#AccidentalHamilton.
Gil feeling the heat. Deflection 101 via Barrett
That said, obviously additional clubs was about TV rights revenue increase = executive bonus increase
If: you really want to know when the Suns went wrong.
Then: an actual journalist would, rather than smugly pretend to know, actually write a story about that.
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/fxd
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pretty redundant to defecate on one which is already the result of said defecation…
You’ve never shat on ■■■■ before?
Phhffft, … hasn’t lived!!
ill make an exception if i had an opportunity to ■■■■ on purple
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Gary Buckenara says Gold Coast, AFL must think outside square if expansion club is to survive
For years the AFL has been determined to persevere with Gold Coast but it’s time to make some tough decisions and plan for a future competition without the Suns.
I’d give the club another 3-5 years to get it right but if it’s still a basket case then enough is enough. Shut the club down and give Tasmania the team it deserves.
A team in Tasmania, a football-mad state, would surely create a far better AFL experience for talented players to develop and play out their careers than Gold Coast.
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What can the Suns do in that 3-5 years? There’s still time for chief executive Mark Evans, chairman Tony Cochrane and coach Stuart Dew to turn this club around, start winning games and challenge for finals.
But that’s not going to be achieved until the AFL, and the club itself, thinks outside the square.
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The Suns will present to the AFL Commission in coming weeks and ask for a priority draft pick. What’s the point?
How long can the league continue to compromise the draft for this club? The reality is, selecting another 18-year-old isn’t going to do much to help the Suns now and let’s be honest, that’s what they desperately need.
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Gold Coast will claim another wooden spoon this season.
My view is Gold Coast will never be a viable or successful club but if the AFL is determined to give it more time, then there must be a new strategy.
What has been tried in the past hasn’t worked. The cycle can’t continue. It’s time to try something new — be bold and draw a line in the sand.
The Luke Hodge example at Brisbane is an ideal model for Gold Coast. So instead of granting the Suns more priority to access young talent, which will likely leave after a few seasons, provide them with access to players at the other end of their careers.
Give the Suns the scope to sign up to five players aged 30+ outside the salary cap and under the banner of mentors and AFL ambassadors.
Adding the leadership, character and experience of players like Jarryd Roughead, Shaun Burgoyne, Kade Simpson, Eddie Betts, Jordan Lewis, Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack, David Myers, Scott Selwood or Dale Morris would transform the standards at that football club.
The players would eligible to play for the Suns but their greatest impact would be to improve the AFL football experience for the young developing players.
Shaun Burgoyne would be a perfect fit at the Suns. Picture: Michael Klein
As would Kade Simpson to provide leadership and guidance for the younger players. Picture: Michael Klein
I would also use Mick Malthouse and/or Mark Williams as part of this group — signing them outside the football department cap — their experience, standing and love for the game would be a wonderful asset for all areas of the club.
Their presence and input, alongside veteran players, would help create a culture of excellence.
While Gold Coast is one of Australia’s biggest growth areas, every sporting code to attempt to establish a team there has failed.
It might be good for the TV audience to have matches played in Queensland every week but this could still be achieved without the Suns through a combination of Brisbane home games and clubs under the financial banner of the AFL playing games there.
I would expect the same attendance figures at Metricon Stadium if clubs other than Gold Coast played home games at the venue, while it would still achieve the same TV outcome with a far smaller yearly bill for the AFL.
Mick Malthouse could add to the Suns’ footy department, Gary Buckenara writes. Picture: Mark Stewart
Not only is the financial element of having a team hugely funded by the AFL a drain on the game’s finances but to continue to be asked to change the rules around the draft — applying for priority picks, the introduction of academies and start-up concessions for the Suns and Giants — has disadvantaged clubs like St Kilda, Carlton and Fremantle, who have been stuck in the middle of the ladder as they haven’t had access to the best young talent.
All of this has diluted the draft, which aims to help the teams at the bottom, and the talent pool has been spread too thin.
The problems at Gold Coast were created by the initial set-up and the character of some of the players and staff recruited to the club, with the party/holiday culture well documented. That type of environment is toxic and has had a huge impact on the culture and consequently, the club’s ability to retain players.
The AFL cannot continue to throw money away by supporting a club that can’t change this cycle. There has to be a time frame.
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Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans and chairman Tony Cochrane will request a vast array of assistance measures when they meet with the AFL Commission on Tuesday.
