Chairman gets OK despite ‘rubbish’ call

A breakfast meeting between outspoken Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane and club hierarchy on Tuesday wasn’t frosty despite his Monday night claims his team had been “rubbish” in 2021.

Cochrane met with Suns coach Stuart Dew, club chief executive Mark Evans and head of football Jon Haines for a regular catch-up as they all processed the fallout from last week’s horror loss to Port Adelaide.

In a Monday night TV interview, Cochrane, who was seen in the rooms consoling players after the defeat, went as far as saying he felt “utterly sh-thouse” about the Suns’ plight.

He lamented the Gold Coast outfit’s serious inconsistency in a season that has produced just four wins, having managed just five last season.

But Haines said there was no ill will towards the “passionate” club chairman, and everyone at the Suns was aware of the challenges facing them right now.

“He’s a fantastic chairman, he’s passionate about the club and about Queensland footy,” Haines said on Tuesday.

“He was describing how he was feeling as opposed to a reflection of performance. That’s certainly not the language we use.

“Again, we are working to a really clear plan from a coaching perspective. There are some frustrations when it doesn’t work. But our challenge is to build it consistently from week to week.

“We are really confident we are going to get there, and we have a group of players who believe in it as well.”

whatever happens to the @GoldCoastSUNS, i hope for the games sake we don’t lose Tony Cochrane

Garry on Tony Cochrane: "He gives them a presence in a market screaming out for a presence, he's committed to them, he's feeling the pain.

"They've been in the competition for 11 years, in a tough market up there… and now we're hearing calls for them to be disbanded?!"

The Suns have responded after big losses this season, beating Sydney after a 10-goal loss to the Western Bulldogs and taking down Hawthorn after losing to Geelong.

Best and fairest Sam Collins won’t be back to help form a response against last-placed North Melbourne in Tasmania this week.

If there isn’t one, there could be serious ramifications, and Haines knows the Suns have nine more weeks this season to work on eradicating the form swings that have left the season in tatters.

“We have seen fluctuations in terms of the response after really bad performances. There has been spikes, but our challenge it to limit those swings,” he said.

“Our average winning margin is 40 and our average losing margin is 30. That swing is too far. How do we limit that swing, how to we build consistency, see player improvement, see a discernible style of play as well whether we win or lose?

“But our thinking after the game on the weekend was no different than after the win over Hawthorn. We come in and we stick to the plan and get back to work and keep building the players’ belief in their preparation and their consistency of performance.”

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