No panic for Eade at winless Suns

Gold Coast’s fans and board might disagree but Suns coach Rodney Eade says he won’t panic even if the AFL club are winless after 20 matches this season.

The Suns head to Canberra this weekend for an Anzac Day clash with GWS having lost their first three games of the season against Melbourne, St Kilda and Geelong.

While hopes the Suns could reach their inaugural finals campaign this year are already on life support, Eade has denied he’s feeling the heat and will remain committed to taking a long-term approach to his tenure.

“There’s no panic if we’re 0-20 to be honest with you,” he said.

“We’ve got to put a baseline in of what we stand for and the way we go about it. We can’t just flick and twist and throw the baby out with the bath-water just to chase a win.

“We’ve got to build a foundation that’s going to hold us in good stead going forward.

“Whenever we make finals we’re going to make sure we have an impact on those finals rather than getting in, just being happy to be there and get belted first week.”

The Suns hold a 4-1 record over their fellow expansion club but as Gold Coast’s light has faded, the Giants are on the rise.

Clever off-season additions in the form of Joel Patfull and Ryan Griffen have added some experience to their young talent.

The Giants won both of their first two fixtures and took rivals Sydney all the way in a thrilling derby clash last weekend.

With the Suns having now lost seven straight in a streak stretching back to last year, Eade knows Saturday’s game will be anything but an easy day out.

“They’ve been impressive to be honest,” he said.

“The addition of Griffen and Patfull have given them additional experience in their side, they’ve got a good blend now of experience and younger players.

“It’ll be a tough game, there’s no doubt about that.”

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