The Gold Coast Suns had an amazing draft haul this year, picking up the likes of Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Ben King, all of whom are on track to be superstars of the game.
Stuart Dew would be rubbing his hands together at the prospect of these three, who are all close friends – Lukosius and Rankine attended the same school in Adelaide – lining up together next year. Rankine has a genuine X factor, Lukosius is one of the best kicks to come through the draft in recent years and King can excel down back and then push forward and kick ten goals for fun.
It all seems very exciting – yet Gold Coast go through this process every single year and the results don’t come.
With Tom Lynch and Steven May’s off-season departures to Victoria, the Suns’ problems with players leaving have been played up in the media.
In 2010 the Suns had eight first-round picks and chose David Swallow, Harley Bennell, Sam Day, Josh Caddy, Dion Prestia, Daniel Gorringe, Tom Lynch and Sebastian Tape. Gorringe and Tape were both delisted after 22 and 40 games for the club respectively.
As for the rest of those players, Swallow and Day are the only ones left in the Sunshine State, with Caddy, Prestia and Lynch all moving to Richmond and Bennell leaving for Fremantle. Caddy and Prestia have had outstanding years at Tigerland and Lynch looks as though he’ll do the same.
Swallow is one of the Gold Coast’s best players and they are very lucky that they chose him, as he actually elected to stay put and re-sign with the club until 2024 this offseason. That being said, he is currently ranked 111th in the AFL according to Champion Data. Day is ranked 504th in the AFL, although it is a bit unfair to criticise him as he had some troubles with injury, which meant that it was only natural that his ranking would slide.
However, their best player statistically, Jarryd Lyons, was delisted this off-season. Despite being their most prolific ball-winner, as he ranked third in the league for clearances and ninth for contested possessions, he was dropped twice throughout the season.
Jaeger O’Meara, who was drafted in 2011, left for Hawthorn and has excelled at Waverley Park. Steven May, who was co-captain and a menace down back, left for the Demons this offseason, and Aaron Hall signed with North Melbourne to cap off a dismal trade period for the Suns. This rubbed salt into the wounds of the Suns as they also lost their star recruit and arguably the game’s best ever player, Gary Ablett Jr, only the year before.
Gold Coast have had all the young talent in the world since their introduction into the AFL in 2011 and yet they’re performing like a state-league team. They seemingly cannot keep any draftees, and the coaching staff does not maximise their potential of the ones they do keep. The highest they have finished is 12th, which was in 2014, and residents on the Gold Coast are not taking any interest, as they have very few spectators at their matches.
If Gold Coast actually want to become a competitive team in the AFL, they need to maximise their young talent’s potential, keep their players and improve their list. Matthew Lloyd spoke out on AFL Trade Radio recently, stating that he thinks that the Suns have “the worst list ever seen put on an AFL field.”
Gary Ablett Jr couldn’t create a positive winning culture up north, so the Suns must look to one of their senior players to stand up. David Swallow seems as though he’ll be there to help create this culture as one of the inaugural Suns.
If their young guns can step up this year, and if they stay there, the Suns could become a very threatening team in the next couple of years.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Between the AFL, Hawthorn and North Melbourne a Tassie team is a long way off. Embarrassing watching the footage of the Hawks players running at training with Tasmania emblazoned across the front of the singlets.
Justif01
Guest
The problem is that as talented as these draftees may be, they are not players that have been in the system for 7, 8 or 9 years like Lynch, May, Hall and Lyons and they will go backwards again in the next year or two. The Suns did bring in some fringe players from other clubs but they are hardly match winning ones. Unless they start winning games and being competitive then why would these draftees stay beyond their two year contract? The Suns can pay them overs by offering something crazy like an 8 year deal on a million bucks a year once their rookie contracts expire (although I'm not sure even that would be enough) otherwise what incentive have they got to remain there?
