GOLD Coast has avoided the expected exodus of homesick teenagers by selling history and the Grand Final dream to one another, coach Guy McKenna says.
The Suns went down a primarily youthful road in their initial list-build, and many thought it would come crashing down as players sought to 'go home' after two or three seasons.
However, only Josh Caddy (Geelong) and Tom Hickey (St Kilda) have been lost at this stage.
One hour up the Pacific Motorway, the Brisbane Lions are showing retention of players in non-traditional footy markets can still be a problem, with a number of their youngsters asking for trades back to their home states.
But McKenna said while retention was still an issue, it was the Suns' players driving the sales pitch more than the coaching staff or administration.
David Swallow is expected to re-sign beyond his 2014 contract very shortly, locking up yet another Sun to a long-term deal.
"The disadvantage of having all those interstate kids is the advantage," McKenna said. "They all have the same issues.
"Go to Collingwood and they might have three kids from interstate, so they're the minority, whereas for us it's the majority.
"It becomes an issue here but it's dealt with quickly because there's so many of them. They sit around and talk about it, workshop it, and move on.
"Them growing up and doing this together amongst themselves, that's quite a powerful bond. The group's very tight.
"They've grown up and gone through some tough times and can now look each other in the eye and say 'I want to be part of this and I want you to be here with me'. A lot of the sell goes on internally from player to player."
After delisting Joel Wilkinson earlier this month, the Suns have just two Gold Coast products on the list in Rory Thompson and Andrew Boston.
McKenna said the group was highly competitive and wanted to play games, but even those that struggled, were still desperate to be part of Gold Coast's initial success.
Young ruckman Tom Nicholls played just one game in his first two-and-a-half seasons, but presented with a chance through injury in 2013, grabbed it with both hands and is now a vital cog going forward.
"It's been hard in the first two years but they can see the tide turning and they want to be a part of it," McKenna said.
"It's that thrill of being a pioneer of the Gold Coast Suns.
"They'll look back in 30 or 40 years and go 'I put my stamp on that football club, and I was a part of it'.
"That's something blokes at Collingwood and Carlton can't do right now. We're talking about players that will define this football club. It's massive."
