Gold Coast Suns

This article is about the Australian rules football team. For the baseball team, see Gold Coast Suns (baseball). For the soccer team, see Gold Coast United FC.

Gold Coast Football Club
Names
Full name	Gold Coast Football Club
Nickname(s)	Suns
2016 season
After finals	15th
Leading goalkicker	Tom Lynch (66 goals)
Best and fairest	Tom Lynch
Club details
Founded	2009 (2009)
Colours	Red   Gold
Competition	Australian Football League
Chairman	Tony Cochrane
Coach	Rodney Eade
Captain(s)	Tom Lynch, Steven May
Premierships	Nil
Ground(s)	Metricon Stadium (capacity: 25,000)
Former ground(s)	The Gabba (2011)
Training ground(s)	Metricon Stadium
Uniforms
Home
Other information
Official website	goldcoastfc.com.au

The Gold Coast Football Club, nicknamed the Suns, is an Australian rules football club based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, which began playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) competition for the first time in 2011. The club played its first game as a part of the AFL in the pre-season NAB Cup competition in February 2011 before beginning the season proper in April 2011.

The club is the product of a sole consortium, formerly known as "GC17", tendering against established criteria for a licence to be the 17th club in the AFL competition. On 31 March 2009 the club was granted a provisional licence to join the AFL competition and the AFL proposed that the new club would enter the national competition in the 2011 season. The following year, during a press conference on 22 July, the club announced its new nickname, logo, club song and three new home, away and clash guernseys.

History

Main article: History of the Gold Coast Football Club

In January 2008, it was reported that the AFL officially registered the name Gold Coast Football Club Ltd with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The registration was effective from 24 December 2007. In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish a side on the Gold Coast and an 18th side in Western Sydney.

Establishment

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou announced in early 2008 that the club could debut in the Queensland State League in 2009 as it recruits players and prepares for its debut season in the AFL. Amongst the first players targeted by the Gold Coast were current St Kilda captain and Gold Coast junior Nick Riewoldt, Hawthorn forward and 2008 Coleman Medallist Lance Franklin and Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett. They did not end up with any of them.

In June 2008 it was announced that the new team would play in the TAC Cup in 2009 and then in the VFL in 2010.

Guy McKenna was appointed coach in August 2008. In early 2009, the Host Plus superannuation fund was named as the club's major sponsor. On 15 May 2009, it was announced that highly respected Essendon administrator Travis Auld would be the CEO of "GC17". Former Brisbane Lions Shaun Hart and Gold Coaster Marcus Ashcroft were also appointed to the coaching panel. On 1 October 2009, the club announced it had signed Guy McKenna as head coach until 2012.

In early 2009, the Queensland Government announced that it would contribute sufficient funds allowing the redevelopment of Gold Coast Stadium. The redevelopment of Carrara Stadium cost $144.2 million to complete and housed 25,000 spectators with the capability to host an additional 15,000 temporary seats. Their first game at the new stadium was against Geelong in round 10, 2011 after hosting their first few home matches, including their first ever match against Carlton, at The Gabba.

2009: TAC Cup

The club's junior squad competed in the 2009 TAC Cup under 18 competition winning a number of games, eventually finishing in 5th place. They defeated the Northern Knights in the elimination final but then lost their semi final to the Geelong Falcons. Below is the inaugural TAC Cup team to play for the Gold Coast Football Club, as well as a table of results and fixture for the 2009 and 2010 seasons:

Inaugural TAC Cup team

Inaugural GC17 team (Round 1, 2009 season)

B:	Hamish Watts	James Nelis	Daniel Ramage
HB:	Jake Crawford	Matt Storey	Jesse Haberfield
C:	Joseph Daye	Josh Thomas	Todd Grayson
HF:	Taylor Rolfe	Matt Fowler	Luke Shreeve
F:	Rory Thompson	Liam Rutledge	Alik Magin
Foll:	Zac Smith	Marc Lock (c)	Mitch Harley
Int:	Declan Bevan	Brad Rees	Jack Stanlake
	Nick Price	Tyler Green
Coach:	Guy McKenna

