Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew is ignoring all the outside noise regards his position at the club as rumours over Alastair Clarkson one day replacing him continue to mount.
The Suns are priced at 5/1 to finish in the top eight of the AFL this season and got the campaign off to a great start by beating the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Constant rumours
Ever since Clarkson stepped away from his position as coach of Hawthorn at the end of last season, speculation has been rife suggesting he could take charge of the Suns if Dew gets the boot.
Clarkson is enjoying his retirement so far but did suggest last week that he is open to the prospect of returning to the coach’s box.
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The Suns need to have a strong start to the season to dampen the rumours, while it is thought a place in the top eight will be needed for Dew to keep his job.
Despite all the talk Dew is not concerned and says he has the backing of the players and the powers that be as he looks to take the Suns in the right direction.
Dew support
"Twelve months into my journey we made a decision to cut pretty deep on the list, and we knew there was gonna be some pain, but our players are really aware of the journey we're on," Dew told Fox Footy. "We're optimistic. They look around the locker room and the footy club and they see a future all together.
"It's our club, it's our story to write and I'm clearly part of that, so I back myself in. I can't control what others say but I feel it every day when I go in the footy club.
"It's not going to infiltrate my thinking. I've got to stay focused for the footy club and the players and that's my intention. They make it pretty easy, to be honest, to keep focused on them."
