It’s about time we got behind the Gold Coast Suns.
Not that we should expect great things from them in the very near future – but rather we should want them to succeed, at least off the field.
When the Suns were founded in 2009, the AFL public demanded a Tasmanian team instead – and they still do, which is fair.
Tasmanians love their footy and team down there would be well deserved. But the AFL is more ambitious than that: a Tasmanian team is easy (and they will get their chance), but taking market share from the rugby, and making Australian rules football consistently the number one sport around the country is a much more difficult task.
To do this, they need more teams based in rugby zones – and thus GWS and GC were born.
From an on-field perspective, GWS got a lot of things right early.
They started with an experienced coach, recruited young kids and marketed a long-haul approach to building a team towards success. And it worked.
Gold Coast, on the other hand, tried to recruit for instant success, in the form of Gary Ablett and more experienced players to guide their kids, but also an inexperienced coach they gave up on far too early.
As a result, GWS has had top four finishes and GC has been stuck down the bottom. Because of this contrast, GWS has had a much easier time being accepted by the wider footballing community, and GC has struggled.
Peter Wright of the Suns takes a mark. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Yet, as much as there are voices that scream “just call it a failure and move them to Tassie,” I, apparently alone, outside the few (but growing) membership base of the GC hear myself whispering to no one in particular “can’t we support the little guy?”
Maybe because as a Freo fan I am able to see several similarities between the early years of Fremantle and GC’s beginning, that I am eager for them to find the same light at the end of the tunnel – at least the same dim light that does not have flags, but does have plenty of members and long-term growth.
To do this, GC need two things: respect and to keep their players.
The Gold Coast’s main problem is they can’t keep a team together.
If you form a 22 of the players that have walked out of the club, you get a very good side – at least on paper.
But for whatever reason, clubs find it easier to poach their players and the GC have a harder time attracting talent.
That will be because they are a small club far removed from Victoria, but also it’s partly because even the close AFL community won’t give them a chance.
I was quite insulted on behalf of the club when Port openly said they will try to poach back Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine mere minutes after they were drafted; never has a club said that before.
Izak Rankine. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Respect is a bit harder to earn. They need to do that by winning games, but they won’t win games unless they can be given the chance to actually build a team.
It must be very difficult when every time a player looks like they will be a star, the AFL and AFL media try to will them to a larger club.
They need a player who’s going to stand up for the club, a bit like Dave Swallow, but a real superstar. They need a genuine leader on and off the field that people will go to watch and players will want to play with.
They may have found one in Alex Sexton or Lukosius, but if we give up on them, we give up one the chance to even out the competition.
Let’s call this the Gold Coast 2.0. A new team with a new start. Give them a chance to really grow. Start supporting instead of mocking. Help make the club healthy, and then we’ll likely see a new, more unique club down in Tassie.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
When people chop and change between Union and League as readily as they do......it's not wrong to bundle it all as 'Rugby'. The 15 man game vs the 13 man game and then there's 7's as a variant of the 15 man game and 9's as a variant of the 13 man game......seems to me they want to evolve to an 11 or 12 man game and merge it all into one?? At any rate - I suggest that T20 Cricket vs Test cricket is a more distinct code of sport than is RL to RU.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#KenW The great thing about Auskick is that it's more a whole of body development program. If kids are doing MiniRoos .... their hands/hand-eye co-ordination is missing out. If they do basketball.....well, the hand to foot co-ordination is missing out. Remember that Darren Lockyer was an AFL kid first; Australian football is arguably a more multi faceted (skills) development environment. Put it this way - to me - - if I were an RL person - I'd very much prefer my kids doing Auskick than doing MiniRoos.