The Gold Coast Suns have announced new one-year deals for six senior players ahead of this week's off-season list lodgement deadline.
On Monday the Carrara club confirmed 12-month extensions for Levi Casboult, James Tsitas, Sandy Brock, Bodhi Uwland, Lloyd Johnston and Oskar Faulkhead, further shaping their list under new coach Damien Hardwick.
Casboult's extension will see the ex-Blue step into a 14th year in the AFL system and his third season with the Suns, having made the move from Princes Park at the end of the 2021 season.
Tsitas joined the Suns ahead of last season as a mature-aged recruit and would captain the club's VFL side this season before missing out on Gold Coast's state league grand final win due to suspension.
Uwland and Johnston joined Casboult and Tsitas in appearing at AFL level this year, making their debuts at the senior level after coming through Gold Coast's Academy program as juniors.
Brock is another Academy graduate and was a member of the VFL Grand Final-winning side alongside Uwland, Johnston and Faulkhead, with the latter joining Brock in being yet to make his debut.
The half-dozen re-signings see the Suns' list come together for 2024 ahead of Hardwick's first season at the helm, with Gold Coast already bidding farewell to eight players this off-season through trades, retirement or delistings.
โWe're thrilled to extend these players and have them locked into our squad for next season,โ Suns list manager Criag Cameron said.
โWe've invested significantly in our SUNS Academy over the years so it's fantastic to see this investment paying off with three Academy products extended for another season.
โAll six players were extremely important to our squad for different reasons this year and we expect their experiences will hold them in good stead for 2024.โ
The announcement of their latest retention signings leaves Suns forward pair Sam Day and Hewago Paul Oea currently without contracts for next year.
The Suns have not added to their list so far this off-season, however the club is preparing to bring in as many as four further Academy prospects through next month's National Draft.
AFL clubs are required to file their first list lodgement of the off-season on Tuesday.
