Frequent flyers expect a pay-off
GOLD Coast coach Stuart Dew says being on “autopilot’’ for the first half of the 2018 season could be the long-term making of the Suns.
The AFL’s version of the Leyland Brothers will be the closest they have come to a home game when they take on Brisbane in the QClash at the Gabba on Sunday after the first four rounds took them to Cairns, Melbourne and back-to-back matches in Perth.
With Metricon Stadium out of action due to the Commonwealth Games, the Suns will not step on their home turf until Round 11 when they host Geelong on June 2.
Dew said the loss to West Coast last week was disappointing and not up to standard, but believes the bonds formed during the three-month roadshow will serve the Suns well.
“Barring the results, in terms of the group and the feel and the closeness, the time in Perth was good. We’ve been at Bond University for five or six weeks and move back soon and it’s actually been a really good exercise for the football club,’’ he said.
“Players get into a routine ... we’ve had to change every week and be flexible so I think it’s been good for the group to actually (realise) things aren’t that bad and things aren’t as rough.”
Dew said travel was simply not an excuse for poor performances in the modern-day AFL.
“I’ve been a part of Port Adelaide and Sydney, it (travel) is part of the job anyway. Even the Victorian clubs get on a plane,’’ he said.
“You don’t sit there and keep track of how many flights. It’s part of the job and we’ve got processes and routines.
“In that way, if you pardon the pun, we are a little bit on autopilot in terms of getting to the airport, get to the game and try to win.’’
This is Dew’s first QClash, while Brisbane Lions counterpart Chris Fagan is in his third Queensland derby.