Rhyce Shaw: Head Coach
Rhyce Shaw joined the Gold Coast in 2021 as Head of Development in the AFL program, before being appointed to Director of Coaching within the StreetSmarts SUNS Academy in 2023 and most recently promoted to the SUNS AFLW Head Coach. Following a 237-game career between Collingwood and Sydney, which included three Grand Finals and a premiership in 2012, Shaw was appointed to various coaching roles at the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne. After earning the NEAFL Coach of the Year in 2018, Shaw served as the Roos interim Senior Coach in 2019 before taking on the job full-time in 2020. Shaw’s appointment as the SUNS AFLW Head Coach makes him the first person to lead both AFL and AFLW sides.
Sam Iles: Senior Assistant Coach
Sam Iles has a lengthy history with the GC SUNS having won the club’s VFL best and fairest award in 2010 before playing 26 AFL matches during the club’s first two seasons in the AFL competition. Iles has overseen the development of many of the club’s local products and has held several positions in the club’s Academy including Development Coach and Head of Female Pathways, as well as Queensland U18 Women’s Head Coach from 2019 – 2023. Having taken charge of the midfield since 2021, Iles was elevated to Senior Assistant Coach in 2023.
Rory Thompson: Assistant Coach
Thompson is a Gold Coast SUNS Life Member after first joining the club as an 18-year-old before the club’s 2009 TAC Cup season, going on to play 106 games across an injury-disrupted career. He has remained involved with the club since retiring in 2022 and in 2024 takes charge of the defence as an AFLW Assistant Coach for the first time. During his lengthy playing career as a key defender with the SUNS, Thompson finished a career-best fourth in the 2013 Club Champion, along with the Most Improved Player and Most Professional Awards.
Michael Richardson: Development Coach
Richardson joins the SUNS coaching panel in 2025 from QAFL outfit Wilston Grange where he’s served as Senior Assistant Coach since 2020. He brings a wealth of experience to the club following a length playing career in South-east Queensland.