- August 26, 2019 8:30pm
- Tom Morris@tommorris32
- Source: FOX SPORTS
Sep 5 2019
8:10PM
Suns CEO Mark Evans, with rookies and ‘adopted’ players Jack Lukosius and Ben King outside Metricon Stadium. Photo: Glenn HampsonSource: News Corp Australia
The club won three of its first four matches in 2019 but failed to notch a victory after Round 4 despite valiant efforts against Melbourne (Round 8), St Kilda (Round 13), and Essendon (Round 19).
Among the detailed paper set to be presented to the AFL Commission on Tuesday, an increased salary cap, draft allowances and an acknowledgment that any measures would be temporary are likely to be at the top of the agenda.
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And while the Suns will ask for wide-ranging help, they will make sure they don’t come across as needy or desperate.
Foxfooty.com.au understands Evans and Cochrane will request the following:
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At least one priority pick at the top of the draft, in the hope they can select school friends and teammates Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson with selections one and two in November;
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Salary cap relief, though there is an acknowledgment at Gold Coast this is less likely to be approved given how hard the AFL has worked to equalise total player payments in recent years;
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More scope for ambassadorial and marketing money to be distributed to players and prospective trade targets;
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At least first round draft selections to be tied to three-year contracts, rather than two-year deals as is the case currently;
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and Academy changes which would allow the club to gain priority access to elite juniors without the potential for clubs to bid for them.
Crucially, Gold Coast will also make it clear it does not expect any or all of these measures to last for 20 years.
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Instead, the Suns will make it crystal clear any advantages afforded to the club will act as temporary concessions designed to get it back on its feet with the right people in charge.
It’s understood the requests will essentially focus on requirements under the broad scope of a ‘moment in time assistant package’ to jolt the club in the short term.
Gold Coast does not want to be seen as a handout club on its knees begging for relief. And when Suns representatives presented their strategy to the AFL last week, they outlined the moves they’ve made across the last 12-18 months to solidify pressing issues internally.
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They discussed the need to improve player retention and to break the cycle of departures that has seen three captains leave across the last two off-seasons (Gary Ablett, Steve May and Tom Lynch).
It’s understood the AFL assessed the presentation in a favourable manner.
Gold Coast spends more money than any other club on ‘personal excellence’, which is broadly a term used at Metricon Stadium referring to player welfare and sits under the soft cap.
Norm Smith medallist Shaun Hart heads up the personal excellence wing of the club and is said to be a popular, enthusiastic and respected member of the football department. Of the 18 new staff who have arrived in the last year, six are positioned under the watchful eye of Hart.
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In addition, the Suns have re-signed 14 players since the end of last season, including captain and ruckman Jarrod Witts and David Swallow until the end of 2024 and Touk Miller until the end of 2022.
No.3 draft pick Izak Rankine also extended his contract until the end of 2022 in early July, though they will lose uncontracted West Australian Jack Martin in the trade period.
The AFL is likely to informally notify Gold Coast which concessions the Commission has approved and rejected in early September, but won’t formally respond until the next Commission meeting around Grand Final time.
GC should just fold and die. No-one outside AFL head quarters would care
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Anyone believe they won’t get pick 1 and 2? AFL have announced it will make its decision in grand final week. They have basically announced they are already planning on burying their decision
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Agree.all this priority pick stuff, It’s just delaying the inevitable
They shouldn’t get a priority pick, AFL should ensure their facilities are way better and ensure they can afford the top coaches/fitness guys etc.
That will allow them to keep guys.
No point giving them more picks to see them leave in 2 years.
Jack Martin left yet?
They will get a second round or end of first round priority pick.
Thats not too bad.
cant see a first round pick with future trading of first round picks already happened
I would give all bottom 4 club a bonus second round pick if they finish bottom 4 two years in a row. because you cant bridge the gap in 1 season with a early pick.
Will definitely happen. They’ll also get money outside the cap to pay mercenary veterans.
The only consolation will be if King, Lucosius and Rankine decide they wanna go home.
I’d wrap them up now.
But if that wasn’t an option and you were seriously going to try to build a club…
Forget #2.
It won’t help them and it will only make people more antagonistic towards them, and give them more ammunition when it doesn’t do any good, which it won’t.
Extend their list size, again, and their salary cap to reflect that.
Give them as many PSD picks as they want.
Give them three FA picks, front of the line.
Let clubs ‘donate’ senior players, contracted or not, and be compensated with draft picks accordingly.
If Zerrett or De Goey or whoever wants to go there then fine.
And those clubs get picks #1 or #2 or whatever.
That will actually help the club and it will also stop the free draft candy.
The reason they want 1&2 is so the expected top 2 who are best mates more likely to stay up there together
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Same thing was said about Rankine and Lukosius. Guess what, Lukosius wants to head home
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