All season long, an inability to run and spread has caused the Gold Coast SUNS a world of grief. It has been the tale of the season, and on Sunday afternoon, under the roof at Etihad Stadium, against a reinvigorated Carlton, it was the same story once again.

Injury to key players and critical ball carriers has decimated the SUNS midfield department for the duration of the year. Irreplaceable players have missed large chunks of the season, with Gold Coast unable to fill the void left by the likes of Gary Ablett, Dion Prestia, David Swallow and Jaeger O’Meara.

After an impressive two weeks prior to the bye with spirited performances against Sydney and Fremantle, Rodney Eade’s side went into Sunday afternoon’s encounter full of confidence. By the final siren, the SUNS were emphatically swept aside by Carlton, with the loss putting further space between Gold Coast and the rest of the competition.

The SUNS were comprehensively beaten in all the key indicators attributed to the middle of the ground – handball receives (+85), disposals (+130), contested ball (+30), clearances (+22) and uncontested possessions (+100). Eade conceded in his post mortem that his side’s inability to run was compounded by a resounding defeat around the ball.

“It was mainly in the midfield – that's where it's won and lost – and we just didn't have enough options,” Eade told reporters following the SUNS' 34-point loss on Sunday afternoon.

“I thought we were OK for a quarter-and-a-half and then, for various reasons, I thought we struggled to run. And I think once Carlton got a sniff that we were struggling to run, they obviously grew a little bit.

“In the last three or four weeks (our run) has been pretty good, normally on the back of our contested ball but we got smashed in that area as well. We really need to be tight in that (area) but we weren't.

“Most of our injuries have been to runners. At various times over the past four or five weeks we've had five of our best six midfielders out – some are back, some are underdone.

“We always knew we were going to struggle in that area. That's why we needed to win contested ball and kick the ball, but we didn't use it that well when we had it, and we didn't win enough of it. Once you lose it inside and they get it out, we were obviously always going to struggle.”

From a long way out, the bye presented itself as a beacon of opportunity. It appeared on the horizon as a place where beyond it things would be better. Players would return; there would be less of a reliance on inexperienced players.

The one thing it did do, and the one thing it has a history of doing across the competition, is halting momentum. Any form generated against Sydney and Fremantle was lost, and a golden opportunity to put a bitterly disappointing season back on track went begging.