Gold Coast Season 2009

Rd Home team Score Away team Score Ground Date 1 Gold Coast 9.10 (64) def by Eastern Ranges 16.6 (102) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 4 April 2 Western Jets 5.5 (35) def by Gold Coast 26.13 (169) Burbank Oval Sunday, 12 April 3 Bye 4 Tassie Mariners 4.5 (29) drew with Gold Coast 3.11 (29) MCG Sunday, 26 April 5 Calder Cannons 18.11 (119) def Gold Coast 15.13 (103) ABD Group Stadium Sunday, 3 May 6 Gold Coast 12.7 (79) def Gippsland Power 12.5 (77) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 9 May 7 Gold Coast 9.11 (65) def Dandenong Stingrays 8.12 (60) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 16 May 8 Gold Coast 10.9 (69) def by NSW/ACT Rams 14.10 (94) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 23 May 9 Gold Coast 7.13 (55) def Oakleigh Chargers 7.10 (52) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 30 May 10 Gold Coast 10.17 (77) def North Ballarat Rebels 11.4 (70) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 13 June 11 Tassie Mariners 16.14 (110) def Gold Coast 7.6 (48) Aurora Stadium Saturday, 20 June 12 Bye 13 Gold Coast 5.8 (38) def by Murray Bushrangers 14.9 (93) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 4 July 14 Gold Coast 13.16 (94) def Northern Knights 10.6 (66) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 11 July 15 Gold Coast 13.16 (94) def Western Jets 10.6 (66) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 18 July 16 North Ballarat Rebels 8.14 (62) def Gold Coast 7.6 (48) Northern Oval Saturday, 26 July 17 Gold Coast 15.16 (106) def Sandringham Dragons 8.2 (50) Carrara Stadium Sunday, 2 August 18 Gold Coast 12.14 (86) def Bendigo Pioneers 6.11 (47) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 15 August 19 Gippsland Power 10.9 (69) def by Gold Coast 12.14 (86) Visy Park Sunday, 23 August 20 Gold Coast 6.14 (50) def by Geelong Falcons 14.7 (91) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 29 August Elim Final Gold Coast 10.17 (77) def Northern Knights 9.9 (63) Visy Park Saturday, 5 September Semi Final Gold Coast 5.9 (39) def by Geelong Falcons 11.14 (80) Visy Park Sunday, 13 September

2010: VFL

In November 2009 the team signed twelve 17-year-olds around the country to compete in the Victorian Football League (VFL) year through the under age access rules. These players included Luke Russell (Burnie), Maverick Weller (Burnie), Taylor Hine (Calder), Josh Toy (Calder), Matt Shaw (Dandenong), Piers Flanagan (Geelong), Hayden Jolly (Glenelg), Alex Keath (Murray), Jack Hutchins (Sandringham), Tom Nicholls (Sandringham), Brandon Matera (South Fremantle), Trent McKenzie (Western Jets).

The Gold Coast was also given permission (by the AFL) to play David Swallow in 2010, despite not being the correct age. The deal that was struck with the AFL stated that Swallow would still need to go through the 2010 AFL Draft to officially join the team, while the other under age recruits contracts would run through 2011.

These are the results and fixture for the 2010 season, in which the club competed in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Inaugural VFL team

Inaugural GCFC team (Round 1, 2010 season)

B:	Matt Shaw	Jack Hutchins	Michael Gugliotta
HB:	Taylor Hine	Michael Coad	Maverick Weller
C:	Trent McKenzie	Marc Lock (c)	Luke Russell
HF:	Alik Magin	Charlie Dixon	Brandon Matera
F:	Liam Patrick	Nathan Ablett	Rex Liddy
Foll:	Zac Smith	Daniel Harris	Sam Iles
Int:	Danny Stanley	Rory Thompson	Hayden Jolly
	David Swallow	Luke Shreeve	Joseph Daye
Coach:	Guy McKenna

