Despite missing a golden opportunity to bank four valuable premiership points away from home, Gold Coast SUNS coach Rodney Eade was satisfied with his side’s effort and intent against Geelong on Sunday afternoon.
 
Inaccuracy in front of goal came back to hurt the SUNS at Simonds Stadium, with the visitors winning all the key indicators, except for the one that matters most – the scoreboard. The SUNS won the clearances (+14), the inside 50 count (+15) and the contested ball (+13), but still fell short by nine-points despite having six more scoring shots than the Cats.
 
But, after two less than impressive displays against Melbourne and St Kilda – the two bottom sides from 2014 – Eade measured the performance on the basis of effort and intensity. Two essential ingredients that were mostly absent in the opening two weeks, but both were there from the opening bounce in Geelong.
 
“Sometimes you don’t play as well and you’ve got to take your chances. Today we did play very well, and won a lot of the indicators but just missed shots that we shouldn’t have at some stage,” Eade told the media following the SUNS nailbiting loss on Sunday.
 
“That was the only thing really, for the bulk of the day I was really pleased with the effort.
 
“We were heavily criticised and justifiably so, but the players really responded. That’s our baseline and that’s what we’ve got to do, and that’s what we’ve preached from the start.

VIDEO: See what Dion Prestia told SUNS TV at Gold Coast's recovery session on Monday morning.
 
“If we’re ever going to make finals, whenever that may be, you’ve got to be able to play finals footy.
 
“There’s no good getting there and losing by eight goals or eighty points, so we’ve just go to build the right way. I was certainly pleased to a man today.”
 
Gold Coast has still won just once from 13 games without decorated captain Gary Ablett. A reliance Eade explained would only change if the minimum standard of effort produced each week remained at the same level as was displayed against Geelong– no matter who is playing.
 
“That’s what I’d like to build towards. You’d certainly love to have him in the side, there’s no doubt. I mean he’s a super player and he’s the spiritual leader as well,” Eade said.
 
“But that’s what we’ve got to be able to do. Whether he’s out or [Jaeger] O’Meara’s out and [Charlie] Dixon’s out we’ve got to be able to compete.
 
“It’s all about your effort, and I think that’s what you need as a baseline and I think we had that today. So, it’s something to build off, but we’ve got to back up next week.”