Former St Kilda Head of Football, Chris Pelchen, believes the Gold Coast SUNS have enjoyed the most successful post-season of all 18 AFL clubs.

Renowned for his recruiting nous and widely regarded as the architect behind Port Adelaide’s 2004 premiership and Hawthorn’s 2008 flag and sustained success, Pelchen speaks with near peerless authority when reviewing list management.

In an exclusive column for AFL.com.au, Pelchen revealed the importance of making the right decisions when it comes to recruiting player personnel. Successful choices can reap the ultimate reward; poor decisions can condemn your club to misery and prolonged periods of pain at the foot of the ladder.

“But the importance of this period to clubs cannot be overstated … in simple terms, it is the time when team success is determined,” Pelchen wrote.

“The national draft is more likely to provide a window to long-term fortunes, nominally 6-8 years and sometimes even longer, but through shrewd player trading that success could be as soon as next year.

“Regardless of the timeline, this is the most critical phase of an AFL club’s strategic operations.

“Get it right and the rewards are obvious. Get it wrong and the effects can be catastrophic.”

In Pelchen’s critique of all club’s involvement in the trade period and national draft, he opined that the SUNS performed the best out of the entire competition by adding proven class in Nick Malceski, as well as acquiring top-end talent to bolster Gold Coast’s impressive young list.

“How do you make a team bursting with young talent even stronger? Answer: Simply draft more outstanding talent at the national draft – something that the SUNS have done with success again this year.

“To secure Peter Wright, Jarrod Garlett and Touk Miller in the same draft is simply superb. This complemented a handy trade period that netted veteran Nick Malceski and rising star Mitch Hallahan.

“While “potential” is often considered a dirty word in professional sport, this team is about to move from the dreaded P word to the more attractive A word – “arrived”.