Toast Another season over but the foundations are setting

[CoastBhoy]

I reckon they should target maybe a couple of marquee players to keep them atleast a little competitive. .

I would be shocked if that did'nt happen to be honest , not only for the on field success but the off field success as well.

 

[Stereophonic]

I would be shocked if that did'nt happen to be honest , not only for the on field success but the off field success as well.

I hear Cameron Mooney's name being thrown around. I think that would be a poor move, I think the best Marquee player without a shadow of doubt would be Reiwoldt, local boy turned good.

Depending on how he goes, I wouldnt be too peturbed if GC tried to lure Kurt Tippet, and then build around them.

The mids will come on easily, I think perhaps now is the time to be recruiting KPP's to play in the TAC and maybe the QAFL to play against bigger bodies, is Clark Keating in the QAFL?

 

[CoastBhoy]

I hear Cameron Mooney's name being thrown around. I think that would be a poor move,?

Agreed.

I think the best Marquee player without a shadow of doubt would be Reiwoldt, local boy turned good.

Agreed , but 2 years down the track a 25 y.o David Hale might be the go.

Depending on how he goes, I wouldnt be too peturbed if GC tried to lure Kurt Tippet, and then build around them.

I guess we can go a bit to Qld player conscience , but he looks the goods.

The mids will come on easily, I think perhaps now is the time to be recruiting KPP's to play in the TAC and maybe the QAFL to play against bigger bodies, is Clark Keating in the QAFL?

Do you know how we are going about the make up of TAC cup team ??

 

[Stereophonic]

Agreed.



Agreed , but 2 years down the track a 25 y.o David Hale might be the go.



I guess we can go a bit to Qld player conscience , but he looks the goods.



Do you know how we are going about the make up of TAC cup team ??

No idea, Im tipping we will probably find out more after we get the licence, but its a hell of a lot of kids to come up with at once, considering we dont raid the draft till next year. May be a lot of kids from the local league. But its a pretty interesting point.

 

[UpForGrabs]

yeah the eagles had it easy. original squad of 35 and could only pick 5 players from anyone wafl team. at the same time the vfl team had league, ressies and colts. also, the likes of bairstow, winmar, and other players were signed up by other teams. eagles had to pay a large of transfer fees for wafl players, couldnt train at subi, and trained a non footy ground.

west coast did it the hardway and they werent state team.

Not to mention the amount of millions we had to pay for our license and the fact that the VFL turned around and demanded the money earlier than previously stated - leaving a few individuals (such as current Swans Chairman Richard Colless) to foot the bill.

 

[GC2015]

What are you expecting we will achieve in 2014? Personally I think we will win at least 70% of our matches at Metricon and will play finals. If we don't play finals I think Bluey will get the sack. Expecting a 30 year old Gary to drop off a bit too. Hoping for a break out from one of our talls like Gorringe or Lynch.

 

[supernova_]

Not sure if your old enough to remember gary snr played until 36 I think? but I doubt jnr will drop off. His time forward will steadily increase, wouldn't be surprised if he wins a Coleman before his time is up.

Gaz is the least of our worries.

 

[Lord_Flashheart]

With a better performance this year we will probably see a tougher draw next year. If that is how part of the fixture is determined. Obviously teams ebb and flow on form so some of the "harder" teams will become soft and vice versa. so who knows.

12 - 14 wins is about what we are looking for I suppose. But if teams played as they were supposed to then the TAB would be broke

 

[supernova_]

Would definitely like us to strive for finals, and actually come out in the beginning of the year making our intentions known.

Also want one of our key forwards to kick 30-40 goals, it's really not asking much!!

 

[Dammit]

Among other things, I'd like Lynchy to stay in the top 3 contested marks/game, and I'd like to see Dicko average above 2/game, which should see him move into the top 10.

 

[holybishop]

Finals must be the aim next year. We dont necessarily have to make it, 10-12 wins will suffice but being around that mark will be a notable improvement. In particular we need to win more 50/50 games. Out of our 7 wins only North and Collingwood were upsets. Saints in round 1 looked big at the time but considering where they are now it really wasnt. Doubt we'll get as easy of a draw next year so we need to beat the likes of Brisbane, Carlton, North, Adelaide, Port and the Dogs next year, teams who I believe will be around that 7th-13th positions contesting to make the finals.

 

[FavoriteSun]

Same thing I said last year - a 25-50% increase in wins and a more consistent list from week to week. Injuries kill us more than I think most teams, so to find as many of our guys playing at the end of season is great, but I really want to see very little change from week to week for the first half of the season. I don't mind resting guys, but if we get a decent draw we cant afford to be tinkering as much as we seem to because of injury bugs that crop up.

