{
  "id": 17470914,
  "title": "The Suns started their rebuild when half their roster were just kids",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/the-suns-started-their-rebuild-when-half-their-roster-were-just-kids-17470914",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T20:27:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-01/gold-coast-suns-aflw-rebuild/107322264"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Gold Coast Suns underwent a significant transformation in the 2025 season of the AFLW, beginning with a rebuilding process even before the new season started. Under new head coach Rhyce Shaw, the team focused on changing their playing style to improve their long-term prospects. This meant that the Suns' initial performances were poor, as they moved away from their typical contested, high-scoring game and adopted a more controlled, kick-mark style of play. This shift required the existing players to learn how to effectively transition from inside the contest to uncontested possession.\n\nThe Suns' results in the 2025 season reflected their new approach, with a record number of points against and unwanted club records in terms of points conceded from turnover, inside 50s, marks, and shots on goal. However, this strategy had certain benefits, as the team's attacking performances improved, leading to scores of 30 or more points on five occasions during the 2025 season, compared to just three the previous year. This change also helped several young players, such as Sunny Lappin, Mikayla Nurse, Ava Usher, and Dekota Baron, develop their skills and contribute to the team's success. By focusing on improving their movement through the middle of the ground, the Suns were able to increase their inside 50s generated and achieve a historic average score of 49.7 points per game. This transformation has set the stage for the Suns to potentially reach the top four in the upcoming season.",
  "summary": "The Suns are on the brink of the AFLW finals with a slew of young stars who were just kids when this rebuild began.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}