AFL commentator David King has named and shamed the Gold Coast Suns players who he believes let down the side in their atrocious Q-Clash defeat to the Brisbane Lions on the weekend.
The North Melbourne great said top draftee Jack Lukosius, Noah Anderson and Izak Rankine were among those he was most disappointed in as the Suns were thrashed 124 – 51 in the derby which marked a decade of the club's existence in the AFL.
"We called it the Q-crash last night. It was a car crash. They were insipid," King told SEN Radio.
"People will say I'm too hard on them, too hard on gentle Jack Lukosius and nice Noah Anderson.
"I go the opposite. Can I just say, the media doesn't set the standard, the competition sets the standards. We just evaluate whether you're coming with it, ahead of it or you're miles behind it.
"They've won three games in the last three years post Round 8. Don't do that to us."
King was shocked by the Suns at one point conceding 14 goals in a row, and suggested the issue may lie in the way the younger members of the squad are getting their AFL education.
"Coming off a pre-season full of hope, full of cheer, we're coming, we're coming and then have a couple of injuries and then just turn your toes up," he said.
"And then have a performance where they didn't tackle, they didn't go after contested footy, they didn't hunt the ball, they didn't have any defensive system. They didn't have anything.
"Brisbane is a good side, but I look at (Gold Coast's) talented kids – are you learning the right way?"
King said it was not all on the club to help the greener players though, and put the responsibility back on the youngsters on the footy field to step up.
"Lukosius is in the gun for me because he's been in the system for three years now. He had one contested possession on the weekend. He's going at 80 per cent uncontested. That's a bad ratio," King explained.
"That's a guy that isn't playing finals football. If you don't win your own ball, how do you get a possession in a grand final?
"In that draft, Sam Walsh went pick one, hard as nails, Lukosius went two, Izak Rankine went three and he's a question mark, he's in the same boat as gentle Jack and nice Noah.
"Then you've got Connor Rozee, Bailey Smith, Tarryn Thomas has turned the corner, Zak Butters.
"Do you want to compare him to those who went lower in the draft or do you want to say, 'Nah he's a beautiful kick'. Let's get him the ball and let's have the same problems we're having with Brad Hill with Jack Lukosius in six years.
"Or do we teach him some tough love now and say, 'Hey mate, why don't you put your nose over the footy like the rest of us are and we get the full package, we get what pick two should be'.
"It's time for these young kids to accept a bit of ownership.
"They want our feedback from the south, but they only want good feedback. Well I'm telling you these two kids have got to get harder or this footy club is stagnating and it can't stagnate or they might lose some players over the next few years."
Sitting 14th on the AFL ladder, the Suns need to turn around their season and quick, but the road ahead is not an easy one, starting with a Saturday fixture against the third-placed Geelong at home.
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