The Gold Coast Suns are on the cusp of their first finals berth in club history, barring a shock loss to the Bombers at People First Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Suns' long-awaited leap into contention arguably stemmed from their highly successful 2024 trade period, landing a pair of elite half-backs in John Noble and Daniel Rioli that have shaped their transition football from the defensive 50.
While the improvement has been much appreciated by the success-starved Suns faithful, there are still some ways to go, as the Suns still lack outside running support options for their dominant midfield and consistent small forward options who are able to crumb at the feet of spearhead Ben King.
So, where can they make upgrades, and which out-of-contract players could the Suns realistically add as they enter their first premiership window under Damien Hardwick?
We take a look at five trade and free agency targets for the Gold Coast to consider this year.
1Beau McCreery
A report in early August suggested that the Suns had been aggressively scouting Collingwood speedster Beau McCreery in a bid to lure him north, and while it looms as an unlikely trade, with McCreery contracted to Collingwood until the end of 2027, the potential addition of the 24-year-old makes a lot of sense.
The Suns would thrive with McCreery's talents along the wings, as his speed and tenacious hunger around the contest present him as a perfect fit into Hardwick's "chaos ball" system that has begun to pay off this year. His relentless pressure would mesh well with Gold Coast's inside bull midfielders, who have lacked a truly rapid outside running option this season.
McCreery's 4.4 tackles per game ranks as elite, while his 23.4 metres gained per disposal is good for 15th-best in the AFL (minimum 10 games played), notably higher than players like Max Holmes and Massimo D'Ambrosio.
