The Suns get around Matt Rowell after a goal against Adelaide in his sensational start to 2020. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
GOLD COAST
2020 record: 5 wins, 11 losses, 1 draw (14th)
THE INS
Rory Atkins (Adelaide), Oleg Markov (Richmond), Jacob Townsend (Essendon), Alex Davies (Gold Coast – NEAFL), Joel Jeffrey (NT Thunder), Elijah Hollands (Murray Bushrangers), Aiden Fyfe (Broadbeach), Rhys Nicholls (Labrador), Hewago Paul Oea (Gold Coast – NEAFL)
THE OUTS
Peter Wright (Essendon), Pearce Hanley (retired), Anthony Miles (retired), George Horlin-Smith (retired), Corey Ellis (delisted), Josh Schoenfeld (delisted), Jesse Joyce (delisted), Jacob Dawson (delisted), Jacob Heron (delisted), Mitch Riordan (delisted), Sam Fletcher (delisted)
THE STRENGTHS
Progress has been a slow trickle at Gold Coast, but bit-by-bit improvement is gradually occurring. Yes, the Suns registered their ninth bottom-five finish in their 10-year existence last year, but their percentage of 90.6 was drastically better than their 2019 figure of 60.5. They were uncompetitive two seasons ago, losing their last 18 games, but with five wins from 17 games last season, they won 29.4 per cent of their games, their third-best effort since entering the AFL. Their thumping 44-point victory over West Coast was the highlight of the year, while narrow losses to St Kilda and the Bulldogs on top of competitive showings against Richmond and Collingwood suggested they might not be too far away from finally pushing for a finals spot. With an incredibly exciting group of emerging youngsters featuring Matt Rowell, Ben King, Noah Anderson, Izak Rankine, Jack Lukosius (No.9 for rebounds in the AFL last year), Ben Ainsworth, Jack Bowes, Wil Powell, Charlie Ballard and Connor Budarick, a top-eight finish might not be too far away. And when you throw in No.7 pick Elijah Hollands into the mix, it’s hard not to get enthused about the Suns’ prospects in the next few years. Granted, this isn’t the first time in Gold Coast’s history it has been armed with a war chest of incredible young talent, but it seems to be different this time around, with coach Stuart Dew fostering a really good culture at the perennially struggling club, which his tyros have seemingly bought into. Has the footy public ever been more excited by a five-game player than it is with Rowell? As soon as this special kid crossed the white line for his first AFL game, he looked like a leader who already had 200 games under his belt. Putting aside his last game, which finished very early for him due to a season-ending shoulder injury, the former No.1 pick averaged 21 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven tackles and five clearances per match to go with six goals and nine Brownlow Medal votes, including three consecutive three-vote performances. He looms as a once-in-a-generation talent that the Suns can build their club around for the next decade. King is also a readymade superstar with a club-best 25 goals and 30 marks inside 50 last year while Rankine also hit the ground running in 2020 and has the potential to become one of the best players in the AFL. But it’s not all about the youngsters – how good was Hugh Greenwood as a pick-up? The former Crow finished the home-and-away season as the No.1 tackler in the competition and came in at fifth for contested possessions as well as 10th for clearances. And with an emerging midfield that looks ready to explode, which also contains reliable hands David Swallow, Touk Miller (No.7 for tackles in the AFL last year) and Lachie Weller, having a ruckman who was ranked third in the AFL for hit-outs in co-captain Jarrod Witts is pretty handy. The Suns’ clearance work was also impressive and thanks largely to that man again Greenwood (93), who led the club in that category, they ranked fourth on differentials in the AFL. The recruitment of Atkins hot on the heels of Greenwood and Brandon Ellis is another huge vote of confidence for the direction in which the Suns are headed.
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THE WEAKNESSES
Despite all the positives, though, at the end of the day Gold Coast still finished 14th after starting a season 3-2 for the fourth time in five years. In recent times, the Suns have really nailed how to get their season off to a flyer, but to say they have failed to master the art of continuing that momentum into the final four months of the season would be an understatement. In the last five years, Gold Coast’s win-loss record after round five is 10-69-1. All the gains the Suns made last year will count for nought if they fall away dramatically again after the opening month or so next year. Also, of their five wins in 2020, only one was against a finalist (Collingwood). As exciting as King (25.20) and Rankine (12.17) are, they kicked a combined 37.37 last year, so if the Suns want to win more games in 2021, arguably their two brightest stars up forward have to split the big sticks more often, because they definitely made the most of playing in a battling team’s forward line. And we can heap as much praise as we like on Gold Coast’s on-ball division, but the fact is on differentials the team ranked third-last for disposals, fourth-last for marks and 13th for tackles. If those numbers don’t improve dramatically this season, then the Suns shouldn’t expect much of a climb up the ladder. Heavy losses to pace-setters Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Geelong served as reminders of how much work they still have to do to get themselves in the conversation of being considered a top team. Not one Sun featured in the AFL’s top 20 ball-winners or mark-takers last year. Sub-standard supply to the forward line and an inability to consistently protect their backline from opposition forays meant that the Suns finished 2020 with the 12th-best attack and 14th-ranked defence. Compounding Gold Coast’s No.10 ranking for total inside 50s was the fact that it was also second-last on differentials for marks inside 50, making life very hard for its forwards to score, let alone cobble together a winning total. They need to fix that area up to maximise the presence of King and Rankine in attack. The Suns’ overall interstate record of 13-76 is also appalling, and if they want to be taken seriously as a finals contender, there’s no alternative but for that to improve.
ONE TO WATCH
The footy world got a nice entree-sized serving of Rowell last year and now it’s ready for the main course. In just five games, the future captain has already shown that he not only belongs at AFL level, but that he thrives in senior ranks. So immediate was the teenager’s impact on the team that there was a real deflating effect created from his season-ending shoulder injury from which Gold Coast never really seemed to recover (a bit like Gary Ablett in 2014). If he plays close to a full season in 2021, the Rising Star is a foregone conclusion, and based on his output last year, it might sound crazy, but you can’t discount him winning the Brownlow, either. If he can produce that high-level of brilliance on a consistent basis, the sky is the limit.
UNDER THE PUMP
After having a breakout year and establishing himself in Gold Coast’s midfield in 2019, Brayden Fiorini had a spectacular fall from grace last year as he could only manage five senior games and was dropped twice. The 23-year-old has experienced a dramatic change in fortunes, and with the on-ball brigade looking set to launch an assault on the competition without him in it, he is going to have to work his backside off to keep his Gold Coast career alive.
BEST 22
B: Connor Budarick, Sam Collins, Rory Thompson
HB: Brandon Ellis, Jack Lukosius, Charlie Ballard
C: Lachie Weller, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson
HF: Ben Ainsworth, Sam Day, Darcy Macpherson
F: Izak Rankine, Ben King, Alex Sexton
R: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller, Hugh Greenwood
Inter: David Swallow, Rory Atkins, Jack Bowes, Wil Powell
Emerg: Jarrod Harbrow, Oleg Markov, Caleb Graham, Nick Holman
What an addition to the backline Thompson could turn out to be after two years out due to injury. He looked like he had the potential to become a top key defender before being forced on the sidelines. Despite being dropped late last year, Sexton is a walk-up start into the 18. He finished second in the club’s goalkicking and is an undeniably talented attacking threat. Veteran Harbrow gets squeezed out of the best 22 and while Hollands isn’t in the top 26 right now, that will surely change as the year unfolds.