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#josh No one goes to the Gold Coast expecting overnight success. You may be too young to recall that the VFL/AFL has experienced the Gold Coast via the Brisbane Bears at Carrara until they moved fully to Brisbane and the Gabba. The assertion that no one cares is interesting. So far this year (2019) the Gold Coast Titans have had surprisingly so far just the 1 home game for an 'avg' attendance of 9843 (down on 2018 avg of 12,807) compared to the Gold Coast Suns 2 home games at 12,148 (down on 2018 avg of 13,547). So - - by the relative comparison to the NRL - I won't get narky about this - I'll simply say that it looks like a regionally significant number of people do actually appear to care. For AFL in SEQ - what is very significant is that the Brisbane Lions 2 games in this year have averaged 19,994 and have sold out the Gabba for tomorrow nights 'blockbuster' against Collingwood. (the Broncos are still the main event in Brisbane town - no argument there). AFL in SEQ is going okay. It was a massive gamble by the AFL to throw the Suns in (granted the Southport Sharks were pushing for their own licence - so - there was interest on the ground to make it happen). The effectively 'split' of the Lions/Suns was obvious - the Lions at their peak were averaging over 33K for 11 home games back in 2004 and 2005. Through 2006-2008 it was 28K and 2009-10 was 29K avg. That dropped immediately to 20K and got as low in 2017 as 16.5K. What would be arrogance would be if we were to find out that the AFL had projected that the Lions would NOT be smashed. That I don't know. As it is - it is still pretty well a case of the AFL fan base got split.....the AFL will be desperate for this season - with at present well performing Suns and Lions to show a combined growth of the size of the 'pie'. Round 6 (the Anzac day round) sees the 'Q clash' at Cararra - the AFL would be desperate for that to be close to a sell out. The return 'clash' will be early August with the Lions hosting at the Gabba......much water to go under the bridge before that one. On the ground - Suns chairman Tony Cochrane is delighted with the grass roots development around SEQ; and having lost the co-captains at the end of last season - for them to start the way they have at 3-1 and sitting in the top 6 for the time being - - he must be ecstatic (relative to the car crash it could easily have been).
RT
Roar Rookie
Well Munro Mike, The Age is referring to it is Good Friday Eve so they are learning. Wonders will never cease. (I will let them off for not calling it Maundy Thursday, since most people wouldn't know what that is, though educating people is not a bad thing for a decent paper.)
Gyfox
Roar Rookie
On Saty Giants got a bigger crowd than the NRL game next door!
George13
Guest
For me, I don't see too much difference to access Gabba or Metricon. Living in West Brisbane it takes me 70-90 min to get to Gabba (walk, bus, walk, train, shuttle bus) as one can't park car around. To get to Metricon It takes me 1hr car drive to Nerang and then 25 min walk or 2 min shuttle bus. There are 3 locations (2 including car parking) on GC from where people can take shuttle bus. Kids were free against Freo, the same for Carlton next week.
Col
Guest
Traditions ARE created, they have to be they don't appear from thin air. The Suns can and I hope will succeed (from a Lions Supporter) They do badly need Free and frequent public transport to and from Metricon, the Gold Coast is big enough to support a team but Southport isn't Free tickets for kids like the Lions did for years
Judytwo
Roar Rookie
LRoy you miss the point , there is a huge amount of people that have moved to the Gold Coast from AFL territory all over Australia , I'm just one of them . I moved here 11 years ago and missed my footy so much when the Suns were trying to get enough people to sign up in 2009 I joined I'm still a loyal Richmond member but the Suns Club is my second team. There are plenty of Suns supporters that have another team as their main one but I will stick with the Suns I have for 11 years so far. There are plenty like me.
Judytwo
Roar Rookie
Lroy Not sure where you get your information but it is so far off the mark
Judytwo
Roar Rookie
Hooray at last someone can see there is a future for the Suns. they have had some battles off the ground in retaining or trying to retain their good players, but this has stopped with the main players now signing on for 4 or 5 more years.
