After a third consecutive loss by more than 10 goals at home, coach Adam Simpson again asked the Eagles faithful to remain patient.
It seems they will need to be patient for some time to come too.
Of the players due to come back shortly, there isn’t much experience among them.
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And in the 70-point loss to Gold Coast, the Eagles seem likely to have lost forward Jack Darling, the latest to be added to an already ridiculously long injury list.
Darling may be going through a patch of form below his best, but we’ve seen him snap out of these in the past, often in sensational fashion.
He had another tough night on Friday though, against Suns defender Charlie Ballard, that ended with potentially a broken left arm, and him eyeing a stint on the sidelines.
Jermaine Jones was subbed out of the game at half-time with a broken nose.
After a seventh consecutive loss, Simpson said he understands the criticism that is coming from frustrated fans.
“I know there’s some disappointed members out there, and I get that,” he said.
“Ask for patience. They can demand as much as they like, they pay the memberships. But we’re trying.
“While we’re going through this, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s no quick fix.
“They want to see us being competitive. I get all that.
“We appreciate all the support coming our way, and the criticism is there as well. You can’t do much about that.
“Our fans turned up tonight again. We had 37,000 (36,219 tonight). I know we’re not delivering on field, but they’re turning up.”
Despite the shortage of personnel, Simson is sticking to the game plan that he hopes will one day see his side back among the best in the competition.
Suns hammer hapless Eagles in the West | 01:28
It was only 2018 that they were there – at the top.
But among those left standing fit, recruit Tim Kelly and premiership winning star Dom Sheed are relied upon to do the lions share of the work in the midfield.
Kelly was again good on Friday night with 26 touches, 17 of those contested and seven clearances.
Sheed picked up 21 touches, while Liam Duggan moved to the midfield and picked up 32.
“We’re relying a lot on Tim Kelly and Dom Sheed. A lot,” Simpson said.
“We need them to play at their best every minute.
“We’re getting challenged in that space and we want our good players playing well all the time. When they’re a bit off, it hurts us.
“I‘ll sound like a broken record, because there’s no go-to. It’s keep forging forward, keep trying to find the little things that we do well and do them for longer.
“Keep growing with the style of play we‘re trying to do.”