- Gold Coast Suns faced significant off-field controversies involving drug use
- A 2015 report labeled them as a party club with a drug culture
- Under new leadership, the club is working to rebuild its reputation
A damning marketing firm report has revealed an AFL finals hopeful has been labelled as the drug capital of the competition by players across the league.
The Gold Coast Suns were established in 2009 with high hopes and they entered the AFL in 2011 as the league’s 17th team.
Backed by major AFL investment, the club was intended to expand the game into new markets. But what followed was years of disappointment, both on and off the field.
Now, documents reveal just how bad things got during the club’s darkest days.
In 2015, marketing firm Bastion was brought in to help clean up the club’s image. The move came just weeks after explosive scandals rocked the team’s reputation.
Photos of star player Harley Bennell appearing to snort white powder were published by the News Corp.
Harley Bennell’s off-field controversies overshadowed his on-field talents during his time with the Suns
Karmichael Hunt’s admissions brought unwanted attention to the Suns’ locker room culture
The images, reportedly from 2013, created a national media storm.
At the same time, former Suns and NRL player Karmichael Hunt told police he had used cocaine with teammates.
He also claimed up to a dozen Suns players were involved in the drug culture.
The damage to the club’s reputation was swift. Bastion’s internal report described the Suns with damning terms.
‘Drug culture,’ ‘irrelevant,’ ‘loose,’ ‘a joke,’ and ‘laughing stock’ were just some of the descriptions used.
The report even referenced links to ‘bikies and drugs,’ painting a disturbing picture.
It claimed the club was seen as ‘mollycoddled’ and ‘not football hardened.’ AFL rivals reportedly saw Gold Coast as a ‘party club’ with poor discipline.
In response, Bastion proposed a detailed reputation strategy. The initial phase of the plan was to cost $84,000 per month.
The Gold Coast Suns’ early years were marked by challenges both on and off the field
Later phases would still cost tens of thousands of dollars each. The goal was simple – to pull the Suns out of their PR nosedive.
One document shows Bastion even drafted talking points for then-captain Gary Ablett Jr. They wanted to coach him through a sensitive Channel 7 interview.
That same year, the AFL was under scrutiny for its close ties to Bastion. Several Bastion shareholders had strong league links, including Andrew Demetriou and Hamish McLachlan.
While the club worked to repair its image, more incidents followed.
In 2019, Brayden Crossley tested positive for cocaine and was suspended for a year.
In 2020, Brad Scheer was caught with cocaine and handed a good behaviour bond.
In 2023, Elijah Hollands was found with cocaine at The Star casino. He received a diversion order and missed two AFL games.
All the while, the Suns remained stuck near the bottom of the AFL ladder.
There were also wider allegations. In 2015, Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission investigated cocaine use at the club as far back as 2012.
Police believed players were using drugs outside the AFL season. The AFL was not informed of the suspected behaviour at the time.