Want to see lynch, swallow, dixon and matera healthy for an entire season as well...can't afford to have guys like that playing 3 out of every 5 games with their impact on the game.

 

[gosuns!]

10 wins, and foward line that gets a bit of continuity. jack martin's rising star, and somebody other then gaz winning our b and f!

 

[Suns of Anarchy]

I'd love to play GWS, St Kilda & Melbourne twice again!
The garbage being written in other threads about Gaz not handling a tag is hilarious. He had the acceleration of a datsun 180B last weekend and is clearly injured.
As for 2014 - would love to see us knock off Collingwood at the G in front of 50,000 ferals.

 

[gotassieboys]

Injury is a big aspect of a team's success, which comes down to a lot of luck!

It is really important that Lynch is on the park for the majority of the year. Lynch is too courageous for his own good and reminds me of Johnathon Brown in his attack on the ball.

Not sure how how this is achieved. I just rate this guy so highly in the team set up.

Also it is important that the GCS settle on either Day, May, Gorringe, Dixon or Bock as the other big full forward. I see this as the biggest challenge that the team need to address.

 

[Matchu]

A worry for the Suns next year is the fact that there may be an interchange cap next season. This will really hurt the Suns and Giants and will almost certainly result in injuries. This may also result in the team having a similar performance next season as they have in 2013.

 

[holybishop]

An interchange cap wont be a bad thing, and it will effect all teams equally.

 

[Sunny_]

An interchange cap wont be a bad thing, and it will effect all teams equally.

Yeah, but our boys are only doing their first full pre-season over the 2013/2014 break. They won't be able to run with the older players that have done many of them.

 

[Matchu]

Yeah, but our boys are only doing their first full pre-season over the 2013/2014 break. They won't be able to run with the older players that have done many of them.

Exactly. Younger bodies will struggle to do a full season with a capped interchange because of a lack of full pre-seasons. To say that an interchange cap will affect Gold Coast equally as much as a team like Hawthorn is ludicrous.

 

[holybishop]

But you could also argue a cap will hurt older players as they may no longer have the endurance to stay out on the park as long while many of our younger players are hitting their 3rd-4th year and should be hitting peak endurance.

 

[supernova_]

But you could also argue a cap will hurt older players as they may no longer have the endurance to stay out on the park as long while many of our younger players are hitting their 3rd-4th year and should be hitting peak endurance.

Peak physical condition is generally 24-29 years old for a male, regardless of what sport they play.

Mind you I have no scientific evidence for this, but I do remember reading it many years ago.

Basically that 100-200 game mark is a generalisation for the peak of a career for our great game.

 

[Iva Bigun]

Have to make finals,

• 4 pre seasons
• Same team structure
• Same Coach
• Plus Jack Martin and the No4 or 5 pick in this years draft
• Talls would have had time to develop

Not making finals would really be a poor effort.

 

[newsneakers]

I'm hoping we can expect improvement from all our key position players. It is like watching a savings account accrue interest (not that I have much experience with that) - adding another pre-season (a full one), and doubling their match experience and putting them on either side of a more mature and talented midfield, then watching them have the breakout year our midfield had in 2013!

 

[Matchu]

Just looking over the potential match ups for the Suns in 2014 and discovering what the draw should look like. The team will of course play every team once which accounts for 17 games and I would say both Brisbane and GWS are locks for two of the double ups. As for the others, the AFL went with a method last year that saw them face teams located around the same area of the ladder. West Coast and Adelaide were directly above the Suns while the Bulldogs and St Kilda were directly below. So lets say for arguments sake that the other three games are played against the Bulldogs, Eagles and Saints. I am of the opinion that the Demons will be forced to face the Suns up in Cairns as well. Now you have to look at where the games will be played.

Adelaide - should be in Adelaide given they faced off at Metricon in 2013.
Brisbane - will play both home and away.
Carlton - should be in Melbourne given they faced off at Metricon in 2013.
Collingwood - should be in Melbourne given they faced off at Metricon in 2013.
Essendon - should be at Metricon given they faced off at Etihad in 2013.
Fremantle - should be in Perth given they faced off at Metricon in 2013.
Geelong - should be at Metricon given they faced off at Kardinia Park in 2013.
GWS - should play both home and away.
Hawthorn - should be at Metricon given they faced off at the MCG in 2013.
Melbourne - I believe this game will be played in Cairns and will be a Demons' "home" game.
North Melbourne - should be in Melbourne given they faced off at Metricon in 2013.
Port Adelaide - could be home or away given they played at both venues in 2013.
Richmond - could be home or away but should be at Metricon given the Tigers have never faced the Suns there.
St Kilda - should play both home and away.
Sydney - should be at Metricon given they faced off at the SCG in 2013.
West Coast - should play both home and away. The Eagles have never faced the Suns at Metricon.
Western Bulldogs - should play both home and away.

