SUNS AIMING TO MAKE AMENDS
IT was “heart-in-mouth stuff” as Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew watched a team still smarting from a heavy first-round loss return to contact training this week.
But it has been a welcome sight for Dew, who admits the season shutdown has led to some reflection after a “whirlwind” two years as an AFL head coach.
Dew said he felt helpless when clubwide staff cuts impacted the Suns and left some feeling guilty they still had a job.
“You can have the best facilities, but if no one’s in there and working together it’s a lonely place,” he said. “(It was) a good time to reflect on ... things you’ve learnt and things you might do differently and now we’re just looking forward to some consistency and working with people.”
Their first chance to benefit from any change will come in Round 2 against West Coast on June 13, almost three months after a heavy loss to Port Adelaide.
The 47-point loss and meagre four-goal effort still irks the Suns, who are on a 19-game losing streak.
“There was some heart-in-mouth stuff on Monday because they’ve been ready to go for a long time,” Dew said yesterday of the team’s return to contact training.
“That (loss) has been sitting in our stomach for a while ... (the players have) wanted to make amends.”
In their favour is a string of home games and a cleaner bill of health to begin the relaunched season.
Dew indicated a fit Izak Rankine was tracking well for his anticipated AFL debut: “We’ve only seen him for three weeks ... but from what we see, he’s ready to go.”