Veteran footy journalist Caroline Wilson has made an extraordinary call amid Gold Coast‘s woes, declaring the AFL will force a change of coach if the Suns don’t make the move within the next month.
Stuart Dew is contracted as the Suns’ head coach until the end of 2022, but pressure has continued to mount on him during another underwhelming campaign, in which Gold Coast are floundering in 15th on the ladder with one game to play. In Dew’s three previous seasons as Gold Coast coach, the Suns finished 17th, 18th and 14th.
But Wilson pointed out that Gold Coast’s issues ran much deeper than ladder positions and said the AFL had started to fret.
“I just want to touch on what I believe will be another vacant coaching position by the end of the year – not for certain, but very likely – and that is Stuart Dew at the Gold Coast Suns,” Wilson said on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“I’ve got a very strong view that I think [Suns chief executive] Mark Evans needs to act in the next three to four weeks – and if he doesn’t, I think the AFL will overshoot him and do it for him. I think there are people at the AFL who are starting to agitate, [like] Gillon McLachlan, about this problem.
“Real concern about players who might leave, they are six figures under the soft cap, they’re not paying nearly enough and Stuart Dew just seems to be burning through a lot of assistant coaches for mine.
“I think the head of football, Jon Haines, is not strong enough to be in that role. I hate to be brutal but that’s just the fact of life.”
Wilson listed five men who she thought the AFL should pursue for roles at the Suns.
One genuine contender to replace Dew as head coach was sitting beside Wilson on the Footy Classified panel, in former St Kilda and Fremantle mentor Ross Lyon, but she opted against throwing him in the mix.
Wilson suggested Andrew Ireland and Brian Cook as executive chairmen, Graeme Allan as footy boss or list manager, Brad Scott as footy boss or head coach and Chris Scott as head coach.
Wilson’s list received Lyon’s backing.
“It resonates. They’re powerful, they bring a capability and perception’s reality,” Lyon said.
“Those guys will draw people, bring people and retain people. You don’t need one of them or two of them; you need a team of four of that calibre to complement Mark Evans.”
Wilson added: “There are going to be a lot of spot fires over the next week in the coaching world.”
