The Gold Coast Suns are in a precarious position, not just on the field but also off it, with reports of a strained relationship between players and coach Damien Hardwick. Channel 7's Tom Morris revealed on The Agenda Setters that the environment at the club is tense.
Season unravels after strong start
The Suns began the season with three impressive wins, quickly establishing themselves as premiership contenders. After Round 10, they boasted a 7-3 record and sat comfortably in the top eight. However, three consecutive losses to North Melbourne, Brisbane, and Geelong have derailed their campaign. They now sit in ninth place ahead of a crucial clash against Hawthorn. With a challenging month ahead, their finals hopes are in jeopardy.
Strained relationships behind the scenes
Morris described a tense atmosphere at the club. “It’s my belief that Hardwick’s connection to his players and their connection to him is as strained as it’s been in his time at the club,” he said. “It’s causing issues all over the place, both on the field and behind the scenes as well, from a contractual perspective.”
He added that the tension is not one-sided: “Some players are off the coach, and some members of the coaching panel are off the players. So this is a tense environment from both angles.” Morris emphasised that while the situation is strained, it is not irreparable. “Strain doesn’t mean it’s unrecoverable. It just means it’s a very tense environment for a number of reasons.”
Contract uncertainty adds to woes
The future of key forward Ben King is a major concern. Out of contract at season’s end, King has yet to sign a two-year extension that was expected to be a formality. 7NEWS reporter Xander McGuire noted, “His teammates, staffers, and coaches can’t understand why this two-year deal is taking so long to be signed.”
Bailey Humphrey’s situation is also under scrutiny, despite being contracted until 2028.
AFL greats criticise players
AFL legends Kane Cornes and Nick Riewoldt were scathing in their assessment of the playing group. Cornes said, “As a player, when you’re at a poor club, you immediately look to blame someone. You forget to look at yourself. This playing group has become comfortable. The minute it goes off track, they refuse to show resilience and look to blame someone. It sounds like they’re blaming the coach. That’s a pretty ordinary look if they’re making excuses about a three-time premiership coach.”
Riewoldt added, “We’re talking about a coach who built a culture of selflessness and took them to their first finals series and win last year. If the players are off him because they think they know better, where do they get off?”
Hardwick warned over umpire comments
Hardwick has been cautioned by AFL football operations boss Greg Swann following his post-match criticism of umpiring after the loss to Geelong. Hardwick described the atmosphere at GMHBA Stadium as a “Roman Colosseum” and claimed umpires were influenced by the crowd. While he avoided a fine, he accepted Swann’s point. “It is what it is, home-ground advantage, we understand that, but a couple of those free kicks weren’t there,” Hardwick said.
