If Gold Coast's list overhaul has any chance of success, it must be driven by the players aged 22 and under.

And those players know it.

While the off-season additions of Anthony Miles, Jack Hombsch, Jordan Murdoch and George Horlin-Smith will be vital in the coming two or three years, it's the crop of talent below that that will determine the SUNS' fate in the longer term.

That group includes players such as Touk Miller, Peter Wright, Lachie Weller, Brayden Fiorini, Ben Ainsworth, Jack Bowes, Will Brodie and top-six picks from last year's draft in Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Ben King.

Bowes is a prime example.

Despite his career being in its infancy, with 27 games over two seasons, the SUNS Academy product says players need to look beyond simply getting a game as a measure of success.

He has just turned 21 but has a strong voice among the players.

"I feel if we want to accelerate as a footy club we've got to take ownership of our career and drive others to be accountable," Bowes told AFL.com.au.

"We need to bring along as many people as we can for the ride. You can't do it individually."

Bowes is perhaps the player who has improved the most physically this pre-season – he's noticeably stronger through his torso and is running better over all distances.

After spending much of his early career at half-back, he'll be pitched into the midfield more permanently in 2019.

"It's a no-fuss attitude," he said.

"We've been thrown plenty of challenges over the pre-season and there's been no excuses, no whinging.

"Everyone has just put their head down and got to work.

"If we want to take that next step as a footy club we need to be mentally and physically tougher. From that perspective it's improved a lot.

"I think everyone is playing for the jumper this year. There'll be people playing roles and willing to put the team before themselves, which is hard to say at the moment, but that's what we're predicting. We'll see how it translates to games."

Bowes has been part of just five winning teams to date and while he didn't like the string of losses, he was realistic enough to know where the SUNS were in the big picture.

"Sometimes you've got to put it into perspective.

"We're young, and I don't want to use that excuse, but it's going to take time and we have to trust that if we put in the work and enjoy the process and get better, the wins are a by-product of that."