SIX MONTHS ago, coaching Gold Coast looked like the dream job in the AFL.
The Suns had the game's best player in Gary Ablett, arguably its best young player in Jaeger O'Meara, and were expected to make a push for their maiden finals appearance this season.
But since a full football department review resulted in the sacking of Guy McKenna last October, it hasn't quite gone according to script.
One win from seven matches, players being dropped for breaking alcohol rules – it hasn't been a good start for Rodney Eade.
But truth be told, these problems have been some time in the making.
The biggest mistake the Suns made was not explaining why they sacked McKenna. Publicly they still won't comment, and even privately it can be like pulling teeth trying to get a detailed explanation.
There were problems at Metricon Stadium well before Eade arrived.
So where has it all gone wrong?
INJURIES
On the field, the argument starts and stops with injuries. In Ablett, O'Meara, David Swallow, Tom Lynch, Nick Malceski, Rory Thompson, Jack Martin, Adam Saad and suspended Steven May, they are missing nine of their best 15 and 11 of their best 22.
"I don't care if it was a mixture of Ron Barassi, David Parkin, Allan Jeans, Tom Hafey, Kevin Sheedy, any great coach of the last 40 years - you put them in this role, I'll tell you now, with 11 sitting in the stands, you won't win a chook lotto, even if you held every ticket," Gold Coast coaching advisor Malcolm Blight said.
Winning papers over the cracks, and without the cattle, Eade and the Suns have little chance of winning in the near future.
But the injuries are just the surface wounds. It runs much deeper.
Gary Ablett hasn't played since the round two loss to St Kilda. Picture: AFL Media
FOOTY KNOWLEDGE
Eade has been baffled at the lack of footy knowledge in his squad.
From a recent pre-game meeting, a number of players stared blankly when he discussed the notion of playing a "plus one" in the back half.
The Suns can no longer use youth as an excuse, but it seems they're miles behind when it comes to the basics of understanding the game.
CULTURE
It's a broad term, but the fact four players recently broke team alcohol rules shows there's something wrong.
And it's been coming.
The club came together as a bunch of 30-plus 18-year-olds and may not have been pushed hard enough in those formative years.
It was a tough tightrope to walk – driving hard standards at the risk of losing a disgruntled core of your playing group – but it's coming back to bite them now.
Eade won't cop anything short of total professionalism and holding players accountable for their actions.
It's a hard line and some are still adjusting.
He reportedly refers to one senior player as the "social director", so big was his influence on the younger players and their partying ways.
That will no longer be the case.
FITNESS
Quite simply, the Suns aren't fit.
They've got a number of guys that can run a decent 2km time trial during the pre-season, but converting that to matches hasn't happened.
Their willingness to run the extra metre isn't there. Watch how many times players walk out of stoppages or jog between contests.
For all of his talent, Trent McKenzie is the poster boy for this – five years on and he's only marginally fitter than when he arrived at the club.
Then there's the issue of their strength. By and large, they're a skinny team that isn't going to scare any of the heavy-hitting finals outfits.
Talk to enough people, and the same themes keep coming up – the players aren't resilient enough and aren't prepared to persevere.
That's a combination of attitude, programs and being driven hard from the top down.
Trent McKenzie has barely improved his fitness in five years at the club. Picture: AFL Media
TRAINING STANDARDS
This falls in line with culture. Near enough has been good enough.
When McKenna was shown the door, a number of players were privately pleased, crying out to be coached harder.
They needed to be nursed during the early years, but the time came when they craved more.
TALENT
There's a perception Gold Coast has endless amounts of elite talent – that perception is wrong.
Yes, there's Ablett, O'Meara, Swallow, May, Bennell, Martin, Lynch and Prestia, but for pure talent, it drops away quickly.
The lack of skill and poor decision-making ability has been largely glossed over, but the Suns have been horrible with the ball since their inception.
Last year they finished 18th – dead last - in effective disposal percentage. It was a problem Eade inherited, and with so much of that talent on the sidelines, it hasn't improved. Again they are last in that category through seven rounds in 2015.
Whether that's coaching, recruiting, work ethic, or a bit of all three, it needs to improve before the Suns can.
WHERE ARE THEY HEADED?
All that said, the Suns aren't too far away from turning things around.
Eade says the club hasn't moved the goalposts on their expectations and he doesn't care about public perceptions.
"Success is building a foundation we can build off the right way," he said.
"It's not all doom and gloom. It's building the pieces the right way. We need some players back, but I can see some blue skies. It's not a complete basket case.
"That'll take Gary to get back, O'Meara to get back, Swallow to get back and then these eight kids that played on the weekend can play with them and we can develop them.
"People can say what they like, that's fine. I'm calm, I'm not stressed at all.
"Hopefully when we have close to our best side playing we can play the way we want to play and do it the right way, which is aggressive footy, being able to compete."
