Former Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown has attacked the Gold Coast Suns by suggesting they haven't made any progress since he retired in 2014.
The Suns led by 35 points midway through the third term against Melbourne on the weekend before letting the Demons kick eight answered goals to run over the top and beat them by 35 points.
Melbourne booted nine goals in the last quarter and kicked 13 of the game's last 16, as Brown labelled the Suns as a "very lazy" side who are all one-way players.
“They were very lazy,” Brown said on Fox Footy's On The Couch on Monday.
“From my own experience, when we came up to play against the Gold Coast Suns, the opposition scout would always say to be accountable through the midfield, hang in there because all they are is one-way runners. They run forward very easily but can’t run back.”
“They are the worst team in the competition at defending turnovers.
“People will say ‘ah Browny you’ve been retired for three years.’ Nothing has bloody changed!”
Stats back up Brown's claims, as the Suns are the easiest team to score against from turnovers, and allows opposition sides more goals from forward 50 entries than any other side.
While Brown didn't call for any sackings to resolve the issue, former Hawthorn premiership player and ex-Gold Coast recruit Campbell Brown believes there's one man off the field who could be at the centre of their poor form.
Suns' football boss Marcus Ashcroft has been at the club since its first season in the AFL, but Brown said it might be time for him to go.
“I’d be looking at Marcus Ashcroft’s position,” Brown told Channel 7 on Monday.
“He’s been the man from the start who has made some critical and key decisions for that footy club for the best part of seven or eight years.
“People will say that’s sour grapes because he sacked me but I can assure you it has absolutely nothing to do with that.
“He’s a bloke who has sacked a hell of a lot of people at that club from coaches, to assistant coaches, from doctors to physios, to fitness staff and moved players on ... maybe he should be looking at himself in the mirror.”