SELLING the merits of the Gold Coast to a largely apathetic industry might be the toughest job in football.

But as explained in the latest In The Game with Damian Barrett, the club's chairman Tony Cochrane is up for the fight.

"Over my dead body," he said when asked if the dire history of top-level sporting clubs' failures in the Gold Coast region would one day also hit the Suns.

The colourful and passionate Cochrane is seeking AFL assistance for the Suns, who are about to secure a second wooden spoon in their nine-season existence, which has never seen them placed higher than 12th. 

A highly successful businessman who never finished high school, Cochrane also reveals to in In The Game his fascinating dealings with music icons Frank Sinatra and Mick Jagger. 

And he speaks candidly about star players who have left the club.

For the Cochrane interview, listen here …

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Episode Guide

1:05 – 'No shrinking violet': Cochrane's self-assessment

2:40 – The Suns will reach 150 years

4:09 – Is Gold Coast a sports organisation 'graveyard'?

5:16 – Why outsiders are 'talking rubbish'

10:34 – Working out of tin sheds: A tough start to life in the AFL

11:49 – The difficulties of player retention

13:15 – Gary Ablett, Steven May and Tom Lynch: Why did all three stars walk out?

14:46 - Jaeger O'Meara 'looked me in the eye and said he was staying'

15:54 – 'They lied to my face': The worst part of the player departures

17:40 – Compensation picks on their own 'won't solve' Suns issues

20:38 – 'Over my dead body will we not survive'

22:08 – If you don't believe in a viable, national competition you're 'on drugs'

24:07 – What makes Stuart Dew special

26:03 – Will Jack Martin stay at the club?

27:19 – Tony Cochrane's business background

28:54 – V8 Supercars and Mick Jagger

31:18 – The first invitation to Cochrane's dream dinner party

33:39 – 'I really don't care what people think of me'

36:09 – How do the other club chairmen view you?

37:10 – There's still a lot of VFL in the AFL

39:11 – 'Queensland will produce 25 per cent of the draft' in 20 years