Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew insists he’s not feeling under additional pressure amid the Suns’ underwhelming start to the AFL season.
The club threw their support behind Dew last July when they extended his contract until the end of the 2024 season, eyeing a breakthrough finals appearance this year, Dew’s sixth campaign at the helm.
But the heat is building after a 1-4 start that has turned Sunday’s clash with North Melbourne at Heritage Bank Stadium into a must-win game.
“I never really feel the tide (of pressure) go away, to be honest,” Dew told Fox Footy.
“As we’ve seen, one or two weeks can take that feeling away. But that feeling only goes away for two days. Once that next game starts to come around, there’s pressure there to perform.
“I’m one of many in this footy club and I think we should all be delivering on what we want to, but I’m the face of it, so I understand that.
“But I don’t feel under any less or more pressure depending on what’s happened. That’s the reality of elite sport.
“I’ve worked under John (Longmire) and I learned a lot around maintaining a level head and sometimes you’ve got to absorb that pressure for other people and that’s the way it goes.
“That’s our job and we don’t make excuses for it but you get back to work.”
Former Suns chairman Tony Cochrane was a staunch Dew supporter but the coach was adamant he wasn’t feeling vulnerable after Bob East took the role in February.
“Bob’s been on our board the whole time I’ve been here as well and I think he’s been really honest around what he’s after and what he wants to drive,” Dew said.
“One thing I do know is Bob’s first point of call is: ‘how do we support you, how do we give you what you need, and what do you need from us?’
“If that’s his starting point I think we can have a good relationship, as we already do.
“With change comes good pressure and we’ve just got to lean into that together.”
Dew admitted to frustration after the Suns let their round five clash with Fremantle slip but was confident they could yet turn things around.
“We’ve just got to stay focused, stay united and not lose the plot and panic,” he said.
“It can turn really quickly. I think we were 2-5 at a certain point last year and then we turned it (to) 6-6.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep improving and striving for that.”
© AAP 2023
