SOLLY IN COVID COACHING ROUT AT GC SUNS
Soft cap reductions hit the Suns hard as cuts mark the start of ...
SENIOR assistant coach Dean Solomon has joined a growing list of Suns coaching staff to be purged as the realities of the new AFL world begin to sink in.
The club confirmed on Monday there would be no opportunity for Ashley Prescott, Nick Malceski, Andrew Swallow and Justin Koschitzke to continue their coaching tenure into 2021.
Solomon, considered by many a senior coach in waiting, comes as the biggest shock after he was briefly named interim coach to see out the 2017 season when Rodney Eade was sacked. Solomon reportedly had two years to run on his deal.
The Suns blamed the slashed football department soft cap for 2020 – and the expected further cuts which will reportedly see the football department budget slashed from $10 million to as little as $6 million next season
LONG-TIME Suns assistant coach Dean Solomon heads a list of coaching staff cut by the Suns as the club begins to finalise its structure for 2021 and beyond.
As reported by News Corp last week, former Brisbane Lion Shaun Hart and Matt Kennedy, who were part of Gold Coast’s welfare department, have been let go by the club along with NEAFL coach Nick Malceski and assistant coach Ash Prescott.
But on Monday Solomon, Andrew Swallow and Justin Koschitzke joined the growing list of coaching casualties with football manager Jon Haines citing a reduced soft cap as the reason behind a raft of departures.
On a bloody day for football, the AFL announced about 20 per cent of roles across its many operations would disappear as a result of the pandemic which has already turned 2020 upside down.
Solomon, a premiership player for Essendon, reportedly had two years to run on his contract after signing a new deal in 2019.
Considered by many as a senior coach in waiting, Solomon was briefly named interim coach to see out the 2017 season after Rodney Eade was sacked with a few rounds to play.
Solomon was Stuart Dew’s senior assistant coach in 2020 and met Fremantle last year about replacing Ross Lyon.
The Suns re-signed Dew last month on a two-year extension, leaving only Josh Drummond, Tim Clark, Tate Kaesler and Josh Francou at the club as part of a skeleton coaching staff.
Andrew Raines remains as head of the Gold Coast coaching academy.
All five were reportedly told last week there would be no place for them at the club next year.
The Suns blamed the slashed football department soft cap for the 2020 season – and the expected further reductions which will reportedly see the football department budget slashed from $10 million to as little as $6 million next season.
“Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, every AFL football department is currently considering plans to support its playing group with a significant reduction in the football soft cap,” Haines said.
“Like all clubs in the competition, we have been considering how we create a football program that can deliver against our football strategy with a different set of resources.
“As part of this process, we have been unable to offer a number of Suns football department staff an opportunity for 2021 and beyond.
“This is an incredibly tough period as we have had to say goodbye to good people who have made a significant contribution to the Gold Coast Suns.
“We will always be thankful to those affected for their hard work and dedication.”