Gold Coast head coach Stuart Dew will stay in his role for season 2022 with Suns CEO Mark Evans wholeheartedly confirming the 42-year-old's future at the club.
The Suns have had another subpar year under the two-time premiership player, slumping to a 16th-placed finish with a 7-15 record in their fourth year under Dew.
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Speaking to News Corp, Evans has thrown his support behind coach Dew and rubbished talk that the Suns were looking to sack him in order to bring in a more experienced figure.
“Stu is our coach for next year. He is contracted through to next season and we think he has plenty of upside as a coach. He has got great relationships with our playing group and our leadership group and he sees the game really well,” Evans said.
“All the way along we have been talking about what we would add to our program to support him and all other aspects of our group. The football review is still being finalised so we will sit down and discuss it once it’s done. At our best we mixed it with the best teams in the competition but we weren’t able to sustain that from game to game and sometimes within a game.
“We have to address what the gaps are with that and make the right choice from here as to how we improve aspects of our performance.”
Many prominent figures within the footballing media sphere have touted Alastair Clarkson as a potential replacement for Stuart Dew, however with the four-time premiership coach flagging a year off, coupled with the aforementioned comments by Evans, it seems this transition is off the cards.
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The Suns are also reportedly set to bring in another journeyed assistant coach, with ex-Lions head coach Michael Voss a target after the club were granted more space in their footballing department cap.
This 2021/22 off-season is set to be a prolific one for the Suns, with next season surely set to be Stuart Dew's last chance to make finals considering the talent his squad contains.
The breakout year of serial ball-magnet Touk Miller only bodes well for Dew and his chances, with the young talent around the 25-year-old only set to rise in stock by many accounts.
Touk Miller is loyal to the Gold Coast Suns. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/rQTC7aeUq8
— 7AFL (@7AFL) September 5, 2021
The club are reportedly wanting to trade their number three pick in this year's national draft in return for a host of first round picks, with Dew apparently set on bringing in multiple high quality youngsters over a single top drawer talent.
Add in the potential re-signings of the club's top prodigies including Izak Rankine, Jack Lukosius and Ben King and Stuart Dew's squad could yet finally make the next step.