Gold Coast Season 2010

Rd Home team Score Away team Score Ground Date 1 Gold Coast 15.7 (97) def by Port Melbourne 15.19 (109) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 10 April 2 Gold Coast 11.11 (77) def by Williamstown 16.17 (113) Merrimac Oval Saturday, 17 April 3 Werribee 11.18 (84) drew with Gold Coast 12.12 (84) Chirnside Park Saturday, 24 April 4 Gold Coast 10.9 (69) def by Casey Scorpions 10.17 (77) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 1 May 5 Bendigo Bombers 15.17 (107) def Gold Coast 12.9 (81) Queen Elizabeth Oval Saturday, 8 May 6 Gold Coast 10.8 (68) def Geelong 5.10 (40) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 15 May 7 Gold Coast 5.8 (38) def by Collingwood 7.15 (58) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 29 May 8 Northern Bullants 26.10 (166) def Gold Coast 9.7 (61) Visy Park Saturday, 5 June 9 Coburg Tigers 17.21 (123) def Gold Coast 11.10 (76) Highgate Recreation Reserve Saturday, 12 June 10 Gold Coast 15.13 (103) def Frankston 7.4 (46) Merrimac Oval Saturday, 26 June 11 Gold Coast 11.8 (74) def by Box Hill Hawks 19.16 (130) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 3 July 12 North Ballarat 6.12 (48) def Gold Coast 3.1 (19) Eureka Stadium Saturday, 10 July 13 Gold Coast 13.12 (90) def Bendigo Bombers 13.11 (89) Cazaly's Stadium Saturday, 17 July 14 Gold Coast 14.15 (99) def Sandringham 11.7 (73) Cooke-Murphy Oval Saturday, 24 July 15 Geelong 13.10 (88) def Gold Coast 11.5 (71) Skilled Stadium Saturday, 31 July 16 Casey Scorpions 18.11 (119) def Gold Coast 17.13 (115) Casey Fields Saturday, 7 August 17 Gold Coast 15.9 (99) def Werribee 14.14 (98) Fankhauser Reserve Saturday, 14 August 18 Collingwood 21.12 (138) def Gold Coast 13.10 (88) Victoria Park Saturday, 21 August

2011: AFL debut

Concessions on entry into the AFL

Year	Draft Picks	Senior List Size	Salary Cap Allowance	Zone Access	Notes
2009	-	-	-	20 QLD	The club was granted access to twenty 17-year-old Queensland players who were eligible for the 2009 AFL Draft. The team competed in the under 18 TAC Cup competition in 2009.
2010	-	-	-	5 QLD 2 NT	The club was allowed to sign up to twelve 17-year-olds born between 1 January and 30 April 1992. The club also received the first 5 picks in the rookie draft. The team competed in the Victorian Football League competition in 2010.
2011	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 26, 43	48	$1,000,000 extra	5 QLD	At the conclusion of the 2010 season the club was able to sign up to 16 current AFL players who were uncontracted for the 2011 season. The club was also allowed to sign up to 10 players who had previously elected for the national draft and weren't selected.
2012	AFL Standard	46	$800,000 extra	5 QLD	-
2013	AFL Standard	42	$600,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2014	AFL Standard	40	$400,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2015	AFL Standard	AFL Standard	AFL Standard	AFL Standard	All concessions removed and the club operates like every other team in the AFL.

Players acquired through concessions

Concession	Players acquired
QLD Zone Access	Joseph Daye (2009), Charlie Dixon (2009), Jesse Haberfield (2009), Tom Hickey (2010), Rex Liddy (2010), Marc Lock (2009), Lewis Moss (2010), Zac Smith (2009), Jack Stanlake (2009), Jack Stanley (2009), Rory Thompson (2009), Joel Wilkinson (2010).
NT Zone Access	Steven May (2010), Liam Patrick (2009).
2009 Rookie Selections	Daniel Harris (1), Michael Coad (2), Sam Iles (3), Roland Ah Chee (4), Danny Stanley (5).
2009 Underage Selections	Piers Flanagan, Taylor Hine, Jack Hutchins, Hayden Jolly, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie, Tom Nicholls, Luke Russell, Matt Shaw, Josh Toy, Maverick Weller.
2010 Off Contract Signings	Gary Ablett Jr, Nathan Bock, Jared Brennan, Campbell Brown, Josh Fraser, Jarrod Harbrow, Nathan Krakouer, Michael Rischitelli.
2010 Draft Selections	David Swallow (1), Harley Bennell (2), Sam Day (3), Josh Caddy (7), Dion Prestia (9), Daniel Gorringe (10), Tom Lynch (11), Seb Tape (13).

