Three weeks after the season came to an end, senior coach Damien Hardwick has sat down and candidly reflected on the 2026 Gold Coast SUNS campaign.

The SUNS coaching staff have wrapped up its assessment and reflections of what Hardwick has described as a disappointing year, but an important one.

Hardwick and his team have since broken the season down into three phases.

“We had the first 10 games where we went 7-3. Then we went from 11 to around 21 where we sort of fell away. And then from rounds 21 to 24 or 25 we had a little bit of a resurgence in how we played the game and got back to what we knew, identity-wise,” he told SUNS Media.

“I think we were the only side in the competition that played the top 10 sides in a row, which was a really, really tough period where we found out we were short in a number of areas.

“We turned over the ball a lot coming out of our back half. Then there were some contest losses and forward-50 stoppages which obviously hurt us throughout the year. It became apparent that there was no one reason, so part of our focus is understanding why that happened.”

With seven players making their debut for the SUNS, including five AFL debutants in Zeke Uwland, Jai Murray, Beau Addinsall, Dylan Patterson and Caleb Lewis, and two club debutants in Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Christian Petracca, Hardwick believes this season could prove to be the making of the football club.

A younger side for much of the season also saw three Rising Star nominees emerge in Leo Lombard, Murray and Uwland.

“I think two of our biggest and brightest sparks were Ned Moyle and Lombard. Two players who took enormous steps for us and who we feel are going to be great players going forward,” he said.

With several young players recommitting to the SUNS for 2027 and beyond during the latter stages of the season, including Bailey Humphrey, Jed Walter, Alex Davies, Lachie Gulbin and Jake Rogers, along with the commitments of experienced leaders Touk Miller and Jarrod Witts, Hardwick is confident about what the SUNS can become in the years ahead.

“It’s a great testament to where the club is headed. Bailey was a player who obviously explored his options for a variety of reasons last year, but to see that he's committed to the club for the next four years is a really exciting prospect for us,” Hardwick said.

“And then obviously the big stallion in Jed Walter was a marquee signing along with Bailey as well. He's a player that we've got enormous faith in and we realise what he could potentially become.”

In his second season at the helm, Hardwick says captain Noah Anderson has taken a lot of lessons from this season and expects him to grow from the experiences in a, at times, difficult year.

“He's going to take some enormous lessons from this season and it's going to make him, if not one of the best captains in the AFL, if he's not that already,” he said.

“The lessons for Noah, and the lessons for me, are to understand that he can’t do everything. He’s trying to do as much as he can to get our side over the line.

“When Noah Anderson plays his best football, the Gold Coast SUNS are hard to stop.”

As the 2026 season comes to a close, Hardwick’s message to SUNS members and fans looking ahead to 2027 was simple.

“Disappointing year, important year. Buckle up for next year. We’re ready to go.”