What can Stuart Dew achieve at the Suns in 2018?

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Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2007
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Glass half full says
  • New coach can galvanise the group
  • Can implement a new, winning game plan
  • Number 2 draft pick about to come in
  • Several key players (Lynch, May, Swallow etc) about to hit their peak physically
  • Don't have to worry about the Ablett circus anymore and potential poison in the locker room
  • Key positions filled with talented players and should be easier to recruit for their needs (midfielders)
  • Easier draw due to finishing second last
  • Many home games in the second half of the season will make it easier to finish the season well
  • Proper training facilities are now in place for the first time in the club's history
Glass half empty says
  • New coach will take time to connect with the group
  • May not have the players to pull off a new game plan
  • Playing group is still very young and inexperienced
  • Just lost their best player in Ablett
  • Midfield isn't up to scratch at this point in time
  • Many away games in the first half of the season will make it difficult to start well
  • Training facilities temporarily unavailable due to Commonwealth Games

What can Dew achieve with this bunch in 2018? I'm inclined to suggest there will be improvement and they will likely finish around 10th-12th.
 

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fake tyrone

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I reckon we'll see some spirit and grit from them and instead of falling away at the end of the season like they did in 2017, I reckon they'll pick up a few wins. I can see them getting 8-9 wins.
 

M Malice

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Bazza97

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They should be able to play more accountable footy under Dew. Coming from the Sydney Swans footy environment, I'd expect them to emphasise accountable footy ethos like pressure and running both ways. They should develop a better on-field structure with Dew at the helm but it's going to be a work in progress and it might take a few years before we see the Suns thrive. They should improve next season in terms of performance but they might still find themselves in the bottom 4. 6-10 wins would be my wins range for Gold Coast next year and they could very well have a better 2nd half to the year than the 1st due to more home games being scheduled there and the players getting more accustomed to the new game plan under Dew.
 

Matchu

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First job is fixing the culture.
Dewy talked about 'genuine buy in and commitment' in his press conference so I think he's well aware that he needs to change the culture ASAP. Coming from the bloods culture in Sydney, I'm pretty confident he will try to instil a strong sense of accountability in the playing group well before the start of the 2018 season.
 
Aug 13, 2006
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Need a Carlton under Bolton style focus on defensive accountability and from there they have talent to win quite a few games. Eade never established any style of play besides filling the team with back flankers.

Ablett has to go. Get in a mature player in his place.
Losing Matera and Saad won't help, they are 2 who could've offered a bit.

FB: Joyce May Harbrow
HB: Hanley Leslie Kolodjashnij
C: Hall Lyons Fiorini
HF: Martin Lynch Sexton
FF: Ainsworth Wright Ah Chee
Foll: Witts Swallow Miller
Int: Lonergan Rischitelli Lemmens Bowes

E: Rosa, Barlow, Brodie, Thompson, Scrimshaw, Scheer

Early picks from last year who should come and this years draft plus at least 1 maybe up to 3 or so experienced players of quality to provide some mature depth and they aren't a list in too bad a shape.

They have a spine. They have lots of forward options. They have pace and run and the skill from half back to use it. They should be able to develop some forward pressure. They are very light on midfield class and ball winning but they have a ruck who can break even and if they get commitment to the contest around the ball then you can nullify that impact. A system of play that sees reward for effort will turn things around.
 

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Fair call. It's probably more a question of how long will it take him to get the playing group to play a winning brand of football vs can he get this club to play winning football.

Yeah I'd say it would take him a minimum of 2-3 years to get them playing a winning brand of footy.

Most of the teams going through a major rebuild seek to sort out their defence first. eg. Carlton with Bolton, Lyon when he got to Fremantle, Roos at Melbourne etc.
 

SterlingArcher

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-Significant game time into Will Brodie, Jack Bowes, Ben Ainsworth, Callum Ah Chee, Jesse Joyce.

-Instill a stronger ethos of forward line pressure. Lynch can work harder the other way. Ah Chee, Martin, Ainsworth, Sexton are a fast bunch and can put significant pressure on rebounding defenders

-Make higher disposal players accountable for their disposal and making smarter decisions - Swallow, Rosa and Fiorini particularly.

-Get Rory Thompson back on track. Leslie and Thompson the two KDs. Steven May to replicate Hurley - play on the best forward if the match-up suits but if not, maximise his intercept marking and rebound. Love May's kicking - can boot it 60 and break zones accurately.

-Sam Day back on track and on the field. Will help forward line pressure.

-Get rid of the middle-aged+ deadwood - Rosa, Shaw (hope the rumours of him to Carlton are not true), McKenzie

Aim for 7 wins and 85%. Would be their 3rd best season ever, with a new bunch of kids. Take 3 yes, but plenty of lessons learned. Don't rush, continue to pick up QLD kids, continue to instill professional ethos and work ethic.

B: Steven May (rebounding), Jack Leslie, Jesse Joyce
HB: Kade Kolodjashnij (rebounding), Rory Thompson, Sean Lemmens
C: Pearce Hanley, David Swallow, Brayden Fiorini
HF: Alex Sexton, Peter Wright, Jack Martin
F: Callum Ah Chee, Tom Lynch, Ben Ainsworth
Foll: Jarrod Witts, Jarryd Lyons, Jarrod Harbrow
Bench: Michael Rischitelli, Touk Miller, Jack Bowes, Will Brodie

Sam Day to come back in once fit for a mid.
Michael Barlow, Matt Rosa - chop-out senior mid depth for Bowes/Brodie
Jesse Lonergan, Josh Schoenfeld, Jack Scrimshaw, Brad Scheer - youth to get games at stages
Max Spencer an impressive enough young 3rd tall - if Thompson doesn't come back as hoped, Leslie/May to be talls and Spencer 3rd.

Saad, Ablett, Hall, McKenzie, Matera on top of Hallahan, Brooksby, Grant, Davis, Shaw out.
 

vide0n

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Oct 7, 2012
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8 wins and 90%

I don't see it as a major rebuild, most pieces already there

Defensive pressure needs to get much better, and midfield mostly full of journeymen. Another Lyons and getting Motlop would be very handy
 
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jj1978

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First he'll have to clean out some of the list... Rocket tried to implement culture and failed and Dew would come in and trying to implement the bloods culture with this Gold Coast group is going to end up being very challenging. He has three years... Clean out the problem children, let Ablett go, and anyone else who wants to go and bring in players with heart and go from there.
 
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