budgetary forecasts and modelling. If you take an average of say $30/ticket per game in Tasmania, that's 500,000 tickets you have to sell over 11 home games JUST to make up the shortfall between the Suns & the Tasmanian team, at an average of about 45450 attendance per game. That's just to 'only' lose $25 million btw. Not sure how Tassie is going to sit that many either given their stadium doesn't even hold half that. If you actually want to make a profit - well, that wouldn't ever happen. Then you have the investment in a new stadium needed to fit that many people - anyways. I certainly agree the Suns are underwhelming but don't claim for a moment that a Tasmanian team would make more money or need less financial support because that's just a flat out lie and not supported by any of the economics.
anon
Roar Pro
It will generate more revenue than the Gold Coast. Higher attendances, higher local ratings, I don't think there's any question of that. The Gold Coast experiments have been a disaster.
Paul D
Roar Guru
You are aware a Tasmanian team would be even more financially insolvent though, right? Just so long as it's clear you're saying a team should be in Tasmania for social reasons, not economic reasons.
anon
Roar Pro
As for moving them to Tasmania what a joke, more people on the GC than the whole of tassie plus it’s all in driving distance of Carrara. For all those people, the Suns regularly get sub-10k attendances, are financially insolvent even after the massive subsidies from the AFL.
Seano
Roar Rookie
I’m a bombers man but I live on the GC and go see the suns regularly. It’s a fair write up except for Sean Lemmens who is a lot better and has a lot more potential than you give him credit for. Stats are not good but who’s are in that side, he will be a big improver this year. As for moving them to Tasmania what a joke, more people on the GC than the whole of tassie plus it’s all in driving distance of Carrara. I’m not sure they will finish last, they are every chance to be 3 and 2 after the first 5.
Judy Atu
Guest
Thomas Roker very well said. It's so frustrating reading the rubbish that comes out of Melbourne so called "experts"
Judy Atu
Guest
Jake the Pig you are so wrong, they will be winning enough games. SAM it is a shocker I agree with you w wholeheartely
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
The Suns will have the most defensive players to choose from in their history, with the emergence last season of both Jack Leslie and Max Spencer as decent defenders to provide competition for Thompson, and then of course is the old May/Day combination with Stevie leading the defence and Sammy providing the option for Dewy to swing back. There are so many defensive backmen, with the recruitment of Weller and Wigg plus the cavalry of Hanley, KK, Harbrow, and Joyce will be pushed by Scrimshaw, Lemmens, Sexton, Willis while Ballard could end up anywhere across the back half.
Sarge
Guest
By definition it is spicy, just not hot
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Well said, Judy. Cam appears to have so little knowledge about the Suns that almost everything he says about the team is dated or erroneous. "Right now, the Suns are in a position where they are the most irrelevant team the VFL/AFL has had in over 100 years. No money, no supporters, no hope." Hey Cam! Have you ever heard of the Fitzroy Lions? What about the South Melbourne Swans? Then, just to prove your general ignorance, what about Melbourne University's foray into the VFL which ended acrimoniously in 1914 after just 12 wins from 90 games? I could even make the argument that GWS only has more members because they sell their dodgy little 3 game memberships in Canberra, but I won't because I happen to believe all these teams are relevant for their contribution to the game. University is the second oldest club in history. Full stop. Without them there might not even be a competition. The Swans and Lions failed, but it wasn't their fans or players that failed them, rather the VFL/AFL had expansion plans. My old team, the Brisbane Bears, were a flourishing franchise that played in a preliminary final right before the AFL saddled them with the Lions merger. Both the erstwhile Melbourne franchises have had their highs and lows since going north, but they have ultimately opened up markets that now support two AFL franchises per region and exponentially higher participation in Auskick, Womens' footy and crowds. Cam, you appear to forget that the Suns are also affiliated with Cairns, recruiting 4 players from the zone, setting up an academy for juniors, and playing there every season, including thumping Richmond twice. Charlie Dixon came from Cairns, as did Jarrod Harbrow, with 2016 pick #11, Jack Bowes, and Suns Academy Rookie, Jacob Heron, recent additions. Suns play there in Round One against North Melbourne and will have a strong following. FYI Cam, Cairns has had a burgeoning AFL comp for over 60 years, producing 14 AFL players in that time. When it comes to relevance, the Suns have it in spades. Cam, you won't know this, but the Suns regularly have bigger crowds than the NRL Titans and have consistently had a higher average since the inaugural season. The Suns AFLW side will debut in 2019, while the Suns Talent Academy now has outposts in not only Cairns, but Townsville and the Capricornia regions as well. The second trip to China will be a tremendous opportunity to solidify sponsorship relationships and generate money from the sale of a home game. Selling home games to Melbourne and Freo will put the club in position to actually make a profit. While I continue your lesson, Cam, the Gold Coast City Council (2nd largest municipal council in the country), Queensland Government and AFL have tipped in considerable funds to build the foundation of the club. You're not unintelligent, but your attempts to discredit the Gold Coast Suns Football Club are asinine at best. Suns members have put their own money into the club from day one to help build it, yet you come along with your brief to rank teams ahead of the 2018 season and feel the need to take a dump on us from a great height. Slow clap.
George
Guest
According to Dew Martin will play mostly in the midfield. I expect Day to start at NEAFL.