GOLD Coast's bid to surround first-year coach Stuart Dew with strong support might not stop with Tim Clarke.
The Suns confirmed Clarke's addition to Dew's team as a development coach on Friday morning and are still trying to lure ex-Port Adelaide star Josh Francou north, as AFL.com.au reported in early August.
Dew and Francou played together at the Power and were part of the same Sydney coaching staff under John Longmire from 2014 to last year, when they both moved to other clubs.
Francou quit as Adelaide's forwards coach in late August, just one season into a three-year deal, after what the Crows described as "a challenging season" to take a break from football and consider being a teacher.
The nature of that situation could complicate any potential move to Gold Coast, but Suns football boss Jon Haines said Francou was still on his club's radar for the 2019 season.
"We know Josh well and we rate him really highly as a football person," Haines told AFL.com.au.
"We're still chatting to Josh and we'll stay in contact with him, but his advice to us is that he's taking some time to reflect on his year.
"He's also taken some time to reflect on what he wants to do with his career … the communication is certainly still open."
Francou, 44, was previously in charge of SANFL club North Adelaide from 2011 to 2013.
He made 156 appearances for the Power between 1997 and 2005 and was an All Australian in 2002, but a knee injury cost him playing in the club's 2004 premiership alongside Dew.
Clarke, who played 96 games for Hawthorn, was Carlton's midfield coach this year and was there for three seasons in total after four years in various roles at Richmond.
He will work closely with Nick Malceski and another new Gold Coast appointment, Tate Kaesler, who was with Francou at Adelaide this year.
"Tim is an exciting addition to our coaching group, and we look forward to Tim, Bec and Zac moving up to the Gold Coast and becoming an important part of the Gold Coast family," Haines said.
"Tim is a high-quality person with outstanding personal characteristics and is going to add great value to what we are trying to build."
