Rodney Eade sucks in a deep breath and then exhales as he contemplates how to answer the question over his initial impressions after being appointed Gold Coast head coach.

The multiple premiership-winning Hawthorn speedster and ex-Sydney and Western Bulldogs mentor was given the opportunity to lead the Suns following foundation coach Guy McKenna’s axing after the 2014 campaign.

It shapes as a plum gig.

A young list, full of potential, which had been on the verge of a inaugural finals berth for most of the season, led by an all-time great in Gary Ablett.

And yet, Eade admits, he was forced to do some retooling to his pre-season plans as he got to know his new playing group.

“They certainly needed to lift their training standards and get fitter. That’s one, which I expected,” Eade told AAP.

“Probably their game knowledge and all-round skill level was not where I thought it would be, to be honest.

“They’ve got capabilities for getting pretty good at that but maybe that’s a victim of the younger thing. Close enough’s good enough, it’s okay, we don’t mean to do it, being fed that message.

“They’ve got to learn the basics. Not all of them are going to be great players, even if they’ve been touted as an early draft pick.

“There’s a lot of top 10 draft picks who don’t make it, let alone become great players. You’ve got to get that mentality that it doesn’t matter where you’re at in the draft, whether you’re pick one or taken in the rookie draft, you can still be a good player or not make it.

“The trouble too when you get feted a bit as a youngster is you don’t learn as much. You block off, you think ‘well I’m gonna make it here’. It doesn’t work that way.”

Eade is happy to admit finals is the benchmark he’s challenging his players to reach in 2015, saying if you “don’t aim there, you’re never going to get it”.

That inaugural finals campaign looked a certainty midway through the 2014 campaign, hitting the heady heights of third on the ladder after 10 rounds.

But then Ablett’s shoulder blew apart during a gutsy win over Collingwood in round 16.

A young midfield brigade of Dion Prestia, Jaegar O’Meara and David Swallow tried to fill the void but they were flagging with fatigue and the Suns limped to a 12th-place finish with just one win from their last seven fixtures.

That run ended with a full review of operations and the eventual dismissal of McKenna.

During the off-season the Suns have recruited Sydney premiership star Nick Malceski to add some extra leadership alongside Ablett.

First-round draft pick Peter Wright will increase the club’s ruck options, with Zac Smith and Tom Nicholls aiming to put injury woes behind them and add consistency to their potential.

Most of all, Eade says, the Suns need to know there are no more excuses. No more allowing inconsistency due to their youth.

“We’ve got no crutch to use if we struggle,” he said.

“If we struggle, we struggle, and we’ve just got to get better.

“They’ve got to grow up. Which I think they are. They’ve got a really good attitude that they want to get better and they want to win.

“We just need to make sure that that’s part of our vocabulary but also in our mindset, that we’re in the big league and we need to perform each week.”

GOLD COAST

Coach: Rodney Eade

Captain: Gary Ablett

Last four years: 17-17-14-12

Premierships: Nil.

Key five: Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia, David Swallow, Tom Lynch.

One to watch: Jack Martin. The exciting youngster’s debut season was stymied by a serious shoulder injury, but he showed what he’s capable of in the final round with a four-goal performance earning him a Rising Star nomination.

Ins: Andrew Boston (Gold Coast rookie), Josh Hall (Gold Coast rookie), Jarrod Garlett (South Fremantle WAFL), Mitch Hallahan (Hawthorn), Nick Malceski (Sydney), Touk Miller (Calder U18), Peter Wright (Calder U18).

Outs: Jackson Allen (delisted), Nathan Bock (retired), Campbell Brown (delisted), Karmichael Hunt (retired), Jack Hutchins (delisted), Tom Murphy (retired), Jeremy Taylor (delisted), Matthew Warnock (delisted).

Best line-up:

B: Nick Malceski, Steven May, Trent McKenzie

HB: Greg Broughton, Rory Thompson, Matt Shaw

C: Jarrod Harbrow, David Swallow, Harley Bennell

HF: Brandon Matera, Tom Lynch, Jack Martin

F: Sam Day, Charlie Dixon, Aaron Hall

R: Zac Smith, Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara

I: Dion Prestia, Michael Rischitelli, Kade Kolodjashnij, Tom Nicholls

Predicted finish: 7th

Betting (William Hill)

To win the flag: $26

To make the top eight: $2.25