Inaugural AFL team

Inaugural Gold Coast team (Round 2, 2011 season)

B:	Seb Tape	Nathan Bock	Campbell Brown
HB:	Jarrod Harbrow	Karmichael Hunt	Nathan Krakouer
C:	Trent McKenzie	Daniel Harris	Michael Rischitelli
HF:	Danny Stanley	Charlie Dixon	Alik Magin
F:	Jared Brennan	Zac Smith	Brandon Matera
Foll:	Josh Fraser	David Swallow	Gary Ablett (c)
Int:	Marc Lock	Harley Bennell	Dion Prestia
	Josh Toy
Coach:	Guy McKenna

2011–2014: McKenna era

Further information: 2011 Gold Coast Football Club season

Further information: 2012 Gold Coast Football Club season

Guy McKenna would continue to coach the team throughout the 2011 season and beyond, after successfully guiding the club through its journey in the TAC Cup and VFL in 2009 and 2010. The Suns would play their first four "home" games of the 2011 AFL season at the Gabba in Brisbane, whilst their home stadium (Metricon Stadium) underwent final redevelopment works.

Michael Rischitelli was instrumental in the club's first winning game, against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in the 2011 season

Gold Coast had a bye in Round 1, and played its first AFL game debuted in Round 2 on 2 April 2011 against Carlton at the Gabba in front of a crowd of 27,914. The first five goals were scored by Carlton, before Charlie Dixon scored the first-ever goal for the Gold Coast Suns. Carlton went on to win by 119 points. Gold Coast won its first game in Round 5 on 23 April 2011, defeating Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Gold Coast trailed by 40 points late in the third quarter, before coming back to win by three points, after Port Adelaide's Justin Westhoff missed a set shot after the siren. Michael Rischitelli was the best on ground. Gold Coast won two more matches for the season, winning the inaugural QClash against Brisbane Lions in Round 7 by eight points, and defeating Richmond by 15 points in Round 17 in the first AFL match ever played at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns. However, the Suns also suffered several more very heavy defeats during the year, including a 139-point loss to Essendon in Round 6 – in which Essendon scored a record 15.4 (94) in the first quarter – and a 150-point loss against Geelong in Round 20. The Suns went on to win the wooden spoon.

Gold Coast endured a poor pre-season in 2012 which included a 13-point loss to fellow AFL newcomers Greater Western Sydney. Their solitary win in that time was a narrow win over Melbourne in the triangular round of the 2012 NAB Cup.

The home-and-away season did not begin well for the Suns either, losing their first fourteen matches in succession to be the only winless team after Round 15 of the 2012 AFL season. Among the losses included losses by more than ninety points to Collingwood and St Kilda (twice), seven-point losses to Fremantle and North Melbourne at home and a 27-point loss to the newest AFL franchise, Greater Western Sydney. Their fourteen losses to start the season was the worst by any team since Fremantle lost its first 17 matches of the 2001 season. Their horror start to the season ended in round 16 with a narrow 2-point win against Richmond. They had a lead of up to 36 points halfway through the second quarter, which then shrank to 24 points after 2 quick goals before half time from Richmond. Richmond then had a six to two goal quarter, snatching the lead back. The lead then went to 18 points Richmond's way before Gold Coast snatched it back to just 4. With 5 seconds left, a kick from the right forward pocket in Gold Coast's 50 was marked by Karmichael Hunt. After the siren sounded he kicked the goal to make Gold Coast 2 point winners.

The Suns then won two more matches for the season, a 30-point win against Greater Western Sydney in Round 20 and a 12-point upset win over Carlton in Round 22, both at home. The team finished 17th at the end of the season, only above Greater Western Sydney on the AFL ladder. In November 2012 the club announced their "20-ONE-3" plan that targeted signing twenty thousand members and winning a premiership within three years - by the conclusion of the 2015 AFL season. The plan was criticised as being overly ambitious. By the end of the 20-ONE-3 period, the Suns had a highest membership of 13,643 (achieved in 2015) and a highest ladder position of 12 (10 wins - achieved in 2014).

In the 2013 AFL season Gold Coast made a much improved effort, highlighted by victories over seasoned opponents in Collingwood, St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne. Their improvement on the past two seasons was so stark that they were considered possibilities of securing an unlikely finals berth up until the final round after Essendon lost all their premiership points. The Suns finished with 8 wins for the season and ended the season placed 14th on the ladder. Captain Gary Ablett won his second Brownlow Medal, the first such medalist to win the award at the club.