Now lets analyse whether these games can be won based on my predicted draw.

• Adelaide at Adelaide Oval - Depends when it is held. If it is one of the first few home games for the Crows at Adelaide Oval then I would say the Suns have a slim chance. If it is later in the season then I think the Suns have a good chance. Definitely winnable but not given.

• Brisbane at both venues - The mass exodus at Brisbane should see the Gold Coast go streets ahead of them in terms of player development. At the very least the Suns should win one of the games and will probably win both.

• Carlton at Etihad - Tough one. Carlton seem to be on the up and have added Daisy Thomas to their midfield. Eddie Betts won't be wreaking havoc in the forward line for them though. Give the edge to Carlton in this one.

• Collingwood at the MCG - A little bit dependent on whether they lose more players. If it weren't at the MCG I'd say it was a 50/50 but the big crowd will probably result in an average performance from the boys in red. Edge goes to Collingwood.

• Essendon at Metricon - Certainly winnable. Essendon struggled at Metricon last time and I expect the Suns to beat them.

• Fremantle at Subiaco - Don't give the Suns much chance here...

• Geelong at Metricon - I'm going with 50/50 on this one. Geelong have lost some senior players but I don't expect their drop to be as bad as some might think. Could go either way IMO.

• GWS at both venues - Suns should win both. Simple.

• Hawthorn at Metricon - Hawthorn won't be as good next year without Buddy. I believe a lot of this match up will come down to whether Rory can keep Roughead quiet. I want to say 50/50 but I think 55/45 in Hawthorn's favour.

• Melbourne at unknown - Whether it's at Metricon, Cazaly's or the MCG, the Suns should win this one.

• North Melbourne at Etihad - I think this one will come down to when the game is played. I'm going to say a 50/50.

• Port Adelaide at unknown - Tough one. I can see Port improving on last year and pushing for a top 4 spot in 2014. Port also belted the Suns at Metricon earlier this year. I give the edge to Port regardless of the venue.

• Richmond at Metricon (probably) - The Tigers have shown in the past that they struggle with the QLD humidity. I'm going to say 50/50 on this one.

• St Kilda at both venues (probably) - The Suns are simply a better team than the rebuilding Saints. Expect Gold Coast to win both games.

• Sydney at Metricon - Hate to say it but I don't think Gold Coast have enough to stop the Buddy-Tippett show. Give the big edge to Sydney.

• West Coast at both venues (probably) - West Coast are a bit of a lottery at the moment. Their best is top 8 material but their worst is definitely below the Suns' standard. I give this one a split given it should be at both venues.

• Western Bulldogs at both venues (probably) - Suns have a better team and should win both.

So for those of you keeping count at home, my predictions take the Gold Coast to 13 wins in 2014, presuming they win half of the 50/50 games as well. Is this good enough for finals? We'll see. 13 wins would have been enough to 2013 and that's even if Essendon weren't removed. Percentage could be a huge factor so you would like to hope the Suns don't get belted by anyone next year.

 

[Matchu]

Thought I'd also do a little analysis on the team broken into thirds. This is based on how I feel they best line up and who is likely to get games. Games are in brackets.

Defenders
FB: Seb Tape(30), Nathan Bock(140), Trent McKenzie(57)
HB: Luke Russell(43), Rory Thompson(34), David Swallow(51)

Total amount of games: 355
Average amount of games: 59.16
Average age (age at the start of 2014): 22.66

Midfielders
C: Jack Martin(0), Dion Prestia(51), Jarrod Harbrow(126)
Fol: Tom Nicholls(9), Jeager O'Meara(22), Gary Ablett Jr(253)

Total amount of games: 461
Average amount of games: 76.83
Average age (age at the start of 2014): 22.16

Forwards

HF: Jesse Lonergan(4), Tom Lynch(38), Harley Bennell(51)
FF: Campbell Brown(205), Charlie Dixon(35), Andrew Boston(8)

Total amount of games: 341
Average amount of games: 56.83
Average age (age at the start of 2014): 22.16

Interchange

Int: Zac Smith(44), Danny Stanley(58), Brandon Matera(39) Sub: Aaron Hall(30)

Total amount of games: 171
Average amount of games: 42.75
Average age (age at the start of 2014): 23


This should really be the envy of every team in the AFL. It's a great mix of experience and youth.