Season Preview: Gold Coast

2020 Recap A tale of two halves, as is becoming the trend for the Suns under Stuart Dew. Gold Coast began like a house on fire, mainly thanks to the red-hot form of number one draft pick Matt Rowell. [caption id="attachment_41715" align="alignnone" width="696"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 13: Matthew Rowell of the Suns celebrates his first goal during the round 2 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the West Coast Eagles at Metricon Stadium on June 13, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)[/caption] The Suns were very competitive all year but the condensed fixture took its toll on the young club and they ran out of steam towards the season's culmination. They developed their young players well and saw genuine improvement, it was a definite step forward. Off-season Ins: Rory Atkins (Adelaide), Oleg Markov (Richmond), Elijah Hollands (Draft), Alex Davies (Draft), Joel Jeffery (Draft), Jacob Townsend (Pre-season draft), Aiden Fyfe (Pre-season draft). Outs: Pearce Hanley (Retired), Anthony Miles (Delisted), George Horlin-Smith (Delisted), Corey Ellis (Delisted), Josh Schoenfeld (Delisted), Mitch Riordan (Delisted), Sam Fletcher (Delisted), Jesse Joyce (Delisted), Jacob Dawson (Delisted), Jacob Heron (Delisted), Peter Wright (Essendon). Grade: C The Suns did very well to clear out some of the dead wood sitting around and have committed to the youth. [caption id="attachment_70948" align="alignnone" width="696"] GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 28: Elijah Hollands of Vic Country celebrates a goal during the AFL 2019 U18 Championships match between Vic Country and South Australia at GMHBA Stadium on June 28, 2019 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)[/caption] They drafted well and will get immediate rewards from their pre-draft selections. Rory Atkins and Jacob Townsend look like very good mature-age recruits. This is a pass mark for the Suns, they did what they had too. Defining Period The second-half of the season is the time to judge the Suns, they have made a habit of running out of steam late in seasons and their young legs need to be able to adjust to the strains of a long campaign. [caption id="attachment_42840" align="alignnone" width="696"] GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04: Suns head coach Stuart Dew speaks with his players during the round 5 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Gold Coast Suns at GMHBA Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)[/caption] They don't need to win a heap of games but they need to be competitive for longer in games towards the business end of the season, especially if they are going to eventually make the jump to finals soon. Best 22 B: Jarrod Harbrow, Sam Collins, Jack Bowes HB: Charlie Ballard, Jack Lukosius, Oleg Markov C: Brandon Ellis, Touk Miller, Lachie Weller HF: Hugh Greenwood, Ben King, Ben Ainsworth F: Izak Rankine, Sam Day, Alex Sexton FOLL: Jarrod Witts, David Swallow, Matt Rowell I/C: Noah Anderson, Rory Atkins, Connor Budarick, Wil Powell [caption id="attachment_42801" align="alignnone" width="696"] SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 11: Izak Rankine of the Suns kicks celebrates after kicking his first AFL goal during the round 6 AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Gold Coast Suns at GIANTS Stadium on July 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)[/caption] The Suns' best 22 isn't too dissimilar to last year and that's the way it needs to be. Gone are the days of large turnover and adding players to the list for the sake of being competitive. Every player now is there for a purpose, the Suns need to get games into these kids and allow this group to build continuity and cohesion. Rory Atkins slots in and adds some valuable experience with Brandon Ellis on the wings, while the rest of their midfield group remains quite young. Strengths and Weaknesses The Suns strength is their youth. They are very promising and building a good culture that can see this group stick together and bring some success to Surfer's Paradise. They have good young players across every line and those players are yet to hit their prime. [caption id="attachment_42042" align="alignnone" width="696"] GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 21: Ben King of the Suns celebrates a goal with team mates during the round 3 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on June 21, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)[/caption] Their weakness is their youth, yes that's right. The talent is there but the experience both mentally and physically just isn't there yet, they will eventually get enough pre-season in to these kids to stop the physical mismatches and the fade outs, but for now it is still a concern. Prediction 14th The Suns can't and won't be measured on wins and losses, they are simply about moving this list's development forward and building more and more synergy within their side. [caption id="attachment_42840" align="alignnone" width="696"] GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04: Suns head coach Stuart Dew speaks with his players during the round 5 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Gold Coast Suns at GMHBA Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)[/caption] They will improve but any sudden rise up the ladder is unrealistic at this point, this is year two of the build for Stuart Dew's men and they deserve the chance to be judged on development, not wins and losses.

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	SYD	1	1	0	4	191.3
2	GC	1	1	0	4	181.2
3	GWS	1	1	0	4	128.4
4	COLL	1	1	0	4	118.2
5	WB	1	1	0	4	104.7
6	BL	1	0	1	0	95.5
7	STK	1	0	1	0	84.6
8	HAW	1	0	1	0	77.9
9	GEEL	1	0	1	0	55.2
10	CARL	1	0	1	0	52.3

Season Preview: Gold Coast

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