The Gold Coast SUNS head into their scheduled bye week in round nine of the AFL season as part of the recovery plan post-China.

While some of the playing group made the return flight from Shanghai immediately following the match, a handful of players have elected to stay on in China to explore the country.

One such player is Gary Ablett, who told the Courier Mail that experiencing what China has to offer has always been on his bucket list.

“China is a country I have always wanted to visit and after the game I’m looking forward to spending a few days with the family experiencing China,” he told The Courier Mail.

Senior Coach Rodney Eade said the players were encouraged to stay on if it were of interest. 

“I think half a dozen of them [the players] are staying on, I think a few are going to see the Great Wall of China.

The SUNS playing group will be back on the training track this coming Saturday, after a disappointing performance at Jiangwan Stadium against Port Adelaide.

As with every week, the round eight match will be looked at in extensive detail but the SUNS have the opportunity to bounce back when they play Melbourne in Alice Springs as part of the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.

“We were poor, and we need to redeem ourselves,” Senior Coach Rodney Eade said in his post-match press conference.

“We’ve turned it around before, but we certainly have got to get players who are consistent with their effort and consistent with their intensity.”