AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan doesn’t believe any strategic errors were made when the Gold Coast Suns entered the competition.
Since their inception in 2011, the Suns are yet to make the finals and have failed to finish any higher than 12th while constantly losing key players in the process.
“They’ve had huge runs of bad luck,” McLachlan told SEN’s Whateley.
“I think when we set the club up when you looked at year four when they were 8-3, crowds were strong with a great stadium.
“But after that it’s been decisions, injuries, bad luck and here we are.”
McLachlan remains confident the embattled expansion club will turn things around with the likes of CEO Mark Evans and coach Stuart Dew at the helm.
"They have been successful in what they have achieved in interest at grassroots, participation has grown. They're just not playing well and they're on the bottom of the ladder,” he said.
"It's a tough environment … a couple of mistakes and you get punished for a long time.
"History says if you have the right people you can get yourself out of it. It will turn."
Listen to Gillon McLachlan's chat on SEN's Whateley in the player below