THE RESULTS of Gold Coast's first five matches should teach us a lot about its prospects of finally breaking the finals drought in 2025.
In some ways, the League could not have handed the Suns a friendlier opening to their season, yet in others, it could provide the biggest challenge of the year for Damien Hardwick's men.
Sunday's season opener against West Coast at Optus Stadium encapsulates this perfectly – a game on paper they should win, yet one that has proved the slipperiest of banana peels in recent years.
The Suns need only look back to round 21 last year, when the Eagles upset them in Perth, as a reminder.
They have a bye following the trip to Perth (and yes, that means they'll have played just once in a month, but surely that's not a hindrance at this stage of the campaign), before going on the road again to play Melbourne.
In round four, Gold Coast is at People First Stadium for the first time in 2025, hosting Adelaide, followed by trips to Gather Round to play North Melbourne and Marvel Stadium to face Richmond.
That's five straight matches against teams that missed the top eight last year, and although that doesn't account for the form of those hungry opponents in a new campaign, it's a generous opening to a season when you're trying to gain traction.
However, four of those contests are on the road, where the Suns were a putrid 2-10 in 2024.
Hardwick has regularly referenced his team's resilience, or lack of, when addressing the record away from home.
That's why this five-match stretch provides the perfect platform, giving both a chance to prove themselves on the road and a chance to establish a positive win-loss record.
It's an ideal reference check to begin the year.
These things don't just happen, and Gold Coast needs improvement in many areas to reach the top eight for the first time in its 15th year history.
They generated plenty of turnovers in the front half of the ground in 2024, but the connection between midfield and forward was left wanting.
The additions of Daniel Rioli and John Noble at half-back, and Lachie Weller's move further afield to a wing, is hoped to help the ball movement, but the Suns will hope for development from Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Bailey Humphrey and Leo Lombard (shoulder) when he returns from injury to help goalscoring punch.
Touk Miller would also love to get back to his two-time All-Australian best after a couple of seasons disrupted by injury.
The heavily stacked road schedule early on means good news for Gold Coast later in the year when it traditionally has waned.
With the postponed match against Essendon now plugged into round 24, the Suns have four of their final six matches at People First Stadium, where they were 7-2 last year.
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The question is, will they be good enough to take advantage when it matters most?
