GOLD Coast chairman Tony Cochrane has declared the Suns will survive and be a success, rejecting questions surrounding their longevity in the competition.
Cochrane's defence comes after the Suns' 108-point loss to fellow start-up team Greater Western Sydney, their eighth defeat for the season.
It also follows a suggestion from Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown that the Suns "will fold" if they aren't given extra help from the AFL.
Asked if he had any doubts about the long-term viability of the Suns, Cochrane emphatically stated he had "none, zero, zip", while conceding they were "a little while off" a premiership.
"All the external criticism, all the brickbats, keep throwing all the s--t you like at us," Cochrane told SEN on Tuesday morning.
"I'm telling you, we are going to survive. We are going to be a success. We are going to be a long-term, proud part of the AFL body of people.
"The reality is we have now got some very good people at our club. Finally. It's taken a while, but we have got some very good people.
"I, and the Gold Coast Suns, are not going anywhere. We're here for the long haul."
Brown told Fox Footy on Monday night the Suns needed special concessions put in place for their list build, and if they didn't get them, "they have no hope".
Cochrane agreed and said, "You bet we need some help" to fix some of the "chronic errors made in the past".
However, while he said extra draft picks to "strengthen up our list" and show existing Suns they were getting support would help, it wasn't a solution that should be offered only to his club.
"We're not the only ones stuck down the bottom for a while. We've got a couple of mates down there with us," he said.
"Speaking on behalf of the AFL community, it's not heathy that's the situation, because otherwise you end up like the English Premier League where you've got a handful of teams that are permanently at the top and then you've also got the also-rans down at the bottom."
He acknowledged the unique challenges the Suns faced in their Queensland market.
"We are an outpost, I make a joke of it … that we're an outpost, and don't forget to occasionally send the outpost some fresh supplies," he said.
"The Indians are at the fence of our fort and this is a strong NRL market, let's not kid ourselves.
"You can't treat us as though we're a start-up club in Melbourne or Adelaide or Perth."
Former Suns coach Rodney Eade told RSN927 on Tuesday he believed 50 per cent of players at the Suns and the Giants would want to go home if they were given the option to.
The Suns know that all too well, having lost their biggest name, Gary Ablett, last year to his home town of Geelong.
They're now facing an ongoing and seemingly uphill battle to retain Victorian-born forward Tom Lynch.
