AFLW 2024: Gold Coast sacks coach Cam Joyce after horror season

He had two years remaining on his contract, but Gold Coast’s AFLW annus horribilis has claimed its first victim as the Suns sacked senior coach Cam Joyce on Monday.

Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans said the Suns had “reviewed all aspects” of their AFLW program following a shocking fall from fifth on the ladder last season to 17th with a 1-9-1 record in 2024.

Pressure mounted on Joyce – who had a deal until the end of 2026 – over the course of the season as the Suns had two early-season close losses decided by contentious score reviews against Carlton and Collingwood on either side of a costly draw against GWS.

The Suns were also badly affected by injury, losing Vivien Saad (achilles) and Alana Gee (knee) before rising star Daisy D’Arcy also suffered an ACL injury later in the campaign.

“Following a disappointing 2024 season, we have reviewed all aspects of our AFLW football program to identify how we can continue to improve our performance and ultimately achieve our mission of winning AFLW premierships,” Evans said.

“In order to take those steps forward and compete against the best teams in the AFLW competition, we have decided the club would be best placed under the guidance of a new head coach.

“Cam has led and overseen the transition of our AFLW football program over the past four seasons and created a foundation from which our players can strive for success moving forward.

“We’d like to thank Cam, his wife Leana and sons Henry and Oscar for their significant contributions to our football club.”

The Suns’ decision on a new coach could be crucial to their hopes of keeping back-to-back All-Australian midfielder Charlie Rowbottom, who will again be heavily targeted by rival clubs in the trade period beginning Thursday.

The 21-year-old star is the younger sister of Sydney AFL midfielder James Rowbottom, while Victorian clubs could also try to lure her back to her home state.

Rowbottom has knocked back rival interest the last two years to remain loyal to Gold Coast and indicated earlier this season she wanted to remain with the club.