Despite losing veterans Jared Brennan and Campbell Brown ahead of the 2014 season, some experts predicted Gold Coast to "give the top 8 (finals) a nudge", though the general consensus was that the Suns would likely finish around 13th. Though beginning the season promisingly and entering Round 11 with a 7–2 record following impressive wins on the road against Melbourne, North Melbourne (who had defeated minor premiers Sydney three weeks earlier), and St Kilda, the Suns would stumble severely through the second half of the season. After captain Gary Ablett was injured in a win over Collingwood in round 16, the club went on to lose the next two matches, including one in the QClash against Brisbane. In round 19, the club recorded its inaugural win without their captain, defeating St Kilda. The club went on to lose the remaining matches of the season, finishing in 12th. Inaugural coach Guy McKenna was sacked at season's end, leaving the club after 88 games in charge and winning just over 25% of them.

Stadium

Carrara Stadium

Location	Nerang–Broadbeach Road, Carrara, Queensland, Australia, 4211
Owner	Queensland Government
Operator	Stadiums Queensland
Capacity	25,000 (23,500 seats)
Field size	171 x 144 metres
Construction
Opened	1987
Renovated	2010–11
Architect	Populous (2010)

Main article: Carrara Stadium

Gold Coast began playing at Carrara Stadium in their foundation year of 2009. Although the ground had existed since 1987, the Gold Coast Football Club's establishment in late 2008 prompted the club to use the stadium as their home ground during the 2009 TAC Cup. The ground opened in 1987 and was used by the Brisbane Bears for the first six years of existence and was later used by the North Melbourne Kangaroos and several professional Rugby League teams.

The insufficient and outdated facilities at Carrara Stadium led to the Australian Football League investigating several stadium options for the Gold Coast's inaugural AFL season in 2011. A new $172 million stadium in Helensvale was a strongly considered option. The AFL eventually brokered a deal with the Gold Coast City Council and the Queensland Government to redevelop Carrara Stadium. The $144.2 million upgrade would increase the stadium capacity to 25,000.

Construction for the redevelopment of Carrara Stadium began in December 2009 and the Gold Coast was required to find a new home ground for the 2010 VFL season. The team shared their games among local grounds Fankhauser Reserve, H & A Oval and Cooke-Murphy Oval. The redevelopment ran into the 2011 AFL season and the Gold Coast were again required to find a temporary home ground. The Suns elected to use the Gabba for their first three home games of the 2011 season.

The redeveloped Carrara Stadium (commercially known as Metricon Stadium) was officially opened on 22 May 2011 by Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. Six days later the Gold Coast Suns hosted their first home match at the redeveloped Carrara Stadium against the Geelong Cats in front of a sell out crowd. Two months later, the Suns attracted the largest crowd ever at the Carrara Stadium in a game against Collingwood that attracted an attendance of 23,302, a record broken in round 16 of 2014 when 24,032 attended also against Collingwood.

The stadium will once again be upgraded in 2018 to a seating capacity of 40,000 as part of the Gold Coast's successful bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Corporate

Membership base and sponsorship

Year	Members	Change from previous season	Finishing position	Average home crowd	Profit (Loss)	Major Sponsor
2011	14,064	—	17th	19,169	Undisclosed profit	HOSTPLUS, Virgin Australia
2012	11,204	2,860	17th	13,645	($1,401,168)	HOSTPLUS, Virgin Australia
2013	12,502	1,298	14th	13,907	$62,533	HOSTPLUS, Virgin Australia
2014	13,478	976	12th	16,092	$1,062,082	Fiat Automobiles, HOSTPLUS
2015	13,643	165	16th	12,360	($330,870)	Fiat Automobiles, HOSTPLUS

Notable fans

• Anna Bligh
• Mick Fanning
• Snoop Dogg
• Bernard Tomic

Club symbols

Guernseys

The three types of guernseys are:

• Home guernsey (worn since 2011): Red and gold based guernsey with the club logo in the middle. HostPlus sponsor on front and Fiat sponsor on back (home shorts worn in home games and away pants shorts in away games).
• Away guernsey (worn since 2011): Red based guernsey with a wave, coloured blue, gold and white. Fiat sponsor on front and HOSTPLUS sponsor on back (away shorts worn).
• Clash guernsey (worn since 2016): White based guernsey with an arrow-shaped design which goes down to the bottom, coloured blue, gold and two shades of grey. Fiat sponsor on front and HOSTPLUS sponsor on back (away shorts worn).

