Meanwhile, the Gold Coast has struggled in the sporting arena for years. Now, it teeters on the edge of a revolutionary change. The Gold Coast Suns, club on the rise in Australian Football League (AFL) and they’re on track to become the first men’s AFL team from their area to play in finals football! This possible success comes against a landscape of major infrastructure and demographic shifts. These transformations have drastically altered our landscape in the last few decades.
The Gold Coast has a history of playing graveyard to mighty successful sporting franchises. Home to sunny beaches and one of the largest tourism industries in the world, this tropical paradise has paradoxically been a place under sports success or achievement. UPDATE, February 2024 As original behind-the-scenes information, the Suns are on a roll! They hoot and howl about the lineup laden with homegrown athletes, precocious regulars. Coach Damien Hardwick has led the team to dramatically change its style of play. That strong undercurrent provides a wealth of optimism amid hopes that this breakthrough season is just around the corner.
The Evolution of the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast’s storied history stretches back more than 50,000 years, with Indigenous communities living in the area continuously since time immemorial. It was not until the latter half of the 20th century that the region started to experience explosive growth. In the 1960s, its population was under 50,000. The arrival of the so-called “white shoe brigade” was a transformative moment, spurring on the process of rapid urbanization and population growth that would continue.
Today, the Gold Coast is Australia’s sixth-largest metropolitan area growing into one of the largest urban areas in the world at over 750,000. This shift from rural, lightly populated paddocks to a dense urban fabric with towers has altered the area’s culture. The construction of the first skyscraper in the early 1960s epitomized this change, marking the beginning of a vertical divide between the coast and inland areas.
As this growth exploded, the sporting legacy of the region continued to be checkered. The lack of successful teams has gone on to become one of the most prominent features of Gold Coast’s narrative. Regardless, the arrival of professional teams like the Suns has given a sense of hope to the city’s residents and sports fans within the state.
The Suns’ Road to Success
Ever since the Gold Coast Suns entered the league, they’ve served as a beacon of hope and promise to local sports fans. With Hardwick calling the shots, the team’s philosophy in regards to playing style has taken a complete 180. Hardwick emphasized a focus on competition and ambition, stating, “My philosophy is you want to challenge for finals and premierships every year.”
This is it – the most exciting and potentially historic season to date for the Suns, as the club takes another step toward cementing itself in AFL history. Hardwick revealed that nearly 80 percent of the squad expected to form the club’s first premiership team is already on their list. This stat is self explanatory in terms of the creativity and talent that exists on this current roster.
Beyond its star power, the Suns’ tactical evolution has been equally instrumental in its success. They’ve opened up space for upfield players. This smart play has created better synergy between their players and helped their game overall on the court. This newfound depth hasn’t just made their gameplay more dynamic, it’s helped cultivate the Wolfpack’s camaraderie.
“One thing I’ve learned over the course of coaching is you can’t fit square pegs in round holes.” – Damien Hardwick
Hardwick understands what each individual player does really well. This understanding has proven to be instrumental in creating a more unified squad better suited to compete against elite competition. Beyond that, his strategies have struck chords across the organization, emboldening players and fans as it spread from one team to two.
Challenges Ahead
For all their successes to date, significant questions loom for the Suns as they head into 2024 looking to build upon their remarkable success. Their performances gave teeth to recent statements by opposition coach Luke Beveridge, who questioned their capacity to get results against proven sides. “Essendon beating Gold Coast is as long a shot as there is, so we anticipate that our season’s probably done,” Beveridge remarked, underscoring the competitive nature of AFL.
Hardwick admitted there was work left to do, but expressed optimism about their prospects. He sounded distraught following two sub-par showings but added that there is still time to atone for it. We were a big disappointment today and we simply didn’t get the job done. Take Action Look, we have one last chance to FIGHT for something big and worthwhile. Others might have a different opinion, but I think we really have earned this opportunity, instead, he said.
Unfortunately, as of February 2024, almost all the blame for this population surge is being placed on the Gold Coast. Either way, excitement and growth are clear indicators that the region and its sports teams are on an upward trajectory. Just as it would have been in 2022, the Suns’ likely playoff parade both symbolizes a personal accomplishment. More meaningfully, it represents a larger cultural transformation for a region that’s historically underperformed on the competitive national stage.
