GOLD Coast's assistant coaches could learn their fate as soon as Tuesday.
While the future of senior coach Rodney Eade is under the biggest cloud, the tenures of out-of-contract quartet Dean Solomon, Andy Lovell, Matthew Primus and Ash Prescott are also in limbo.
Under AFL Coaches' Association guidelines, clubs are encouraged to notify all uncontracted coaches of their employment status for the following season by August 1.
Suns CEO Mark Evans is currently undertaking a review of the entire football department and is in the process of delivering the news to each assistant.
They will fall into three categories – staying on, going, or having to wait until the review is complete to learn their fate.
Regardless of what happens to Eade, it is likely Gold Coast will keep at least two of its four assistants to minimise the change.
Solomon is popular among the Suns’ playing group and is their most highly regarded assistant.
The 37-year-old, who is completing the AFL’s Level Four program, is understood to have attracted legitimate interest from rival clubs.
After seven years at the club, he is seen to be ready for an expanded role in 2018, either as a senior assistant with the Suns or at a rival suitor.
Solomon is also viewed by coaching industry sources as a future senior coach, but it is unclear at this stage if he would put his hand up for potential vacancies at the end of this season.
Like Solomon, Lovell has been at the club since its entrance into the AFL and is popular among the players.
August 1 is an unofficial deadline given the AFL's financial year ends on October 31.
"It’s a rule of thumb, not an AFL rule, but it’s a convention that is recognised within the 18 AFL clubs," AFLCA chief Mark Brayshaw told AFL.com.au.
"In three months’ time for an awkward number of coaches they will not be on an AFL payroll, which is the reality of the cycle of the game.
"So the AFLCA’s position is that if you haven’t been given a commitment by your club today that your contract will be extended into 2018, our advice to the coach is that you should assume the worst and start planning to either find a new club or employer come November 1."
