AFL boss Gillon McLachlan says there would've been "outrage" from a Melbourne-based club if they were forced to endure a demanding schedule like the Gold Coast.
The Suns have been slammed for their 108-point loss - their sixth defeat in a row - to fellow expansion club Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
That followed a miserable comeback game at their Metricon Stadium base a week earlier when Geelong thumped them by 85 points.
But McLachlan points out the Suns' demanding early season schedule when played away from home for 10 weeks due to the Commonwealth Games.
"This is the nature of our industry, it's suddenly a crisis after they've had two terrible losses," McLachlan told SEN Radio.
"I'd love to have a Melbourne club and the outrage (if) they hadn't played at home.
"Gold Coast have only played in the state twice, one was at the Gabba and once was at Cairns. The rest have been on the road, including China.
"There needs to be a bit of context about that."
Although criticism is flying in, first-year coach Stuart Dew concedes it is warranted.
Despite sitting 15th on the ladder, Dew says his team is in "good spirits" and he believes his players can bounce back against St Kilda this Saturday.
"There has been (harsh criticism) but that's warranted when you have a performance like (against GWS)," Dew said on Wednesday.
"I think we've really let ourselves down on the back of poor contest and work-rate, so we'll look for a big improvement in that area."
Dew says the resilience of his side needs to improve after scoring a total of just two points in their last three final quarters, but he doesn't believe fitness is to blame.
"The game is done at three-quarter time and the whole team knows that," Dew said.
"The disappointing part was we set ourselves to try and win that last quarter to salvage something from the game, and we didn't and that's why it blows out."
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