Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade is under no illusion; the horrific injury toll is beginning to have an effect on the players that have been forced to wear the brunt of the workload for most of the year. But with three games remaining, the veteran mentor has challenged his side to finish the year off in the right manner.
 
The SUNS trailed top-four prospects Richmond by under three goals at the main break last Sunday, before being run all over in the second-half to be on the receiving end of an 83-point hiding by the final siren.
 
During a frustrating season at Metricon Stadium, final quarters have been an area of concern for Gold Coast, with teams finishing with a full head of steam to fatten up margins. In the final chapter of 2015, Eade is demanding his side, both individually and collectively, get something out of the final three games.
 
“It’s probably been last quarters, probably not last halves,” Eade told reporters at a press conference on Friday morning.
 
“And I think that there might have been a few blokes running on empty, certainly fatigue wise the players that have carried the load the whole year you could see it the way they were running.
 
“The test is how do you respond to that? We’ve got to get something out of it. We’ve had a fairly strong review on Monday and it’s more about let’s get something out of the last three weeks.”
 
From a long way out from the finish line, the focus has turned to next season and using this year to build with the right foundations to achieve sustained success moving forward.
 
For the thousandth time this year, Eade reiterated his message that effort was the key ingredient for his side, and something that will provide a launching pad into the 2016 campaign.
 
“Even if we don’t get another win, if we get the effort that we’ve had for the previous eight or nine weeks and we can see some players growing, I’ve got no doubt that will give an impetus into next year,” Eade said.
 
“The players don’t want to drop away because they will have other players go past them.”