From the moment the season began, it was going to be a long year for the Suns.
Gold Coast trailed by as many as 47 points at Metricon Stadium during their opening round loss to eventual wooden spoon winners Brisbane, and were smashed by GWS by 102 points just one week later.
Then, Gary Ablett happened.
The former Suns captain told Channel Nine's The Footy Show that 2017 could be his final season of football, and basically stated a move back to Geelong would be on the cards at the end of the season once again, and failing to get his request granted last trade period.
Since that moment, Ablett's future has been the headline of every press conference, and the fact he played just three games after round 13 due to various injuries wasn't a good look either.
Add that narrative to the Suns sacking Rodney Eade with just three rounds remaining, and the Suns have had a pretty poor year overall.
They limped to 17th position on the table with just six wins, and finished inside the bottom four for the fifth time in their seven-year history.
Best win:
With the Suns boasting a 2-4 record and coming off a loss to North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, they weren't given much of a chance against Geelong, who had just lost their first match of the season.
But Gold Coast came out strong and led at every change, and could have easily beaten the Cats by more, given they had 15 more scoring shots on the night.
The final margin was 25 points, as Gary Ablett, Aaron Hall and Michael Barlow all starred in the impressive victory.
Worst loss:
The end of Gold Coast's season just couldn't come quick enough.
They could only manage five scoring shots from 29 inside 50s, and were smashed all over the ground in a horrendous performance.
With the final margin reaching 115 points and no Sun collecting more than 24 disposals, it was a disappointing end to such a disappointing season.
Most improved: Jarryd Lyons
After moving to the Gold Coast following a trade at the end of last season (Suns got: Lyons, pick 71, Crows got: picks 43, 67), Jarryd Lyons had to prove he could perform in a weaker midfield.
He did just that, and became one of the Suns' most consistent and best players across the 2017 season.
Despite playing fewer games than he did in his last season with Adelaide, Lyons' 18 matches saw him average an impressive 24.6 disposals, 3.7 marks, 4.6 tackles, 3.7 inside 50s and 5.8 clearances per game.
The 25-year-old was on track for the Suns' best and fairest award before injuring his ankle in round 17, and missed a month of football before returning for the final two rounds.
Should Ablett leave at the end of the season, the Suns already have a midfield leader in their ranks in Lyons.
Best and fairest: Jarryd Lyons/Gary Ablett/Steven May
We've already looked at Lyons' case, but the Suns' best and fairest race could also involve two of their senior members.
Despite playing just 14 games, Ablett's season has to be considered, given he averaged 33 disposals, 7.6 clearances and 5.9 inside 50s.
The little master will always come into best and fairest calculations, because that's just how good he is.
Co-captain and key defender Steven May could also be a smoky for the award, given he had one of his most consistent seasons to date.
May averaged 19.3 disposals, 7.1 marks, 3.9 rebound 50s and 5.9 one percenters, and announced himself as one of the toughest defenders to play against.
Any of those three would deserve the award.
What the off-season could look like:
Despite Ablett looking like he will leave the Suns during the trade period, Gold Coast need to play hard ball with their former captain.
He has one year remaining on his contract, which means the club should be looking to get at least a player and a pick out of Geelong for Ablett.
A third-round pick and a young fringe player should be enough to get Ablett back home, and that would give the Suns enough to work with, given they have enough leverage to make that deal due to his contract.
The Suns will also have pick two in the draft, which they could use on another midfielder, or a small forward to help co-captain Tom Lynch.
The signature of Lynch is also important for the Suns, with their star forward set to enter the final year of his contract next season.
Gold Coast also need to find a new coach too, after Brad Scott re-signed with North Melbourne.
John Barker's name is constantly being linked with the job, although CEO Mark Evans needs to decide whether he goes with an experienced coach, or someone new to the position.
2018 crystal ball:
As much as people would love to see the Suns thrive on the Gold Coast, it's hard to get excited about a club who could lose their best player and potentially their club captain in Lynch over the next 12 months.
They've got young talent coming in and their experienced players still have talent, but they'll need to make sure the new coach is the right man for the job.
With clubs around them getting stronger quicker, the Suns could be in line for the wooden spoon next season.
