Alex Sexton (centre) enjoys a rare moment of triumph for Gold Coast in 2018 as the Suns seal the upset of the season over Sydney. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

GOLD COAST 2018 record: 4 wins, 18 losses (17th)

THE INS
Jordan Murdoch (Geelong), Jack Hombsch (Port Adelaide), Anthony Miles (Richmond), George Horlin-Smith (Geelong), Corey Ellis (Richmond), Josh Corbett (Werribee), Chris Burgess (West Adelaide), Sam Collins (Werribee), Jack Lukosius (Woodville-West Torrens), Izak Rankine (West Adelaide), Ben King (Sandringham Dragons), Jez McLennan (Central District), Caleb Graham (Palm Beach Currumbin)

THE OUTS
Tom Lynch (Richmond), Steven May (Melbourne), Aaron Hall (North Melbourne), Jarryd Lyons (delisted – Brisbane), Kade Kolodjashnij (Melbourne), Jack Scrimshaw (Hawthorn), Matt Rosa (retired), Michael Barlow (delisted), Josh Jaska (delisted), Max Spencer (delisted), Mackenzie Willis (delisted), Jesse Lonergan (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
There really isn’t much to write home about. The Suns are in very bad shape and are a huge chance to finish next year on the bottom of the ladder. But despite all the doom and gloom, there are some sources of positivity. The likes of Alex Sexton, Peter Wright, Jack Martin, Rory Thompson, Brayden Fiorini, David Swallow and Touk Miller have the potential to be very good players in their own right and coach Stuart Dew would be relying heavily on them to steer the Suns out of the darkness and into the light. As always, the Suns have an exciting batch of youngsters, but whether they can hang onto them all in the long run is the eternal question. Gold Coast also actually ranked seventh for tackles on differentials in 2018.

THE WEAKNESSES
After being completely stripped of top talent in the off-season in the biggest fire sale in the club’s short history, the Suns’ ability to compete at AFL level in 2019 could be as bad as their first few years in the competition. Lynch, May, Hall, Lyons and Kolodjashnij all headed towards the exit door this year, joining a long line of talented players in recent years who did the same, such as Gary Ablett, Charlie Dixon, Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy, Brandon Matera, Zac Smith and Harley Bennell. The revolving door doesn’t seem to stop and it’s now the duty of Dew and co. to make sure it does. Perhaps they should look towards local rival Brisbane for inspiration in that department. There’s also a strong stench of apathy at Metricon Stadium. Does anyone actually care about the club? And does the lack of scrutiny on the side subconsciously impact the players’ level of care out on the field? These are important questions that people in important places need to answer and seem to be struggling to do so. The Suns ranked last for attack and second-last for defence in 2018 and their appalling percentage of 59.9 was largely the result of 11 losses by at least 40 points, including a pair of 100-point trouncings at the hands of Geelong and GWS. If you didn’t already know that Gold Coast was starting all over again, then the fact that it ranked last for disposals, marks, uncontested possessions, marks inside 50 and contested possessions on differentials last season, as well as 15th for clearances, would be a dead giveaway. Gold Coast was also 17th for total inside 50s and last for total inside 50s conceded. The Suns truly hit rock bottom.

ONE TO WATCH
To be honest, there has been such an influx of new players that could legitimately play a lot of senior footy in 2019 that it’s going to be fascinating to see how they all come together and if they can somehow help the Suns avoid the wooden spoon. Understandably, there are huge wraps on Lukosius, Rankine and King, who all went in the top six of this year’s draft, while recycled players such as Murdoch, Hombsch, Miles, Horlin-Smith and Ellis were brought in to help stabilise the midfield and defence. Former state league players Collins, Corbett and Burgess, it is hoped, will add some much-needed maturity to the ravaged list, too.

UNDER THE PUMP
The entire club, truth be told. After millions and millions of dollars have been poured into this south-east Queensland outpost, the AFL has received no return on its investment. Eight seasons into this ambitious project, the Suns are now back to square one with another batch of front-line players out the door. After just 44 wins from 176 games, at an average of just over five a season, the Suns have started all over again. And the pain doesn’t look like it’s going to end anytime soon. They’re a realistic chance of another wooden spoon next year and it’s not clear as to how many more train wreck seasons the struggling club can endure before legitimate questions over its survival in the AFL start being asked.

BEST 22
B: Jesse Joyce, Ben King, Sam Collins
HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Pearce Hanley
C: Brayden Fiorini, Lachie Weller, Jordan Murdoch
HF: Alex Sexton, Peter Wright, Jack Martin
F: Aaron Young, Sam Day, Jack Lukosius
R: Jarrod Witts, David Swallow, Touk Miller
Inter: Anthony Miles, Jack Bowes, Nick Holman, Izak Rankine
Emerg: Ben Ainsworth, Callum Ah Chee, Jack Hombsch, Sean Lemmens

This writer is usually very conservative when it comes to including players in a team’s best 22 with no exposed form at senior level, but so dramatic has the upheaval been to Gold Coast’s list this off-season that the club is clearly making a statement that this is a new dawn. So, accordingly, King, Lukosius and Rankine have all made it into the 22 along with Collins, Murdoch and Miles, who were previously on AFL lists. Hanley might be viewed as a dubious inclusion, but at his best he can be a very valuable player and his last two years have been ruined by injury. Brayden Crossley is a little unlucky not to make it in the 26.