TOM LYNCH'S impending departure adds another sorry chapter to Gold Coast's short history, but the scary thing for the Suns is the worst might be yet to come.
Depending on events of the next 15 months, the Suns could still slip a long way back before they start to crawl forward.
This season alone they are still yet to re-sign, or make decisions on, Jarrod Harbrow, Kade Kolodjashnij, Sam Day, Jarryd Lyons, Jesse Lonergan and Michael Rischitelli among others.
Speedy midfielder Aaron Hall looks halfway out the door to seek greater opportunities in Melbourne.
ON THE MOVE Lynch tells Suns he wants out
And things will only get worse in 2019.
Captain Steven May will be heavily courted – if he's not being already – by rival clubs.
Best and fairest winner David Swallow, who recently told AFL.com.au he loved the club and the lifestyle on the Gold Coast, is also out of contract.
Jack Martin, Peter Wright, Touk Miller and Jarrod Witts are also up for new deals next year.
All will be rival targets, particularly Martin from the West Australian clubs and Wright because of his enormous upside.
It all adds up to a critical juncture for the struggling Suns.
Remarkably just seven players remain from the original 2011 list.
TIGERS, PIES OR HAWKS? Who will get Lynch?
Harbrow, Rischitelli and Day will know their fate soon, while May, Swallow, defender Rory Thompson and ruckman Tom Nicholls all have another 12 months.
The list needs a major overhaul.
What happens with Lynch will be fascinating and might lay the first pillar for a genuine rebuild.
Suns fans don't want to hear that, but 'topping up' with older players that can't get games at their original clubs hasn't worked in the past.
Although it would be nice to make a stand and match the offer Lynch gets to force a trade, the smart decision would be to take the compensation pick.
This would likely be immediately after their own first-round selection (somewhere in the pick two to four range) and could then be traded for multiple picks and players.
Stuart Dew has done a fine job in his first season and has the players onside.
With such a heavy travel schedule early on, the wheels came off mid-season, but the recent win over Sydney showed they might not be as far off as it appears.
With Lynch gone, Dew doesn't have a plethora of top-end talent at his disposal, but as Richmond showed last year, you don't need that much – just a committed squad that believes and delivers on a gameplan.
Gold Coast has arguably just four A-Grade talents – and that's if you squint. May is proven, while Martin, Wright and second-year midfielder Ben Ainsworth have the capacity to get there.
The Suns need speed but above all else they need robust players that can get from contest to contest. There's a bit of one-pace about the midfield.
Lynch's departure adds to a growing list of stars to leave the Suns, but as Brisbane has shown, it doesn't take that long to turn things around if you make smart recruiting and trade decisions.
Gold Coast's first ever team - round two, 2011
B: Seb Tape, Nathan Bock, Campbell Brown
HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Karmichael Hunt, Nathan Krakouer
C: Trent McKenzie, Daniel Harris, Michael Rischitelli
HF: Danny Stanley, Charlie Dixon, Alik Magin
F: Jared Brennan, Zac Smith, Brandon Matera
Foll: Josh Fraser, David Swallow, Gary Ablett
I/C: Marc Lock, Harley Bennell, Dion Prestia, Josh Toy
Emerg: Maverick Weller, Daniel Gorringe, Michael Coad
Coach: Guy McKenna
BLACK: Remain
RED: Gone
GREEN: On another AFL list
Other originals remaining: Steven May, Sam Day, Rory Thompson, Tom Nicholls
Other originals gone: Nathan Ablett, Tom Lynch, Josh Caddy, Matt Shaw