Mascot

The Suns' Mascot Manor representative and club mascot is Sunny Ray.

Song

The team song is Suns of the Gold Coast Sky.

Administration

A three-man committee of former Brisbane Lions chairman Graham Downie, Southport Sharks director Alan Mackenzie and lawyer and community leader John Witheriff established the club's administration. As part of the AFL bid criteria, the GC17 consortium required a commitment from 20,000 locals to become football club members, a $5 million net asset base and 111 sponsors (at least one major, 10 secondary level and 100 tertiary) by mid-October 2008.

Recruitment

Gary Ablett (no. 9) is Gold Coast's marquee player and captain

In the leadup to the 2009 AFL Draft, the AFL allowed the Gold Coast to recruit 12 players born between January and April 1992, with all other AFL clubs being restricted to players born in 1991 or earlier.

Karmichael Hunt, a former professional rugby league player with the Brisbane Broncos and rugby union side Biarritz Olympique in France's Top 14, was signed to swap codes to play for the Gold Coast from 2010.

Gary Ablett, Jr., dual premiership player with Geelong and winner of the 2009 Brownlow Medal, signed a deal reportedly worth $9.6 million over five years to captain the Gold Coast during their starting years.

Other significant signings to the current junior team that played in the VFL included Stanis Susuve (a member of Papua New Guinea's International Cup winning team) and Brandon Matera (whose father Wally Matera and uncles Peter and Phil all played senior AFL football with the West Coast Eagles).

At the end of 2010 season, the club had been given the following concessions:

• The ability to sign one uncontracted player from each of the 16 AFL clubs
• Zoned access to five Queensland players prior to the AFL draft
• The first pick in every round plus additional first round picks at Numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15 of the 2010 AFL Draft
• The capacity to pre-list 10 players who had previously nominated for the AFL Draft, or were previously listed with an AFL club
• The first five selections of the Rookie Draft
• An expanded main list of 48 players (clubs are usually allowed 38)

Initial 2011 playing squad recruitment

2011 Playing Squad
Name	State	Recruited From	Selection Type
Charlie Dixon	Queensland	Redland Bombers	Zone Selection
Rex Liddy	Queensland	Kenmore Bears	Zone Selection
Lewis Moss	Queensland	Port Douglas Crocs	Zone Selection
Zac Smith	Queensland	Southport Sharks	Zone Selection
Jack Stanlake	Queensland	Southport Sharks	Zone Selection
Joel Wilkinson	Queensland	Broadbeach Cats	Zone Selection
Joseph Daye	Queensland	Southport Sharks	Zone Selection
Rory Thompson	Queensland	Southport Sharks	Zone Selection
Tom Hickey	Queensland	Morningside Panthers	Zone Selection
Marc Lock	Queensland	Labrador Tigers	Zone Selection
Steven May	Northern Territory	Melbourne Grammar School	Zone Selection
Liam Patrick	Northern Territory	Wanderers Eagles	Zone Selection
Karmichael Hunt	Queensland	N/A	Rookie Promotion
Daniel Harris	Victoria	North Melbourne Kangaroos	Rookie Promotion
Michael Coad	South Australia	Sturt Double Blues	Rookie Promotion
Sam Iles	Tasmania	Box Hill Hawks	Rookie Promotion
Danny Stanley	Victoria	Collingwood Magpies	Rookie Promotion
Luke Russell	Tasmania	Burnie Dockers	Underage
Maverick Weller	Tasmania	Burnie Dockers	Underage
Matt Shaw	Victoria	Dandenong Stingrays	Underage
Trent McKenzie	Victoria	Western Jets	Underage
Josh Toy	Victoria	Calder Cannons	Underage
Hayden Jolly	South Australia	Glenelg Tigers	Underage
Brandon Matera	Western Australia	South Fremantle Bulldogs	Underage
Taylor Hine	Victoria	Calder Cannons	Underage
Piers Flanagan	Victoria	Geelong Falcons	Underage
Tom Nicholls	Victoria	Sandringham Dragons	Underage
Jack Hutchins	Victoria	Sandringham Dragons	Underage
Alex Keath	Victoria	Murray Bushrangers	Underage
Nathan Bock	South Australia	Adelaide Crows	Uncontracted
Nathan Krakouer	Western Australia	Port Adelaide Power	Uncontracted
Michael Rischitelli	Victoria	Brisbane Lions	Uncontracted
Campbell Brown	Western Australia	Hawthorn Hawks	Uncontracted
Jarrod Harbrow	Queensland	Western Bulldogs	Uncontracted
Gary Ablett, Jr.	Victoria	Geelong Cats	Uncontracted
Josh Fraser	Victoria	Collingwood Magpies	Uncontracted
Jared Brennan	Northern Territory	Brisbane Lions	Uncontracted
David Swallow	Western Australia	East Fremantle Sharks	National Draft (1)
Harley Bennell	Western Australia	Peel Thunder	National Draft (2)
Sam Day	South Australia	Sturt Double Blues	National Draft (3)
Josh Caddy	Victoria	Northern Knights	National Draft (7)
Dion Prestia	Victoria	Calder Cannons	National Draft (9)
Daniel Gorringe	South Australia	Norwood Redlegs	National Draft (10)
Tom Lynch	Victoria	Dandenong Stingrays	National Draft (11)
Seb Tape	South Australia	Glenelg Tigers	National Draft (13)
Jeremy Taylor	Victoria	Geelong Falcons	National Draft (39)
Jacob Gillbee	Tasmania	Lauderdale Bombers	National Draft (49)
Nathan Ablett	Victoria	Geelong Football Club	Pre Season Draft (1)

