The Gold Coast should go into Thursday's national draft in their backyard with only one thought on their minds: who is going to kick the goals in their debut season next year?

Small forward Brandon Matera was joint winner of the Suns' goalkicking this year in the VFL with just 22 goals. That averages out to just over one goal a game. Matera shared that award with full-forward Charlie Dixon but, as we have seen with Jack Watts and Tom Hawkins in recent seasons, the young key forwards need time to develop before making their mark in the big league.

Gold Coast recruiting manager Scott Clayton has stockpiled some of the game's elite junior talent and, in a masterstroke, secured the competition's premier midfielder, Gary Ablett. But being unable to secure a key uncontracted forward was an oversight of equal measure.

Clayton must surely have offered either, or possibly both, Matthew Pavlich and Travis Cloke an insurmountable offer to move north. Key forwards don't just kick the bulk of their team's goals, they are the face of the club. Either of these two players would have been, along with Ablett and rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt, a marketing goldmine.

Right now the Gold Coast have a handful of players who will average just under two goals a game, but what they truly lack is someone who can kick 60-70 goals a season and be the go-to player.

Of the eight players they signed from other clubs - Ablett, Nathan Bock, Jared Brennan, Campbell Brown, Josh Fraser, Jarrod Harbrow, Nathan Krakouer, and Michael Rischitelli - only, Ablett, Brennan and Brown regularly go forward.

Ablett will undoubtedly be the key linchpin in the midfield and Brown has already stated he intends to remain in defence leaving Brennan as the only logical option. Even then both of these players, along with ruckman Fraser, would only be a viable third-tall option and not the match-winning bullocking forward to base a team around.

Gold Coast has already secured David Swallow, Sam Day and Harley Bennell as its first three selections in the National Draft. The latter two will spend much of 2010 developing their skills in the forward line and have already been likened to Kurt Tippett and Daniel Wells respectively.

Throw in Dixon and Liam Patrick, cousin of Melbourne's freakishly talented forward Liam Jurrah, and you have a very exciting jigsaw that is starting to take place while the key piece remains missing.

The Suns have been linked to the inconsistent former Geelong forward Ryan Gamble and the seemingly Fremantle-bound John Anthony. Neither of these players will give opposition coaches many sleepless nights.

Clayton should look at drafting Mitch Hahn, just as he did at the Western Bulldogs with pick 37 in the 1999 National Draft. Hahn has played 175 games and was unlucky to be cut by the Bulldogs, despite playing 19 games this season, including all three finals. He may only have two years maximum left in his body, but that is two quality years of crashing packs and being the fall-guy for the young Suns' forward line.

A strong midfield alone will mean the Gold Coast will be competitive in their debut season. But don't expect any immediate finals success unless they are able to conjure the flare and creativity from their small forwards to regularly produce a winning score.