STUART Dew had his first walk on the re-laid Metricon Stadium surface on Wednesday, beginning "stage two" of his first season at Gold Coast.

Dew led the Suns in a short skills session before they reverted to an adjoining training field to prepare for Saturday's homecoming match against Geelong.

He described the surface as "outstanding.

"Almost looks too good to play on."

Following April's Commonwealth Games, Metricon Stadium has undergone a complete overhaul ahead of the Cats match and is set for Dew's first coaching assignment at his new home ground.

After nine matches on the road before last week's bye, Dew said it felt like the start of a new season.

"It's exciting," he said.

"I have been looking at it for a few months, so it's great to actually get out on the deck.

"Our first run out here today is significant for a lot of the players as well, because it's their first look.

"As a visiting coach I always loved coming to Metricon as well – it's a fantastic facility, so I can't wait.

"It's almost stage two of the season for us, full of opportunities and challenges."

Dew will welcome back some of his most talented players into the lineup after the Suns limped into the bye on the back of four straight defeats.

Co-captain Tom Lynch has overcome a knee injury and trained strongly, while Sam Day returns from suspension and Jack Martin from illness.

Reliable defender Jesse Joyce has also overcome a corked quad and should play.

Dew said he had learnt plenty about his young team in the first nine rounds.

"I have liked their effort," he said.

"They've been really compliant and tried to do the work we are getting them to do.

"We haven't been able to do it long enough at times and that's our challenge, and probably the challenge of a lot of teams around us on the ladder is to push these top teams for longer."