GOLD Coast coach Stuart Dew has spoken of his disappointment in Mac Andrew after the young defender was charged with a drink-driving offence late last year.

Andrew was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol early on December 31, costing him a $1000 fine and six-month suspension from driving, along with a club-imposed two-match ban.

RUNNING UP THAT HILL Inside Suns' brutal 8km 'oven' climb

Andrew is also unavailable for the Suns' practice matches and has to complete alcohol and driver education sessions and assist with the club's multicultural community programs.

Speaking to AFL.com.au last week about the incident, Dew did not try to hide his feelings about the youngster's misdemeanour.

"Firstly (I'm glad) that he and everyone else was OK and that it didn't actually cause harm or injury to anyone, but disappointing, really disappointing," Dew said.

"We have to understand, and we're continually trying to educate, where we can influence the community and set a good example.

"We know a group of 18 to 35-year-olds are not immune to it, so there's been a bit of support, but there's also reality and accountability.

"The support is there, but there's a reality there that that's certainly not a position we want to be in as individuals or a footy club."

KING-SIZED SUNS Gold Coast's bold tall call as gun returns

Dew said the Suns left the decision on a club punishment largely in the hands of their leadership group, led by co-captains Touk Miller and Jarrod Witts.

"They're adults, a couple of them are fathers, so they need to be able to handle this, work through it, discuss, what do we think is a sufficient," he said.

"I was really confident. I trust those players to get it right.

"They didn't rush and that was important. You don't want a knee-jerk reaction … they took their time and made it really clear to Mac that he'd let everyone down, but it's not fatal, luckily, it's not final and he can be better for it."

LIST ANALYSIS Where does your club rank for age and experience?

Despite the disappointment, Dew said his early conversations with Andrew focused on him "getting going".

The former No.5 draft pick, who played the final four games of last season and is contracted to the Suns until the end of 2025, has been playing as a forward during match simulation sessions.

"I think it's been a good lesson for him, but it was very disappointing from a club point of view," Dew said.