STUART Dew was upbeat after Gold Coast's 19th and final loss of the season, saying he and the Suns players could not wait to get stuck into next pre-season.
Some would see it as stoic, others perhaps a little naive, but following Saturday night's 72-point loss to GWS, Dew was still able to pluck the positives from a tough 2019.
He said the development of players like Jack Bowes, Ben Ainsworth – who starred against the Giants – Darcy Macpherson and Charlie Ballard would hold the club in good stead.
Now that he has officially retired, Michael Rischitelli receives the proper farewell. Picture: AFL Photos
Dew said he wasn't glossing over the Suns' shortcomings, more trying to keep things in perspective.
"We knew at the start of the year the win-loss may not be a true reflection of where we're at," he said.
"We had some really close losses, we learnt a lot from that.
"It's only a lesson if you do something about it going forward.
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"This could be a really good platform. We're not going to be flippant about it, we'll get to work.
"(I) Can't wait to get back into it.
"The players are talking like that as well, which is unusual.
"We've got some guys that have hit the end of the season with momentum and are really keen to get going."
Gold Coast finished on an 18-match losing streak, and although it could very easily have won a handful of those games, things fell away after the bye.
Against the Giants it was a lack of skill execution that hurt Dew's men, particularly when they had more inside 50s and won the contested ball in the first half but somehow trailed by 22 points.
When the Giants seized momentum, they cashed in.
"Even in the first quarter we had our opportunities, but against quality sides, it's hard yards when you miss the ones you should get," Dew said.
"Even talking to a couple of the GWS players, they felt the scoreboard wasn't a true reflection of the game. That's good to hear in a sense.
"You always look back and think 'what if we took those chances early?'."
