Expansion Gold Coast review

[Breretonisahood]

Taking a bottom up view of the Suns, it seems they haven't yet captured the support of the Aussie Rules fans on the GC. The local clubs (Southport, Broady, Labrador, Surfers, Palm Beach-Currumbin in particular) are well supported, well funded and the envy of most Brisbane clubs. There's definitely enough Aussie Rules fans among the 500K people on the GC, but maybe they just haven't developed an affection for the Suns due to the club being parachuted into the GC. In my view, the Suns will succeed eventually, all it will take is some more life support and a couple of good seasons in the finals.....maybe

 

[Scotland]

Player retention needs a serious looking at:

Prestia - Vic back to Vic
Bennell - couldn't keep him out of trouble, pushed out
Dixon - Qlder in Adelaide
Smith - Qlder in Geelong
O'Meara - West Aussie in Melbourne
Weller - de-listed IIRC
Caddy - Vic back to Vic
Gorringe - not much chop
Schade - de-listed
Hickey - Qlder in Vic

Every club loses players and GWS have lost Treloar, Adams, Boyd etc. plus a stack of lesser lights, but for GC to lose 3 Qlders plus O'Meara to Victoria is a real concern. We keep hearing about how the talent pool in Qld/NSW is shallow and Gold Coast have 3 local players want out plus O'Meara whose leaving had nothing to do with homesickness. On the plus side (if you can call it that, not a net win for Qld footy) they attracted Brennan (gone), Rischitelli and Hanley from Brisbane.

GWS did get better concessions and recruited better, but Ward, Davis and Scully weren't available in 2010 and the 2011 draft crop and underage selection talent pools were deeper. The mini draft was a joke but the #1 team it benefited other than GWS is Gold Coast so it's hardly an excuse. Jack Martin and Jaeger O'Meara didn't fall out of the sky.

 

[Established1870]

Player retention needs a serious looking at:

Prestia - Vic back to Vic
Bennell - couldn't keep him out of trouble, pushed out
Dixon - Qlder in Adelaide
Smith - Qlder in Geelong
O'Meara - West Aussie in Melbourne
Weller - de-listed IIRC
Caddy - Vic back to Vic
Gorringe - not much chop
Schade - de-listed
Hickey - Qlder in Vic

Every club loses players and GWS have lost Treloar, Adams, Boyd etc. plus a stack of lesser lights, but for GC to lose 3 Qlders plus O'Meara to Victoria is a real concern. We keep hearing about how the talent pool in Qld/NSW is shallow and Gold Coast have 3 local players want out plus O'Meara whose leaving had nothing to do with homesickness. On the plus side (if you can call it that, not a net win for Qld footy) they attracted Brennan (gone), Rischitelli and Hanley from Brisbane.

GWS did get better concessions and recruited better, but Ward, Davis and Scully weren't available in 2010 and the 2011 draft crop and underage selection talent pools were deeper. The mini draft was a joke but the #1 team it benefited other than GWS is Gold Coast so it's hardly an excuse. Jack Martin and Jaeger O'Meara didn't fall out of the sky.

A fair amount of those players weren't required any more (Smith/Hickey). Dixon and Bennell from all accounts weren't great to have around a young side in the Gold Coast and JOM chased the money. In hindsight have they lost anything losing those players? I wouldn't think so.

 

[Scotland]

A fair amount of those players weren't required any more (Smith/Hickey). Dixon and Bennell from all accounts weren't great to have around a young side in the Gold Coast and JOM chased the money. In hindsight have they lost anything losing those players? I wouldn't think so.

Well they are 6-9 in their 7th season with a best finish of 10-12 and 4 seasons with 6 wins or fewer.

 

[Scotty_222]

Hickey followed his girlfriend down to Melbourne, he was a required player.
The rest werent up to it / not required players.
The only 2 we really lost were Omeara and Prestia.

 

[vide0n]

Well they are 6-9 in their 7th season with a best finish of 10-12 and 4 seasons with 6 wins or fewer.

Yeah but be that as it may, most of those guys wouldn't be adding much.

Dixon would be an upgrade on Wright at the moment I'd pay that.

Bennell has not played for Fremantle. Smith would not be getting a game over Witts. O'Meara self explanatory, Prestia would be handy but not a great kick, not ideal when our forward 50 entries are not good as it is.

 

[Scotland]

Witts only came in after Smith left.

Having Dixon, Prestia etc. would mean a couple more 100 gamers in place of a couple of 10 gamers which is important. GC like any team won't go anywhere if they keep fielding 1500-1800 games of experience each week. Local players wanting out is the bigger issue than the relative worth of each player.

