Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew's days at Carrara are reportedly numbered, as the belief that former Richmond boss Damien Hardwick could the Suns job grows.
Pressure has mounted on Dew in recent weeks after poor performances from his side against Carlton and Collingwood, with the Queensland club conceding 240 points from those two matches for an aggregate deficit of 137 points.
The Suns find themselves in the finals hunt despite the pair of worrying defeats, which bookend a 67-point win over Hawthorn in Round 15. Gold Coast's recent record after the mid-season bye has been an area of concern on Dew's record, with the AFL's second youngest club hoping to avoid the trend in 2023.
Dew has managed a win rate of 30.42% as the club's longest-serving coach in its 13-year history, coming ahead of predecessors Rodney Eade (26.19%) and Guy McKenna (27.27%), with all three coaches so far failing to finish in the top eight.
Despite being in the frame for a potential finals berth in 2023, Dew is said to be coaching for his future across the final eight rounds of the season, however a call from the club to cut ties with their embattled coach could come as early as this month, according to Footy Classified'sย Caroline Wilson.
Wilson revealed on Monday night that doubt has been cast over Dew's future on the Gold Coast, with former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick expected to take the reins from 2024.
"It's my firm belief that Stuart Dew's days at the Gold Coast Suns are numbered, and in fact, he could be gone as early as by the end of this month,โ Wilson said.
"The firm belief now at the club, taking it away from me, is that there has been no improvement this year, in a year where improvement was expected.
"People around football and management are now casting big doubts on the standards within the footy club and the players. I'm talking more about preparation for big games, matchday preparation and strategy from the coaching panel when it comes to coping with those big games.
"Clearly a massive disappointment in a game against Collingwood, a game that was sold out, a game in which Gold Coast was expected to be at least competitive. This time last year they lost to Collingwood by less than a goal and sat 11th on the ladder on 28 points. This time they were thrashed by Collingwood, they're 12 on the ladder with the same amount of points and battling again to make the finals.
"Stuart Dew hasn't been told (a decision has been made on his future) and I'm not sure where it's standing at board level, but my firm belief is that a decision will be made in the next few weeks or certainly by the end of the season.
"It's my firm belief that Stuart Dew's days at the Gold Coast Suns are numbered"
Caroline Wilson believes the Suns have 'lost faith' in their coach, with Damien Hardwick looming large as Dew's likely replacement for 2024.#9FootyClassified | @9Gem pic.twitter.com/dawH7ARhpk
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) July 3, 2023
"I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen by the end of July, and my equally firm view is that Damien Hardwick will ultimately be the coach of the Gold Coast Suns.
"If there is a caretaker appointed, at this stage it looks like being Steven King."
Hardwick departed Richmond after 14 years at Punt Road, where he won three premierships to snap the club's 37-year flag brought in 2017.
The 50-year-old revealed last week that he does see himself making a coaching return in the future - a decision that could be made once he returns from an overseas holiday in the coming months.
Should a top eight position be the benchmark for Dew - who is contracted for 2024 - to retain his position, then the Suns are likely to need at least six wins in their final eight matches.
Gold Coast are scheduled to face Port Adelaide, St Kilda, GWS, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Carlton and North Melbourne to end their 2023 campaign.
