Crossword Genius

Run gold off island (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nauru

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'island' is the definition.
(Nauru Island is an example)

'run gold off' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'run' could be 'r' (cricket abbreviation) and 'r' is found in the answer.
'gold' could be 'au' (Au is the chemical symbol for gold) and 'au' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'nu' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nauru that I've seen before include "Pacific island country" , "Fairground carousel" , "Island country in Micronesia" , "[OCEANIA] location" , "Small Pacific republic" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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