A club that often struggles to lure top-line talent through its doors, could the Gold Coast Suns' trade and free agency plans face a different fate under coach Damien Hardwick?
Since the triple premiership joined the Carrara club, some of his former Punt Road protรฉgรฉs have been linked with a potential move north.
The Suns are loaded with a trio of first-round draft selections for this year's count and have a list on the periphery of premiership contention, with Hardwick another big lure for any player weighing up their future come the off-season.
With a plan to get their ducks in a row for more Academy prospect bidding, the club's early draft selections are set to be up for grabs come the player and pick movement period, meaning talent could be coming the other way at year's end.
So who might Gold Coast have in their sights for 2025 and beyond? We explore five names the Queensland club could consider come the trade period.
OTHER TRADE TARGETS:ย ADELAIDE,ย BRISBANE,ย CARLTON,ย COLLINGWOOD, ESSENDON,ย FREMANTLE, GEELONG
1. Daniel Rioliย
One player who has been strongly tied to the Suns this year, which is why we'll make an exception with Rioli's place on this list compared to the remaining crop of off-contracted players.
Rioli, contracted until the end of 2027, looms as a suitable target for the Suns given his ability to break lines and offer clean ball work from the back half, an area of the game Gold Coast is lacking.
Sam Flanders has proven to be a viable option at half-back, while Alex Sexton is also learning the role, but the former could be better used through the middle third of the ground given his damaging disposal and ball-winning prowess.
A reunion with Hardwick would see Rioli command the ball in the back half and given Flanders more freedom further up the field.
