The Gold Coast Suns are facing a tough assignment ahead of the 2019 AFL season.
Co-captains Tom Lynch and Steven May departed this off-season while senior players Aaron Hall, Jarryd Lyons and Kade Kolodjashnij also opted to exit, leaving a gaping hole at the expansion club.
Stuart Dew and his coaching staff have the unenviable task of getting this playing list on track to be competitive next year which they addressed by recruiting well at the 2018 National Draft.
But Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne says the issues are evident, especially when considering the Suns' midfield.
“Right now, their list is probably behind anyone else’s in the competition,” he said on SEN Mornings.
“They need to just get back to basics from a drafting and list management point of view.
“Bringing in three South Australian kids at the National Draft this year seemed like a really smart move.
“That go-home factor that everyone talks about at the Gold Coast has absolutely killed them, which everyone knows.
“They’ve brought in arguably the most talented player in the draft in Izak Rankine. They’ve brought in a key position player in Jack Lukosius as well so they just need to be patient.
“It’s going to take a long time. The biggest issue I’ve got with them is just looking at that midfield group.
“They’ve brought in Ben King who is probably going to play down back but just that midfield group. The amount of numbers that go through there, they are light-on compared to a Collingwood or Geelong.
“It’s David Swallow at the moment (as their top quality) and even he has battled over the last two years as well.”
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