While always looking dangerous, the Gold Coast Suns were never a serious threat to defend their 2023 premiership due to inconsistent performances and a serious loss of goalscoring power.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 9th
W-L-D (%): 10-7-2 (117.7%)
Players used: 60
Played every match: 1 – Jack Mahony
AFL players used: 31 (300 matches)
Ex-AFL players: 3 (6 matches)
Debutants: 24 – Beau Addinsall, Nelson Beikoff-Smart, Jezz Butler, Koby Coulson, Charlie Elliott, Matthew Evans, Zak Evans, Finlay Gray, Ty Fitzgerald, Nick Francis, Lachlan Gulbin, Corey Hitchcock, Nathan Kady, Zai Millane, Ben Moyle, Jai Murray, Caleb Nancarrow, Dylan Patterson, Will Rowlands, Lucas Snowball, Harry Sullivan, Zeke Uwland, Jed Walter, Josh Zanker-Close
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Hewago Oea (51 votes), 2nd: James Tsitas (49), 3rd: Caleb Graham (46), 4th: Jack Mahony, Ned Moyle (42)
J.J. Liston Trophy: Rory Atkins (22 votes, runner up), Brayden Fiorini (8), Ned Moyle (8), Ben Long (5), James Tsitas (5)
Coaches MVP Award: Rory Atkins (62 votes), Brayden Fiorini (46), Ned Moyle (38), James Tsitas (20), Alex Davies (17)
Leading Goalkickers: Levi Casboult (23), Sam Day (20), Jy Farrar (18), Will Rowlands (18), Lachlan Gulbin (11), Ben Long (11), Ethan Read (11)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: Rory Atkins (half back flank), Ned Moyle (interchange)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Brayden Fiorini 33.6, Rory Atkins 33.1, James Tsitas 26.1, Alex Sexton 26.0, Brandon Ellis 25.7
Contested possessions: Ned Moyle 15.1, Brayden Fiorini 13.2, Alex Davies 12.2, Jake Rogers 10.4, James Tsitas 9.6
Kicks: Rory Atkins 21.4, Joel Jeffrey 18.8, Brayden Fiorini 18.4, Alex Sexton 18.0, Brandon Ellis 15.3
Handballs: Brayden Fiorini 15.2, Thomas Berry 13.8, James Tsitas 13.7, Alex Davies 11.9, Rory Atkins 11.7
Marks: Rory Atkins 9.9, Alex Sexton 9.7, Joel Jeffrey 7.9, Brandon Ellis 7.8, Caleb Graham 7.1
Tackles: Brayden Fiorini 6.5, Alex Davies 6.3, Jake Rogers 6.0, James Tsitas 5.7, Thomas Berry 4.7
Hitouts: Ned Moyle 38.0, Ben Moyle 18.1, Ethan Read 9.2, Levi Casboult 9.0, Jed Walter 3.5
Clearances: Ned Moyle 8.4, Brayden Fiorini 6.7, Alex Davies 5.3, Jake Rogers 4.7, James Tsitas 4.2
Inside-50s: Brayden Fiorini 5.4, Alex Sexton 4.7, Thomas Berry 4.5, James Tsitas 4.1, Ned Moyle 4.1
Rebound-50s: Rory Atkins 7.1, Joel Jeffrey 4.4, Sean Lemmens 3.9, Alex Sexton 3.7, Brandon Ellis 3.0
What went right: There were glimpses of the 2023 domination of the competition, such as the 86 and 35-point QClash wins over the Brisbane Lions. There was also the blistering score of 175 in a 15-goal win over Casey Demons in Round 21. Rory Atkins was outstanding all year to finish second to Dom Brew for the J.J. Liston Trophy, Ned Moyle again made the VFL Team of the Year while Papuan flyer Hewago Oea broke through to win the best and fairest. Of the Academy brigade, Nelson Beikoff-Smart and Lachlan Gulbin put together strong seasons, Leo Lombard showed why he would become a top 10 pick and Gulbin’s fellow 17-year-olds Beau Addinsall, Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson showed plenty of exciting signs.
What went wrong: The loss of so many goals out of the forward line was always going to take some adjusting to. And while the Suns did have the ability to rack up big scores, they were much more inconsistent and were able to be shut down easier. They were held to 60 points or less on four occasions, including a home loss to Richmond in Round 1 that evaporated their aura. Draws with non-finalists Sydney and Sandringham and a loss to Essendon cost them a real crack at defending their premiership. Their stunning Wildcard final loss to Frankston from 29 points up early in the last quarter would never have happened in 2023.
Summary: While always looking dangerous, the Suns were never a serious threat to defend their premiership due to inconsistent performances and a serious loss of goalscoring power. After having five players kick at least 35 goals in 2023, they only had two – Levi Casboult (23) and Sam Day (20) – get out of the teens this year, and neither of them will be around next year either. Gold Coast’s best was good enough, and it still managed to average 92.2 points per game with a greater spread, but the big bags only came from cameo appearances by AFL omissions. Caleb Graham flies under the radar as one of the best full backs in the league.
Grade: 6/10
2024 SMITHY'S VFL SEASON REVIEWS
Richmond
Essendon
Sandringham
Sydney Swans
GWS Giants
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Casey Demons
Coburg
Carlton
Collingwood
Northern Bullants
