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Opinion
It’s no secret that Stuart Dew is in a precarious position going into the 2022 season. He knows as well as anyone that his job is under immense pressure.
The 2021 season held promise for Gold Coast, as every season does, but once more the club failed to succeed. It wasn’t all bad. With six games to go, it appeared as though Gold Coast were going to finish between 10th and 12th at least given the way they were playing. As always, though, any sort of optimism was dashed, and they went on to lose all six matches and finish 16th.
While Dewy is no slouch in the coaching box and has my backing all the way as the right man to take Gold Coast forward, the statistics just don’t look good. After four years at the helm his highest finish is 14th. It reads terribly, especially to a board of officials who know that a more successful coach is potentially on the table.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
With the AFL rumoured to be helping Gold Coast once more with funds, this time to assist them in affording a monster contract for former Hawthorn guru coach Alastair Clarkson, Dew is under the pump more than ever. Add in that his contract is up at the end of the 2022 season, and the writing seems to be on the wall.
Many people are saying that nothing can save Stuart Dew and that he’s simply a placeholder this year as the side waits for Clarkson to take the helm.
However, if Dew were able to take Gold Coast to their first-ever finals series by finishing in the top eight, that would be enough to convince the club that he’s the right choice moving forward.
With the side that Gold Coast is building through player development, trades, free-agent signings and the draft, their list is looking almightily strong going into next year. Just listen to this amount of talent in their best 22: Jeremy Sharp, Jack Bowes, Jack Lukosius, Noah Anderson, Brandon Ellis, Jarrod Witts, Matthew Rowell, Touk Miller, Charlie Constable and Mac Andre – and that’s not even all of them.
And that’s before we mention Ben King, whose season-ending injury has turned an already uphill battle into an Everest level climb for the Suns. But on paper Gold Coast still have an incredible list.
But that has historically always been their problem: on paper success, on-field mediocrity. It is a reason why their star players have always run off to greener pastures as soon as their contracts are up, resulting in countless rebuilds.
Sure, they’ll need to play catch-up without their star King twin, but with the drive knowing that their coach is under pressure off the field, the playing group can lift enough to produce magic on the field, thus saving Dewy’s job.
Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No.
Look for Stuart Dew to turn it all around this year, simply because he has to, otherwise he’s out of a job.
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