Sun sets on Lake era
THE Gold Coast Suns have confirmed David Lake has made the decision to step down as the head coach of the club’s AFLW side.
Lake joined the Suns in March 2019 and has spent two seasons at the helm, guiding the club to its first-ever finals campaign in the 2020 AFLW competition.
A statement from the Suns said Lake made the decision to exit following the increasing demands of the AFLW competition while he has voiced a desire to continue to focus on family and work commitments.
Lake’s departure comes after a bleak season where Gold Coast went winless through nine games.
The club believed the list had improved on the back of a 2019 campaign that resulted in a fourth-place finish in Conference A and a semi-final appearance where the side ultimately lost to Fremantle.
Lake, who had built the list with Suns AFLW football manager Fiona McLarty, arrived on a two-year deal.
Suns CEO Mark Evans thanked Lake for his efforts and the contribution he made to the Gold Coast club.
“I’d like to thank David for his efforts during his two years at the club and particularly the role he played in establishing our AFLW team from scratch,” Evans said.
“David has brought extraordinary passion to the role and laid the foundations of our club’s AFLW program as we continue to develop within the competition.
“He will always be known as the club’s inaugural head coach and should be extremely proud of his accomplishments throughout his time at the club.”
Lake announced he would step down from his role as head coach at the Suns AFLW Club Champion awards on Sunday.
The club will begin a process to establish the most appropriate candidate to replace Lake.
Andrew Swallow, Matt Bedford, Dale Holland and Kieran Daley were the assistant coaches to Lake throughout the 2021 season.