Gold Coast SUNS coach Rodney Eade is adamant his side’s adoption of his playing style is a work in progress and will take some time to iron out the creases.
 
Friday night’s final full dress rehearsal against Brisbane was contested in trying conditions that made disposal efficiency and crisp clearances difficult. The humidity caused slippery conditions on a balmy Gold Coast night, but Eade wouldn’t allow the circumstances to be used as an excuse.
 
Since his arrival in November, the former Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans mentor has tried to implement a faster style of ball movement on his young side.
 
Forever the realist, Eade believes it will take time to execute his desires. It’s not something that will happen in the space of a handful of matches.
 
“It’s not going to be great like that by round one. I don’t think it works like that. You can’t flick a switch. Hawthorn might be able to, we cant flick a switch,” Eade told reporters following the SUNS final hitout against Brisbane.
 
“We’ve just got to get better incrementally and we’re working hard on it at training, probably focused more on it the last three or four weeks.”
 
Despite the arduous conditions under lights on Friday, Eade was satisfied by the improvement he is observing from week to week.
 
With the return of missing stars Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara, Jack Martin and Tom Lynch in the coming weeks, it’s not hard to see the ball movement in red and gold improving.
 
“We saw some signs tonight, I suppose in difficult conditions, that the method was getting better and where we need to go with the ball, and where players need to set up,” Eade said.
 
“We probably don’t hit the targets enough. There’s enough options, but anyway we’ll keep working on it.”