Charlie
Roar Rookie
I think we can both agree there are regional variations for many things, but using a name incorrectly is not a variation. And we should all refer to sports by their correct name, that's just common courtesy. But you're right, this is an AFL discussion (note the A isn't a V). So given most of Australia use the correct term, wouldn't it be nice if the Victorians did so as well?
clipper
Roar Rookie
That is correct - they may have been viewed as the same sport, albeit played by different demographics when the split occurred, but have changed vastly in over a century. Most of the world would only know of one Rugby, hence all the bad press from league is thought to apply to Rugby Union overseas. I'm no expert on Victoria, but the few times I've been there most wouldn't really know the difference, but everyone who did know if referring to Rugby would mean Union - Rugby Union has a lot longer lineage down there, but haven't had the luxury of having the most successful team in Australia to raise awareness, even if it hasn't translated into developing any juniors.
Daz
Roar Pro
Except,there are plenty of other places (both in Australia and around the world) that pronounce castle “carsle”, or call potato cakes "scallops". And also, that say everyone else needs to adhere to their rules about what they call various sports. This is an AFL discussion, what we call sports derived from the game invented at Rugby college is, in reality, not relevant.
Charlie
Roar Rookie
It might be perfectly legal, but just because Victorians do it, doesn't make it right. There are plenty of other places (both in Australia and around the world) that pronounce castle "cassel", or call scallops "potato cakes", so that can justify those uses. However the use of rugby to refer to rugby league isn't just wrong in most of the rest of Australia, but also around the world (refer to the Rugby World Cup v. the Rugby League World Cup, Super Rugby, the Rugby Championship, Six Nations Rugby, etc). Maybe Victorians, who claim to be the sporting capital of the world, should learn to differentiate between two similar but different sports and use the correct terms. After all, they have no problem differentiating between netball and basketball, or do they just refer to both as one? And while I can accept this may be pedantry, it is most certainly not code warring.
Gee
Roar Rookie
Yeah, nah. Waste of time and money, save it for my basket case . the mighty Saints.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
Actually 3 were born in QLD and 5 moved there as kids and played all junior football there. Half of QLD in the 1870's were from the South, in fact half of QLD now are from somewhere else, the consummate QLD drop 4X is made by Castlemaine Brewing, named after the Victorian town, and bought to QLD by Victorian Brothers, AF was played and was been played 35 years or so before RL got to QLD- so you tell me who the blow ins are ?, because i would bet most of the RL playing community migrated to QLD after 1876 - and where did they come from ? There is a book out called 'Athenians and Red Invincibles" which is about the history of QLD football, you should school yourself a bit, there is a such a thing as the Barassi line, but there have always been pockets in Brisbane where the game of AF has been quite popular where old QLD families have always played the game - for ex the 1970 GF between Sandgate and Coorparoo drew 10,000 fans etc etc etc. Anyway its pointless debating with you as your initial post was completely wrong and you still seem to be sticking with it.
IAP
Guest
Exactly, they're all (except for Mal Michael) from footy states originally. They were influenced by parents from footy states; they weren't born and bred Queenslanders who took up the game. It's a big difference. The challenge is to convert the locals, not kids whose parents are from footy states, which is a large chunk of the people who play footy in NSW and Queensland. Even in my master team most of the players are originally from Victoria, Tassy, SA or WA. Very few are actually locals.
Sydneysideliner
Roar Rookie
There's a perception that it is because the type of commercial support the clubs get is often the white shoe brigade/Clive Palmer type. All fanfare and grandstanding in season 1, which vanishes as soon as a lean year arrives. If clubs launched with a long-term plan, including commercial commitment, marketing and recruitment, the punters will hang around.
Joshaz
Guest
The Gold Coast is a sporting grave yard. I find it laughable how all the sporting codes think there is money to be made there when there isn't.
Daz
Roar Pro
They are both varieties of Rugby football. As a Victorian, I object to the classification of Australian Rules football as AFL but I live with it because I know people call them different things in different places. Deal with it. In Vic (and by Victorians) they are both lumped in together as Rugby.