GOLD Coast lacked an "edginess" when it came to training standards and match-day performances, according to former Sun Michael Barlow.

Barlow played 126 games for Fremantle before playing another 15 games in the past two years with the Suns. He wasn't offered a contract for the 2019 season and is hoping to continue his career elsewhere.

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"It was a bit of a shock when I got up there from Freo, but you can't really blame the environment at times. There's a lack of edginess, I always felt there, with performance," Barlow told 3AW.

"In a professional environment you always have to be concerned about your position in the team or in the competition as a player, and I think at times you are sheltered a fair bit up there.

"You come away from some really horrible losses, and you would feel ordinary, but it'd pass pretty quickly because there isn't that external noise directly on the Gold Coast with people recognising you.

"You'd have a poor game at Freo and you might be nine wins and one loss, and you'd find it hard sometimes to get your morning coffee or walk down the street and get your groceries because you'd feel the eyes burning a hole in the back of your head."

Barlow believes better training standards and maturity are now starting to filter through the club.

"They've got some really good people there, in playing and administration who are going to make a huge difference, but it's just the density of professionalism," he said.

"From my point of view, when I first got there I think the younger players hadn't been exposed really to elite training standards, behaviours and characteristics.

"I think that's filtered in and improved since I got there, there's some really driven young players there – Dave Swallow's been in the system for seven or eight years and does it really the right way. The blokes I'm talking about are like Jack Bowes and Callum Ah Chee who might have [otherwise] lacked.

"They've also had some experienced players there over the journey, they potentially haven't had the really edgy training standards and the whole-team approach to it. I think that's starting to filter in, so that's probably the one thing I noticed jumping from Freo to Gold Coast, that ability of the players to take ownership of their own careers and at times probably [left] it to their coaches or fitness staff to plan it all out for them."

The 30-year-old was disappointed with how his last year at the Suns eventuated, especially as a veteran player in an inexperienced club riddled with injuries.

Barlow was asked directly if he thought he was given enough of a chance at AFL level.

"Not really, no, to put it bluntly. I thought I was going pretty well in the NEAFL [while] at times the Suns were paddling a bit," he said.

"My circumstance there was when we started really well and we were two and zero and three and two, that was really good for me. I thought as long as we were going well and winning, that was my best chance to play a lot of footy.

"Unfortunately, not to throw any stones, in AFL system when clubs start to fall away and finals become a bit of a long shot, the kids get chances. They'll blood games into them, probably at the expense of myself and Matt Rosa at times this year."

He is hoping a third AFL club will throw him a lifeline, believing he still has much to offer, having mostly overcome nerve damage in his face suffered during jaw surgery in June.

Barlow had to tape his right eye shut to sleep for two months and still hasn't quite regained full movement around his eye and eyebrow.

"I'm looking for the right environment, somewhere where I'm going to go and get a kick if I think I'm going well enough and there's a need for me and go from there.

"What I brought to the Suns and what I pride myself on across my career is my competitiveness and my work rate, my ability to go to the end and work as hard as I can."