GOLD Coast had as much talent missing in round nine as Essendon did the day after 12 of its best players were suspended in January.

That's how bad the Suns' injury toll has become in recent weeks, yet they have been smashed harder than a novice surfer paddling in driving waves. 

While Essendon has been able to go about its business, Gold Coast has had to defend its coach, its captain and, in many respects, its future in recent weeks.

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The commentary around the Suns' situation has been in stark contrast to the understandable sympathy the Bombers have received.

"We're losing players all the time," Rodney Eade said after last week's 75-point loss to Adelaide.

It wasn't a complaint, just a reality.

That's why it's instructive to make a comparison of missing individuals from both clubs.

It shines some light on how hampered the Suns have been in their recent losses.

Using the Suns' absentees from round nine to compare the individuals missing from the respective Gold Coast and Essendon line-ups, Gary Ablett and Jobe Watson start the ball rolling.

Both are captains, both Brownlow medallists and both irreplaceable.

Both clubs had key defenders missing (the Suns' Steven May has only himself to blame) and quality midfielders on the sidelines.

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While Essendon's suspended players include exposed talent both young and old, the majority of the Suns' absentees are in their early 20s.

Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow and Aaron Hall have not been on the same ground together with Ablett since the Suns beat the Magpies in round 16, 2014, a mere 689 days ago.

The Bombers have been without Brent Stanton, Dyson Heppell and Travis Colyer.

O'Meara hasn't played with Hall, Swallow and Ablett since round 16, 2014. Picture: AFL Media

Back pockets Adam Saad and Michael Hibberd would be handy for either club, while not many eyebrows would be raised comparing David Myers and Matt Rosa, although Myers has match-winning capabilities.

And it's a tight split between Alex Sexton, Touk Miller and Trent McKenzie when matched against midfielders Heath Hocking and Ben Howlett, and in-and-out defender Tayte Pears.

Finding a match for ruckman Tom Bellchambers gets harder as the Suns have preferred Dan Currie to Tom Nicholls; they can't really be afforded an excuse in that regard.

But the news Currie will miss the next four weeks means the Suns' plight is not getting better quickly.

If we stick to those who missed round nine, then Jack Leslie, the 197cm defender, fits the bill.

Nine of the 12 players we've compared to the missing Dons were in the Suns team that knocked the Bombers off by 61 points in round one, with only O'Meara, Swallow and Leslie not in that side.

The Suns will welcome players back this week, including Ablett, Hall and May, so they will improve, but the only external assessments of Gold Coast lately have been doom and gloom.

At this stage it has two top 10 picks at the end of the season and is entitled to be concerned about the future intentions of Dion Prestia and O'Meara, who both wanted to wait for the season to unfold before entering discussions, while the much-improved Sam Day is playing like a man invested in the cause.

Eade knows his side isn't out of the woods yet.

"We hung in there pretty well really because the downside to that is the load's going on to other players, and more chance of them getting soft-tissue injury because of the extra loads they are going to carry, so that is a real fine balancing act for us as well," Eade said.

But the list is more talented than it has been able to show since round four.

Injuries and the May suspension have cruelled them and placed them in a position in recent weeks comparable to the battling Bombers of 2016.

Sorry tales: Who would you rather be missing? 

* Played round nine but misses this week
** Still injured