Sammy
Guest
But they get to play carlton twice..that is 2 wins in the bank right there :-)
Fairsuckofthesav
Roar Rookie
Bit off topic but I think that there should have been a Tassie team before there was a second Qld team. A hollow victory for marketing, tv rights over a traditional football state.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Yeah, the idea of a sporting team succeeding on the Sunny Coast is just laughable - public transport up there is absolutely god-awful, and interest in sport is almost non-existent, relative to what you could expect in other areas of the country. Way too much other, better things to do up there than watching sporting teams go about it.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
That is arguably on the money. Can't see more than 2 wins based on where the list is at with regard to experience.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Nick - the Sunshine Coast is not a city but rather a disparate area made up of a number of coastal towns of varying size starting with Caloundra at the Southern end and finishing in Noosa (about a 45min drive) at the Northern end. There is nothing that is really considered a central aspect of the Sunshine Coast, although Maroochydore is attempting to become a "CBD". The crowds there would be even smaller than the Gold Coast considering the Sunshine Coast has half the population of the Gold Coast with even worse public transport options.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Where to start: "Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Ben King, all of whom are on track to be superstars of the game" They have yet to play one game of AFL football. Let’s wait and see after 2-3 seasons how they are progressing before making this call. The Suns are damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to the draft. Should they draft the best available talent people will say they are being stupid and not taking into account players that will become "homesick" and demand trades ASAP. If they don’t draft the best available talent then people will call them out for not being professional and not backing their Club staff and facilities to keep players. They are hoping by drafting groups of kids that know each other that maybe they can create an atmosphere similar to what the Lions did by drafting all those talented Vic Country kids across several drafts (who have all remained at the Gabba since). As another poster already pointed out there were genuine reasons for other players leaving the Club like the deplorable facilities and lack of off-field support in the first 5-6 years and time served at the Club since being drafted. Mark Evans has done as much as he possibly can off-field with regard to player support and staff numbers as well as sponsorship for the Club as any CEO in a non-heartland city could possibly hope to do. Additionally, none of the players on the Suns list will go without when it comes to facilities with the set up that they have at Carrara. It is first class all the way with all the bells and whistles to rival any Club in the AFL. What Queensland will not be able to offer these kids is: 1. Off-field media exposure to the same level in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth 2. Traditional derby games 3. Crowds above 40K (if the Gabba can ever get packed again) They are the issues that will only be overcome by paying players over the market value coupled with playing winning footy.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
For GC to be successful with the young talent they drafted they first need to put in place a group, a long-term group of coaches, trainers, doctors, etc they need to get them all on board for the long term, these players will take 4 to 7 years before they can expect to be top 4 and playing finals year in and out AND if they can do that I think a flag within 8 years and maybe 2 in 10 years look at Brisbane when the greatest player ever to play the game went up and coached that mob, he first built the club by getting in the best talent both on and off the field, GC and Carlton, StKilda, Roos etc are all that close they just need that management of their on field and off field to click. AFL isn't about being lucky, it is about planning.
sammy
Guest
for sure..unless one of the players decides they want out and the news gets out
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Cant they keep it quiet and only announce it if they get their extensions signed?
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Eddie is a champ but is starting to get the soft tissue unjuries from an ageing body struggling to cope with modern transitional footy. The Pies have another in a similar boat called Daniel Wells.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Started running my prediction ladders and hard to see Gold Cost claiming more than 1-2 wins. Could it be that bad for them in 2019?
sammy
Guest
2 things there - if the suns offer contract extensions as early as next year it sets them up for a real mess that will be played out in public if the players refuse to sign them as it will look ominous for another batch of players wanting to leave. As for Gold Coast having the power to say who they want to trade with - not after the 2 year contract is up as a player nominates who they want to be traded to and then they tend to always get there. Anyway, the crows are likely to have a top 3 pick (Carlton's 1st) next year and the Suns may decide if one wants to leave that they won't get better compensation than that if it is offered
Paul D
Roar Guru
Can only say I agree. I contend that Dew and whoever they have doing the recruiting wanted to "make a statement" that when it backfires in a few years they can just say "well we were following best practice, they were the best talents etc" it smacks of someone who is in the job for a few years to try and work on their own skills and further their own career, as opposed to genuinely wants to turn things around. Fair bit of cognitive dissonance going on at the Suns.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
I am sure that the Suns will offer their new draftees an extension of their contract even before next season starts. They could form a bond and agree to stay as a group to try and lift the team up the ladder. I am sure the Suns will do all they can to keep this group together and the AFL may even chip into help as well. Adelaide supporters might be thinking it is a sure thing that they will want to return to South Australia but I wouldn’t be counting my chickens yet. Anyway if they did decide to leave it’s up to the Gold Coast to whom they trade with.
Ditto
Roar Rookie
0n the Gold Coast Suns website Rankine was talking about how impressed he was at meeting Jarrod Harbrow. Once you've met Jarrod Harbrow you tend to forget all about Eddie Betts.
sammy
Guest
Eddie has 2 years to go on contract and is being earmarked for a specialist coaching role with the club. Rankine is indigenous and has strong family ties here in Adelaide. Like I said, what a risk for the suns to take when they never had to...but I am glad he went there rather than Port as we would never get him back to the crows then
Slane
Guest
Or Rankine could just be like every other 18 year old who leaves Adelaide and realizes how much better the rest of Australia is. Eddie Betts will be retired before Rankine's first contract is expired and the Gold Coast might just suit an 18-19-20 year olds sensibilities better than Sadelaide.
Sammy
Guest
You really think a guy like rankine who was uber keen to stay in adelaide will be happy to stay put if his team is getting towelled up every week while watching his mentor eddie betts play in a crows team every chance to bounce back into the top few teams in the league? he will be back in adelaide in the near future mark it. As for ben king, made it clear his preference was to stay in victoria and will have to watch twin bro playing at ST Kilda just down the road from their family home. He will be gone after his 1st contract. The suns imo had the chance to get many 1st round picks to draft more kids that may be less highly sought after in 2 years time but they didn't and most will be amazed if these top 3 hang around very long at all