How Damien Hardwick is trying to turn the Gold Coast Suns around in the AFL with meat trays and study desks

May the reply to Gold Coast’s historic AFL struggles be wedged alongside the sausages in a weekly meat tray?

Or will the brand new flooring plan at Suns HQ be the distinction between reserving holidays in September and a maiden finals marketing campaign within the membership’s 14th season?

Each are merchandise of the Damien Hardwick “system”, the buzzword at Carrara since he was lured again into teaching solely months after stepping away from his submit at Richmond final 12 months.

The three-time premiership coach has introduced with him an entire new that means to the drained soccer cliché “inside the 4 partitions”.

Certainly one of his first orders was to have some inner partitions knocked down, others constructed and new places of work constructed to advertise a extra harmonious and interactive office.

ABC Sport will probably be dwell running a blog each spherical of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2024.

Gamers now sit at particular person research desks in conferences so they aren’t scrawling notes right into a e book balancing on their knees.

His arrival, in addition to that of latest chairman Bob East, has even prompted an overhaul of the Suns’ enterprise technique.

Now it merely prioritises successful AFL and AFLW premierships, believing their earlier crusades, specifically grassroots and participant improvement, will naturally happen under that.

After which there’s Wednesday’s “meat tray races”, however that’s one other story.

It’s a system that breathed life into Punt Highway, the place the soccer was “fast and manic, with some technique” and reaped the membership three flags in 4 years.

These are Brandon Ellis’s phrases, the two-time premiership participant who moved north in 2020 and is unashamedly pleased his previous coach has now joined him on the Suns.

“We have the precise man for the job now and there is not any ceiling on this 12 months or the years to come back,” Ellis mentioned.

“We’ve got the listing, the expertise.

“Dewy (axed coach Stuart Dew) did a incredible job to get us the place we are actually, however we wanted somebody who had been there and had the expertise to take us to the following degree.

“Gold Coast sports activities followers wish to soar on one thing. They’re crying out for some success.

“They’ll love our sport model we will deliver and we will have much more wins than losses.

Ellis remembers when all of it all of a sudden clicked at Richmond, who flirted with a finals look for 2 years after falling a handful of wins quick.

“On the finish of 2015, we (Richmond) thought we wanted to coach tougher, be out on the bottom longer, do all the things tougher,” he mentioned.

“However it wasn’t the reply. Much less is extra, is what Dimma (Hardwick) learnt.

“Embracing your perfection, permitting everybody to be themselves, making a protected and enjoyable surroundings, be susceptible, get the most effective out of them.

“It filtered down from Cotch (captain Trent Cotchin) and actually it modified with a click on of the fingers.

“We went from thirteenth (with an 8-14 win-loss document) in 2016 to successful a flag in 2017.

“Everybody may say it looks as if the Suns are so distant.

“However you could be so shut as properly; there’s proof within the pudding in Richmond.”

Meat trays on Suns’ menu

Whereas it could have been pudding in Richmond, it’s steak and sausages on the Gold Coast.

Requested for examples of how Hardwick has inspired the identical issues of his new college students, Ellis jumped straight to a brand new favorite he admits was by no means on the menu in Melbourne.

“Yeah, meat tray races,” he mentioned.

Gamers and high-performance employees are on the hook this season, with any blooper moments commanding a cry of “meat tray”.

They have to then deliver one in on Wednesday morning, full with a receipt displaying the prize’s worth of at the least $100.

Gamers are then assigned an animal in an automatic, computerised race and so they cheer their cost dwelling.

“It is good enjoyable, takes your thoughts off footy for a bit and allows you to simply be people,” Ellis mentioned.

A bit like on the footy discipline, the place Hardwick instructions sure requirements however is likely one of the first to crack a joke.

It has rubbed off on basis participant David Swallow, who’s but to play a single finals match in 13 AFL seasons.

“That is what it does, proper? New coach with contemporary concepts and sport plan,” Swallow mentioned.

“For these which were round longer, it is a totally different stimulus.

“And he comes with a repute; he is been there and completed it and that helps as properly.

“He is acquired the runs on the board.”

Hardwick will come head to head along with his former staff when the Suns hosts the Tigers of their opening premiership match on March 9.

AAP