Luck a big part in the Suns poor season

Have Gold Coast been as bad as results suggest or have they been unlucky?

When Chris Burgess kicked a goal to put the Suns in front with three minutes to go against Essendon on the weekend, Gold Coast looked destined to win their fourth game of the season.

However as has been the case this year, the Suns let slip of the win and lost by 10 points, their fourth defeat by 10 points or under in 2019.

The future of the Suns has been debated after yet another disappointing season in which they sit two games clear at the bottom of the ladder.

Prior to the weekends result, the Suns lost their previous four games by an average of 63.3 points, including consecutive defeats by over 90 points to Richmond and Adelaide.

Questions about whether they merit a priority pick continue to be discussed as this season will likely be the third season in a row they finish in the bottom two.

Despite results showing the Suns are the worst team in the competition, they have had opportunities to win games that would have moved them up the ladder.

The four games in question are the games they lost by under 10 point, all of which they led late in the final quarter.

The Suns could have started the season 4-0 had they beaten St Kilda in round 1. Will Powell kicked a goal 20 minutes into the final term that gave the Suns a one-point lead. However the Saints kicked two points in the dying stages of the game to claim a one-point win.

The second game between the two teams was as thrilling as the first as the Suns yet again let slip of a lead.

Gold Coast kicked 4.6 (30) before the Saints kicked their first goal of the game early in the second quarter. St Kilda went on a rampage in the second half to overturn the margin and come away with a four-point win.

The other game the Suns lost by under 10 points was against Melbourne in round 8. In one of the more remarkable games this year, the Suns led by six points with 23 seconds left in the game, before the Demons kicked a goal to level the scores and then a point with one second on the clock to record a one-point win.

Any other year the Suns would have been able to flood their backline in the dying stages of the game but with the new 6-6-6 rule, the Suns had little opportunity to shore up their defence.

Had the Suns won all four games they would be 14th on the ladder, a game ahead of the Saints and four games above bottom of the ladder Melbourne.

The Suns season would still be considered a disappointment, but the situation at the club would not be as bad as it it is at current.

A lot of the Suns issues is down to the lack of experience in their team. Gold Coast have the youngest list in the competition (23.24) and the fewest games played (55.4 games on average).

With a little more experience the Suns could have slowed the games down and secured the wins.

The Suns have been disappointing this season, but they can also consider themselves unfortunate to sit at the bottom of the ladder.