Willing and able to help the Suns rise
WILL Brodie says avoiding more speculation of a potential exit from Gold Coast and turning around a frustrating three years played an important part in his decision to resign with the Suns a year out from the end of his contract.
Brodie was among four players to re-sign with the Suns this week until the end of 2022. The others were Darcy Macpherson, Jez MeLennan and Caleb Graham.
The 20-year-old midfielder has often been linked to a shift home to Victoria after the No.9 pick from the 2016 national draft battled to break into the senior team on a regular basis.
Brodie arrived as an immensely talented inside midfielder who could win the ball but his work off the ball and in transition were areas Suns football staff wanted him to improve in order to get a look in at AFL level.
He played just 11 AFL games in his first two seasons and was overlooked early this year before getting a chance in Round 5 and 6.
Things looked to finally click into place for Brodie when he played six straight games in the second half of the year before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in Round 18 against Carlton.
Brodie said he was unaware of any interest from rival clubs and had put all his focus on developing his game while expressing his desire to extend his contract with Gold Coast early.
“(Re-signing) is something I have wanted to do for a while and it’s great to finally get it done so I can start worrying about playing footy for the next few years,” he said. “It takes the pressure off a bit, not going into the last year of my contract. That was definitely important to me.”
Frustration was the theme for Brodie in the past but he can feel a change happening in his game and his place in the Suns team.
“It’s been pretty frustrating through the last three years but I’m really happy with how I have been going and my development,” Brodie said.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my footy and to work alongside the coaches here.
“I want to try to get the continuity that I had in the back end of the year and take that into next year.
“I want to be a really important part of this football club and play a big role in the midfield. That is something I’ll be focusing on in the next few years, to continue to develop myself and get this team to where we want to get to.”
■ GOLD Coast’s board have made a bold show of faith by offering Stuart Dew a new deal. His initial contract still has a year to run.
“We think he has all the attributes to be a long-term successful coach,” chief executive Mark Evans said.