2018 Gold Coast Suns season
# 2018 Gold Coast Suns season

The 2018 Gold Coast Suns season was the Gold Coast Suns' 8th season in the Australian Football League. They also fielded a reserves team in the NEAFL.

## AFL

### Senior personnel

After round 20 in the 2017 season, senior coach Rodney Eade was sacked. In October 2017 it was announced that former Port Adelaide premiership player and Sydney assistant coach Stuart Dew had signed a three-year deal to become the new senior coach at Gold Coast.

### List changes

At the end of the 2017 season, the Suns announced that they had delisted five players, including three rookie-listed players. Early in the trade period, half-back Adam Saad requested a trade to Essendon, and the Suns attempted to trade him for Essendon's first-round draft pick. When Essendon instead traded that pick to Greater Western Sydney for Devon Smith, the Suns instead received Essendon's second round pick for the 2018 draft. Fremantle player Lachie Weller requested a trade to the Suns, but Fremantle wanted their number 2 pick in the 2017 draft in exchange. To avoid trading away their very early pick, Gold Coast exchanged a number of draft picks with West Coast to secure their first round pick in the 2018 draft, but Fremantle didn't budge and would only accept the number 2 pick. On the last day of the trade period the Suns accepted the trade, also receiving pick 41 from the Dockers. The Suns also managed to secure Harrison Wigg from Adelaide and Aaron Young from Port Adelaide.

One of the biggest trades of the 2017 trade period was that of two-time Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett. Ablett had originally asked to be traded from the Suns to Geelong, his original team, in 2016, but no agreement could be reached. He requested a trade again in 2017, and Gold Coast attempted to secure a player from Geelong's best 22 in exchange, but again nothing could be settled on. On the last day of the trade period the Suns accepted a deal where they would receive pick 19 (a selection Geelong got as compensation for losing Steven Motlop) and Geelong's second round pick in the 2018 draft while losing Ablett, pick 24 and their fourth round pick in the 2018 draft.

**Retirements and deslistings**

| Player | Date | Reason | Career games | Career goals |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Jarrad Grant | 4 September 2017 | Delisted | 95 | 94 |
| Mitch Hallahan | 4 September 2017 | Delisted | 26 | 7 |
| Keegan Brooksby | 4 September 2017 | Delisted | 14 | 3 |
| Ryan Davis | 4 September 2017 | Delisted | 35 | 19 |
| Cameron Loersch | 4 September 2017 | Delisted | 0 | 0 |

**Trades**

| Date | Gained | From | Lost |
| - | - | - | - |
| 16 October 2017 | 2018 second round pick (Essendon) | Essendon | Adam Saad |
| 18 October 2017 | Harrison Wigg Pick 54 2018 fourth round pick (Adelaide) | Adelaide | Pick 39 |
| 19 October 2017 | Pick 50 2018 first round pick (West Coast) | West Coast | Pick 21 Pick 26 Pick 37 2018 second round pick (Gold Coast) |
| 19 October 2017 | Aaron Young | Port Adelaide | 2018 fourth round pick (Adelaide) |
| 19 October 2017 | Pick 19 2018 second round pick (Geelong) | Geelong | Gary Ablett Pick 24 2018 fourth round pick (Gold Coast) |
| 19 October 2017 | Lachie Weller Pick 41 | Fremantle | Pick 2 |
| 19 October 2017 | 2018 third round pick (Fremantle) | Fremantle | Brandon Matera |

### Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Richmond | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2143 | 1574 | 136.1 | 72 | 2018 finals |
| 2 | West Coast (P) | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2012 | 1657 | 121.4 | 64 | 2018 finals |
| 3 | Collingwood | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2046 | 1699 | 120.4 | 60 | 2018 finals |
| 4 | Hawthorn | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1972 | 1642 | 120.1 | 60 | 2018 finals |
| 5 | Melbourne | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2299 | 1749 | 131.4 | 56 | 2018 finals |
| 6 | Sydney | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1822 | 1664 | 109.5 | 56 | 2018 finals |
| 7 | Greater Western Sydney | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1898 | 1664 | 114.1 | 54 | 2018 finals |
| 8 | Geelong | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2045 | 1554 | 131.6 | 52 | 2018 finals |
| 9 | North Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1950 | 1790 | 108.9 | 48 | |
| 10 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1780 | 1654 | 107.6 | 48 | |
| 11 | Essendon | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1932 | 1838 | 105.1 | 48 | |
| 12 | Adelaide | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1941 | 1865 | 104.1 | 48 | |
| 13 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1575 | 2037 | 77.3 | 32 | |
| 14 | Fremantle | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1556 | 2041 | 76.2 | 32 | |
| 15 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 1825 | 2049 | 89.1 | 20 | |
| 16 | St Kilda | 22 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 1606 | 2182 | 73.6 | 18 | |
| 17 | Gold Coast | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1308 | 2182 | 59.9 | 16 | |
| 18 | Carlton | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1353 | 2282 | 59.3 | 8 | |