 

[Freomaniac]

I am glad this isn't 2001 or 2002 as Bigfooty would of been comparing Freo and Port Adelaide on their respective progress

 

[Scotland]

I am glad this isn't 2001 or 2002 as Bigfooty would of been comparing Freo and Port Adelaide on their respective progress

Oh man. Threads about Freo's magic beans trades of the 1990s and 2000s would make the O'Meara/Hawthorn threads look like a quiet civilised chat.

 

[magpie_marty]

Taking a bottom up view of the Suns, it seems they haven't yet captured the support of the Aussie Rules fans on the GC. The local clubs (Southport, Broady, Labrador, Surfers, Palm Beach-Currumbin in particular) are well supported, well funded and the envy of most Brisbane clubs. There's definitely enough Aussie Rules fans among the 500K people on the GC, but maybe they just haven't developed an affection for the Suns due to the club being parachuted into the GC. In my view, the Suns will succeed eventually, all it will take is some more life support and a couple of good seasons in the finals.....maybe

I think people have this idea that the Gold Coast is a place for a successful side,But if you look back at history be it AFL,Rugby League and Basketball,Soccer.
It's just how the Gold Coast is.

 

[Freomaniac]

Long term, with regards to supporters, I see Gold Coast getting 30-40k members. The support and potential support is there, they just need to win.

Yep just look at Brisbane From 1999-2004.

Gabba holds 42,000 now but back then it Held 37,000 seats and games were always sold out in that 2001-4 era

 

[Freomaniac]

I think people have this idea that the Gold Coast is a place for a successful side,But if you look back at history be it AFL,Rugby League and Basketball,Soccer.
It's just how the Gold Coast is.

And that is crap. AFL is a different beast. Suns will be a successful side eventually one way or another. AFL has too much money to see the suns hit the Wall.

As for GC united in the A-league, That folded due to various reasons. One of them was Clive Palmer as the owner

 

[magpie_marty]

And that is crap. AFL is a different beast. Suns will be a successful side eventually one way or another. AFL has too much money to see the suns hit the Wall.

As for GC united in the A-league, That folded due to various reasons. One of them was Clive Palmer as the owner

I thank you for your reply my (point) was about major sports teams on the Gold Coast that have failed.
Brisbane Bears.AFL
Gold Coast Chargers.NRL
Gold Coast Blaze.Basketball
Gold Coast United.Soccer

 

[kreglze]

Player retention needs a serious looking at:

Prestia - Vic back to Vic
Bennell - couldn't keep him out of trouble, pushed out
Dixon - Qlder in Adelaide
Smith - Qlder in Geelong
O'Meara - West Aussie in Melbourne
Weller - de-listed IIRC
Caddy - Vic back to Vic
Gorringe - not much chop
Schade - de-listed
Hickey - Qlder in Vic

Every club loses players and GWS have lost Treloar, Adams, Boyd etc. plus a stack of lesser lights, but for GC to lose 3 Qlders plus O'Meara to Victoria is a real concern. We keep hearing about how the talent pool in Qld/NSW is shallow and Gold Coast have 3 local players want out plus O'Meara whose leaving had nothing to do with homesickness. On the plus side (if you can call it that, not a net win for Qld footy) they attracted Brennan (gone), Rischitelli and Hanley from Brisbane.

GWS did get better concessions and recruited better, but Ward, Davis and Scully weren't available in 2010 and the 2011 draft crop and underage selection talent pools were deeper. The mini draft was a joke but the #1 team it benefited other than GWS is Gold Coast so it's hardly an excuse. Jack Martin and Jaeger O'Meara didn't fall out of the sky.

While disappointing to lose those blokes our retention is nowhere near as awful as people make it out to be.

This year we extended the contract of our 5 picks from last year till the end of 2020, Swallow, Martin and May have also signed on the dotted line. So we are heading in the right direction as regards to that. The only 2 that have left that we seriously wanted to hold on to were Prestia and Jaegar.

As far as locals (QLD'ers) on our senior list.

Bowes
Scheer
Harbrow
Sexton
Thompson
Joyce

There is small nucleus of locals, and that will only improve as our academy produces some more talent. Crossley will probably come in from the academy this year as well. One thing I would love is a team that has a strong QLD contingent, we will never have a team of 22 QLD'ers but the more locals the better IMO.

 

[Established1870]

I thank you for your reply my (point) was about major sports teams on the Gold Coast that have failed.
Brisbane Bears.AFL
Gold Coast Chargers.NRL
Gold Coast Blaze.Basketball
Gold Coast United.Soccer

As pointed out, GC United bombed because of Clive. They were successful on the field (despite having almost 0 supporters) and had a good team to build on.

