The south-east Queensland team, one of only two clubs in Australia’s great northern state, are in the running for the least successful expansion team in sporting history.
Since their first season in 2011 they have finished second last, second last, fifth last, seventh last, third last, fourth last and second last. That’s only once out of the bottom five in seven years.
Compare that with the other AFL expansion club – the Greater Western Sydney Giants, who joined in 2012 : last, last, third last, seventh last, fourth and fourth.
The Giants have a clear progression from bottom to semi-finalists while the Suns have gone full circle – from second last to second last.
The Suns started with much hype and one of the biggest names in AFL history – Gary Ablett Jnr – bought with much expense from Geelong – and their crowds in the first season in their new stadium were a respectable average of 19,169, before they also went south.
Last year they averaged a paltry 13,663 – this in Australia’s most successful sporting code where the premiers Richmond averaged 55,958 at home in 2017 and the competition average is 35,207. England’s Premier League’s average crowd, by way of comparison, is 38,124.
Ablett has now departed after seven seasons at the club, returning to Geelong, and the Suns future looks even bleaker than usual.
Surprisingly with a club with such little success they have had only two head coaches in their history – Guy McKenna and Rodney Eade – but the man now charged with bringing some glory to the Suns is former Sydney Swans assistant Stuart Dew.
Dew talks to his players during a Suns training session
The 38-year-old two-time premiership winner, with Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, has been entrusted to lead the Suns into a new era by the club’s CEO, Mark Evans, who was wooed from his position as the AFL’s operations chief to the Gold Coast in February last year.
It’s hard to imagine a more clear divide between two AFL clubs than the Swans and the Suns.
The Swans, with their famed ‘Bloods’ culture, have been in the final every year but one since 2003. In that time they have also won two flags as well as two minor premierships in the last four years alone.
The Suns, as outlined above, are still yet to truly establish themselves. On field disaster has been accompanied by off-field dramas.
The club clearly needs to hit the reset button – and to do that they need to re-build from bottom to top.
Dew admits he’ll be drawing a lot on the Swans famous culture.
“I learnt from the playing list there about the impact that (culture) can have,” he told Fox Footy recently.
“(A) strong leadership group across the years that I witnessed for eight years, makes you aspire to where you want to get your current playing list.
“We’re not trying to copy them (the Swans), we want to forge our own history, but you’ve gotta take something from the best at times.
Sun AFL (JLT Series) - Gold Coast v Geelong
— Footyindustry (@footyindustryAU) March 4, 2018
Official crowd: 3206 at Riverway Stadium (Townsville)https://t.co/HeWFmwwzCp
The Suns have often been written about as a “talented but troubled list” — able to lose by 100 points one week and win by 80 the next.
Consistency will be Dew’s first goal in his first season at the club – and he does have a grace period as there are zero expectations again in 2018.
For his part Dew is trying to sound optimistic but the pressure will come. There is nowhere to hide in the fish bowl of the Australian footy media.
The placement of top AFL man Evans at the club also shows how important it is to head office to get the Suns ship sailing straight ahead.
As Australia’s most successful sporting code the AFL do not take kindly to failure.
“I’m sure that (pressure) will come,” acknowledges Dew.
“But at this time of year, I find that pre-season is a good time of year. (When you) start to get towards the season, win-loss comes into it, selection (does too).”
Dew started well with a big 85-29 trial win – coincidentally over Geelong – on Sunday in Townsville. The AFL will be hoping this is a sign of things to come.
All the way up Australia’s east coast from Victoria to Queensland – they will be hoping Dew can finally unlock the magic formula to fix the Suns.
