Sunny side up for Witts
Jarrod Witts is poised to become the Gold Coast Suns’ longest-serving captain after inking a new two-year deal that will tie him to the club to the end of 2026.
Entering his eighth year on the Gold Coast and sixth as full-time skipper, Witts, 31, remains one of the top ruckmen in the competition.
Rated among the top five players at the position over the past two years, according to Champion Data, the Sydneyborn big man is an underrated cog in the Suns’ star-studded midfield that has taken the AFL by storm this season.
Nobody knows Witts’ importance to the Suns like his co-captain Touk Miller, who has been the beneficiary of the 209cm giant’s tap work since 2017.
“It’s a bit out of sight out of mind for Wittsy and I don’t think that bothers him too much given his persona and who he is. He just wants to get the job done for the team,” Miller told this masthead.
“He’s one of the best ruckmen in the comp and probably does fly under the radar, but he’s got unbelievable ruck craft and understands the game and how to play his role to the best of his ability.
“As a player you know what you’re getting from Wittsy every week and that is topstandard in the AFL.
“He’s come a long way from the days playing at Collingwood to what he is now at our club and I feel like he still has such great footy ahead of him, which is a massive plus for us.”
Witts joined the Suns in 2017 after five seasons and 40 games at Collingwood, who selected him with the 67th pick in the 2011 draft.
He immediately became an AFL regular on the Gold Coast and captained the club for the first time the following year, standing in for the suspended Steven May.
Witts was named full-time captain alongside David Swallow ahead of the 2017 season and has carried the torch since then.
“I love this club and I’ve made some incredible memories with great people here at the Suns,” Witts said.
“I’ve got great belief in the people within our footy club and I see the drive to improve constantly.
“We’re all incredibly motivated to earn on-field success. I want to play finals in front of our supporters and challenge for it all.”
Witts featured times for has 127 the
Suns, the ninth-most in club history. Assuming he stays healthy, Witts will overtake Gary Ablett Jr’s record of most games played as captain of the Suns (96) later this year. This latest deal means Gold Coast’s starting midfield rotation is locked in until at least the end of next season, with Matt Rowell (2025), Noah Anderson and Touk Miller (both 2027) all contracted.
Witts’ extension could spark further rival interest in young Suns ruck Ned Moyle, who has dominated the VFL for the past few seasons.
Moyle, 22, was named in the 2022 VFL Team of the Year and the squad of 40 in 2023.
The Victorian was linked to a return home at the end of last season after helping lead the Suns to the VFL premiership, off the back of a finals campaign in which he averaged almost 60 hit-outs per game – including 73 in the grand final win over Werribee.
With 202cm Suns Academy product Ethan Read now also on the books after he was taken with the No. 9 pick last November, Gold Coast suddenly has a glut of ruck options. But for now that role belongs to Witts, who will go head-to-head with Tim English on Sunday when the Suns hit the road to face the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.