Gold Coast Suns midfielder Matt Rowell has addressed his future amid interest from a host of Victorian clubs as he enters the final year of his current contract.
A former No.1 pick, Rowell is among one of the biggest off-contract stars next season and has been linked to a host of Victorian clubs, including the Collingwood Magpies, who recently acquired Daniel Houston (Port Adelaide),ย Harry Perrymanย (GWS) andย Tim Membrey (St Kilda) during the trade period.
The link between the Magpies and Rowell is due to the midfielder's relationship with Nick Daicos. The duo won the APS Championship together in 2018 alongside fellow Gold Coast Suns player Noah Anderson.
Less than a few months ago, Daicos - alongside brother Josh - openly had a strong hand in luring Daniel Houston to Collingwood, given their connection of playing junior football together at Greythorn.
Rowell's uncertain future has made him one of the most sought-after players alongside Fremantle star Andrew Brayshaw,ย Western Bulldogsย captainย Marcus Bontempelli, Carlton big manย Tom De Koningย and West Coast forwardย Oscar Allen.
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Entering the final season of his contract with the Suns, Rowell was questioned on whether he sees himself potentially returning to Victoria in the near future.
โNot at this point, I don't think, I'm happy here (on the Gold Coast) at the moment,โ Rowell said via Code Sports.
โIt's a good place to live, especially for an athlete, in terms of the weather, it's pretty hot in the summer so you get pretty fit through that.
โThen the winters here are even better, sunny and not much rain, you're getting up early because the sun's up so you're getting into a good routine.
"You've got the beach, for an athlete it's a good place to live and I enjoy it.โ
It is understood that he will hold off-contract talks until early next year.
One of the Suns' best players in the midfield, Rowell averaged 23.4 disposals, 7.1 total clearances, and an elite eight tackles per match during the 2024 AFL season.
After only appearing 17 times during his first two seasons in the competition due to knee and shoulder injuries, Rowell hasn't missed a match since 2021 and looks to extend that streak heading into next season.
โI want to be able to play every game every year, I feel like that's made me work out how to get through a full year of footy,โ Rowell added.
โIt can get a bit sore at times, just because of the way I play it's a pretty contested style, as each year goes past you get to know your body more and how to recover after games and through full seasons.
โI think every year, I'm just getting better at being able to do that. It's a lot of emphasis on recovery throughout the year and making sure you're ready to go again for the next week.
โI think a lot of what I've learnt, especially recently, is you can do all the right things with your body and getting it right but you've also got to make sure you spend a bit of time getting mentally prepared as well, if you don't have that then it won't work.
โI've been doing some more journaling and a bit of mindfulness, those little things help a lot.โ
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