Expectations on Gold Coast were high at the start of this season, but after round 16, coach Damien Hardwick said that his side’s aim at the moment needed was a Wildcard berth.
The Suns were among the pre-season favourites this year, based on an elimination final win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium in 2025, in their very first final appearance.
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But after kicking just three goals in a 51-point loss to the same side on Sunday, they dropped to 11th on the ladder with a 7-8 record.
After five consecutive losses, Hardwick said a new season starts for them on Saturday when they host Collingwood — the team just two points above them on the ladder.
“It’s an eight-week season for us,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we win more games than we don’t, we probably scrape into the top 10. That’s got to be the aim of us at the moment.
“You do look at our side from last year to this year, from this time we played them here, 10 changes. So, it’s significant, we know that, we understand that.
The Suns kicked just three goals. Picture: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“What we’ve got to do, or what I’ve got to do, is get our boys playing a better, more consistent brand of footy.
“This side (Fremantle) is very well driven in three phases of the game and we looked anything but that tonight.
“Last week (against Hawthorn) was a good game of footy for us. Tonight, we just reverted back to the middling side that we probably sit at the moment, so I’ve got some works to do.”
Gold Coast’s 3.11 return was its lowest ever against the Dockers.
The Suns went forward 40 times, but could manage just four marks inside their attacking 50m zone. Fremantle had 17.
Hardwick put the blame on the movement of the ball when going forward.
“I thought our boys inside 50 today was really, really poor,” he said.
“I thought we had momentum where we should have scored and got goals, and we just didn’t.
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“We fluffed it.
“They’re the frustrating ones, especially when you’re away, you need to capitalise on those opportunities, especially in the first and second quarter.
“I think it was where we had some looks, where we just weren’t clean enough or good enough to get a score.
“Everything looked really, really hard.
“We had opportunities where we could have passed off to a teammate to get a better shot on goal, and I spoke about this last week, and we didn’t do it.”
— NCA NewsWire