Current squad

Gold Coast Suns 2024 playing squad

Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
3 Sam Flanders  5 Alex Davies  6 Alex Sexton  7 Nick Holman  8 Brayden Fiorini  9 Ben Ainsworth 10 Charlie Ballard 11 Touk Miller (c) 14 Lachie Weller 15 Noah Anderson 16 Tom Berry 17 Jed Walter 18 Matt Rowell 19 Bailey Humphrey 20 Ethan Read 22 Ben Long 23 Sean Lemmens		24 David Swallow 25 Sam Collins 26 Will Graham 27 Wil Powell 28 Jarrod Witts (c) 29 Jake Rogers 31 Mac Andrew 34 Ben King 35 Connor Budarick 40 Joel Jeffrey 41 Malcolm Rosas Jr 46 Caleb Graham 49 Ned Moyle 50 Jy Farrar    Elliott Himmelberg    John Noble    Daniel Rioli				32 Bodhi Uwland 33 Sam Clohesy 38 Lloyd Johnston (B)		Head coach Damien Hardwick (Senior coach) Assistant coaches Josh Drummond (Defence and Tackling) Brad Miller (Forwards and Training Design Coach) Tate Kaesler (VFL Head Coach) Rhyce Shaw (Head of Development) Shaun Griggs (Midfield) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) (B) Category B rookie italics - Inactive player list Long-term injury (ret.) Retired Updated: 13 January 2017 Source(s): Playing list, Coaching staff

Coaching staff

• Senior coach:

• Rodney Eade

• Assistant coaches:

• Matthew Primus
• Dean Solomon
• Andy Lovell
• Ashley Prescott

• Development coach:

• Matthew Lappin

• Coaching advisor:

• Malcolm Blight

• NEAFL coach

• Josh Fraser

Click here for more information on Gold Coast's coaching staff

NEAFL team

Main article: Australian Football League reserves affiliations

The Gold Coast Suns have fielded a reserves team beneath the AFL team in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) competition since 2011. The reserves team has been reasonably competitive, qualifying for finals on two out of four occasions, notwithstanding a disastrous 2014 campaign which saw the team fail to win a match all season.

