Now over a year into his role as SUNS Senior Coach, Stuart Dew admits he still has a lot to learn.

He had hurdles coming his way at every turn in 2018, having to deal with the adversities that came with the Commonwealth Games, a trip to China and the departure of the club’s former captains.

But Dew is hoping his second year in the chair will be far smoother.

“It was a big year but I’ve loved it,” Dew said on Fox Footy’s Uncovered: The Coaches.

“The fact that you walk into work and you’ve got 46 players and then there’s 40-odd staff in just football, it’s great interaction.

“Sometimes you get home and you’re sick of the sound of your own voice but you wouldn’t be anywhere else.” 

Coming into a new club is no easy task, especially for a head coach who prides relationship-building as the capstone of his coaching style. 

Those relationships take time to build and develop, but when fostered allow for open and honest communication designed to drive the club forward. 

“I like to interact with people and I think I’ll be able to do that better this year as well given last year we were really assessing the football club and finding out the lay of the land,” Dew said.

“I’d like to think I’ll be more the coach that I want to be this year than I was last year.”

After a deliberate reset of the football club in the off-season, Dew says he is happy with we’re the club is at and the platform that has been laid for future success.

“I feel like we’re really aligned,” he said.

“We spend a lot of time on strategy and where we think we’re at, changes we need to make, then getting about setting a pathway forward.

“What we know is we wanted to change it and we’re going to have a crack at it.”