The Blaze joined in one of the NBL's biggest down periods and weren't that viable to keep around. They're already being looked at in terms of reviving.

Chargers? See Blaze.

The Bears should be held as a case study as to why people like Christopher Skase should never be allowed near a remotely professional sporting institution. The Bears were screwed for 10 years because of him, not because of the GC factor.

In short, the GC graveyard thing is a myth and a dumb one at that. GC have had a few failed sporting teams but if people bother to look for more than 5 seconds then they'll see each side had a lot of circumstances that made them go the way of the dodo, none of which had anything to do with it being based on the Gold Coast.

 

[Freomaniac]

I thank you for your reply my (point) was about major sports teams on the Gold Coast that have failed.
Brisbane Bears.AFL
Gold Coast Chargers.NRL
Gold Coast Blaze.Basketball
Gold Coast United.Soccer

Again.... you realise none of these sporting teams do not have the finances compared to the Current AFL.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

I thank you for your reply my (point) was about major sports teams on the Gold Coast that have failed.
Brisbane Bears.AFL
Gold Coast Giants/Seagulls/[vikings]/Chargers.NRL
Gold Coast Cougars/ Rollers/ Blaze.Basketball
Gold Coast United.Soccer

EFA

 

[Scotland]

Gold Coast isn't really a 'success' while its being bankrolled by the AFL.

They'll outlast GC Blaze, GC United etc. because they have AFL backing but for the time being the club is an AFL exercise and could be based in Canberra or Tassie or wherever and it wouldn't make a big difference.

 

[magpie_marty]

Again.... you realise none of these sporting teams do not have the finances compared to the Current AFL.

I appreciate that but my point was the Gold Coast is a graveyard and has been for 30 odd years for teams in a national sporting competition,be it any sport it's just the way the Gold Coast is.And maybe in another 20 odd years with AFL support and the work the Suns do with the Schools and juniors will pay a dividend.

 

[Scotland]

Yep just look at Brisbane From 1999-2004.

Gabba holds 42,000 now but back then it Held 37,000 seats and games were always sold out in that 2001-4 era

This is a bit of a myth.

Brisbane home crowds 2001-2004:

2001: 27,637 (18,330 members)
2002: 26,894 (22,288 members)
2003: 31,717 (25,578 members)
2004: 33,619 (30,941 members)

Attendances held at 33k for 2005, dropped to 28/29k for a few years then suddenly fell to 20k in 2011 and have held around there since. 2016 had the lowest average crowds since the merger.

 

[Scotland]

While disappointing to lose those blokes our retention is nowhere near as awful as people make it out to be.

This year we extended the contract of our 5 picks from last year till the end of 2020, Swallow, Martin and May have also signed on the dotted line. So we are heading in the right direction as regards to that. The only 2 that have left that we seriously wanted to hold on to were Prestia and Jaegar.

As far as locals (QLD'ers) on our senior list.

Bowes
Scheer
Harbrow
Sexton
Thompson
Joyce

There is small nucleus of locals, and that will only improve as our academy produces some more talent. Crossley will probably come in from the academy this year as well. One thing I would love is a team that has a strong QLD contingent, we will never have a team of 22 QLD'ers but the more locals the better IMO.

It's a good start, but like Brisbane I think it's a bit reactionary. It's great that Lynch and May are committed long term, though.

 

[Choppers]

We didn't get far more concessions than GC. We got 2 years of mini drafts, that we traded for picks. It was because QLD was perceived to have a higher standard of local footy and GC would benefit more from priority selections.
The notion we copied or learnt from GC is absurd, can you produce even a rational inference that this happened?
We had a bit of luck in missing Buddy it's true, and Folau was not a damaging influence at least.
The difference between success and failure in the AFL is very small, and bear in mind neither club has achieved ultimate success as yet.

Some reading I came across. You may be interested. Cheers

file:///C:/Users/Acer/Downloads/gwsgcconcessionsfinal.pdf

 

[Macpotata]

Shithouse

 

[Ashman OG]

no sporting franchise regardless of code will ever work on the gc because people would rather by a membership to a theme park then a sporting club

who remembers gold clive palmer united in the a league... what a fail that was too

 

[Benji85]

Look at the GCS suns board, it's dotted with under-qualified ex-olympians and a board director who's favourite past time is shitting off all and sundry, including the majority of his players. Fremantle were regarded for more than a decade as a failed expansion team and while they are still the benchmark for how not to set up a team their board members and subsequent board choices have always been consistently excellent, and this alone bought them out of footy's doldrums. You compare GCS board to Freo, West Coast, Hawthorn and Collingwood and it's chalk and cheese. Shitty admin, like GCS have and have had will cost them far more than mediocre performances on the field, garbage boards are an absolute disease.