Season	Win-Loss	Ladder position	Finals result	Best & Fairest
2011	11-7	3rd	Semi-final	Jacob Gillbee
2012	9-9	5th	Elimination final	Alik Magin
2013	10-7	6th	DNQ	Jack Martin
2014	0-18	14th	DNQ	Leigh Osborne
2015	8-10	7th	DNQ	Tyrone Downie
2016			Elimination final

Honour board

Competition

  TAC Cup (2009)
  Victorian Football League (2010)
  Australian Football League (2011–)

Year	Pos	Coach	Captain	Club Champion	Leading goalkicker	Player's Player	Iron Man Award	Community Award	Most Professional	Most Improved	NEAFL Player of the Year
2009	5/13	Guy McKenna	Marc Lock	Marc Lock	Matt Fowler (43)	N/A	Todd Grayson	–	Zac Smith	N/A	N/A
2010	10/14	Guy McKenna	Marc Lock	Sam Iles	Charlie Dixon (22) Brandon Matera (22)	Michael Coad	Daniel Harris	Jesse Haberfield	Zac Smith	N/A	N/A
2011	17/17	Guy McKenna	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Danny Stanley (20)	N/A	Michael Rischitelli	Alik Magin	Michael Rischitelli	Karmichael Hunt	Jacob Gillbee
2012	17/18	Guy McKenna	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Gary Ablett, Jr. (26)	N/A	Kyal Horsley	Jarrod Harbrow	Kyal Horsley	Harley Bennell	Alik Magin
2013	14/18	Guy McKenna	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Gary Ablett, Jr. (28)	Danny Stanley	N/A	Zac Smith	Rory Thompson	Rory Thompson	Jack Martin
2014	12/18	Guy McKenna	Gary Ablett, Jr.	David Swallow	Tom Lynch (48)	Steven May	N/A	Charlie Dixon	Michael Rischitelli	Steven May	Leigh Osborne
2015	16/18	Rodney Eade	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Tom Lynch	Tom Lynch (43)	Tom Lynch	N/A	Tom Nicholls	Andrew Raines	Kade Kolodjashnij	Tyrone Downie
2016	15/18	Rodney Eade	Gary Ablett, Jr.	Tom Lynch	Tom Lynch (66)	N/A	N/A	Jarrod Harbrow	Daniel Currie	Peter Wright	Keegan Brooksby

Club records

Main article: List of Gold Coast Football Club records

Club honours

TAC Cup

• Finalists: 2009

AFL

• Premierships (0):
  • Runners-Up (0):
• Minor Premiership (0):
• Finals Series Appearances (0):
• Wooden Spoons (1): 2011

NEAFL (Reserves)

• Premierships (0):
  • Runners-Up (0):
• Minor Premiership (0):
• Finals Series Appearances (2): 2011, 2012
• Wooden Spoons (1): 2014

Match and season records

• Highest score: Gold Coast 21.22 (148) v Greater Western Sydney 16.8 (104), Round 5, 2013, StarTrack Oval
• Lowest score: Gold Coast 4.10 (34) v Western Bulldogs 9.18 (72), Round 8, 2012, TIO Stadium
• Lowest winning score: Gold Coast 12.13 (85) v Richmond 9.16 (70), Round 17, 2011, Cazaly's Stadium
• Greatest winning margin: 83 points – Gold Coast 22.14 (146) v Greater Western Sydney 9.9 (63), Round 23, 2013, Metricon Stadium
• Greatest losing margin: 150 points – Gold Coast 6.2 (38) v Geelong 29.14 (188), Round 20, 2011, Kardinia Park
• Longest winning streak: 5 - round 5, 2014 - round 10, 2014
• Longest losing streak: 21 - Round 18, 2011 – Round 15, 2012
• Highest ladder position (end of round): 2nd - Round 3, 2016
• Highest ladder position (end of season): 11th of 18th, 2014 AFL Season
• Lowest ladder position (end of season): 17th of 17th (Wooden Spoon), 2011 AFL Season

Individual awards

All-Australian team

• Gary Ablett Jr: 2011 (c), 2012 (vc), 2013 (vc), 2014
• Tom Lynch: 2016

Leigh Matthews Trophy

• Gary Ablett Jr: 2012, 2013

Brownlow Medal

• Gary Ablett Jr: 2013

Ron Evans Medal

• Jaeger O'Meara: 2013

Suns TV

Suns TV is a television program hosted by Jessica Skarratt that is carried by the Seven Network and is shown thirty minutes prior to Gold Coast Suns games in Queensland. The program features highlights as well as interviews with players and coaches in the lead up to the match being played that week.

See also

• Sport in Australia
• Sport in Queensland
• Australian Rules Football
• Australian rules football in Queensland
• History of Australian rules football on the Gold Coast

External links

• Gold Coast Football Club website
• Southport Sharks website
• 2010 VFL results page at goldcoastfc.com.au

Australian Football League clubs