The Gold Coast Suns will take a four-man leadership group into the 2024 season, the first of the Damien Hardwick era at Carrara.
As voted by the playing group, both Jarrod Witts and Touk Miller will return to lead the rising Suns this season, with the duo taking the reins for the third straight season after taking on the role together in 2022.
Previously, Witts had led in tandem with David Swallow for three seasons between 2019 and 2021.
โI'm honoured to have been voted in as captain of this club alongside Jarrod again for 2024,โ Miller told Suns Media.
โWith Sam and Noah also leading us once again, I'm confident we have a great mix of leadership attributes and skills which will serve us well as a unit in 2024.โ
Witts and Miller will be joined in the streamlined group by no-frills defender Sam Collins and Noah Anderson, with the latter elevated off the back of his sublime best-and-fairest-winning 2023 season.
Starting in all 23 fixtures last season, Anderson proved elite in several statistical categories, averaging 26.9 disposals, 3.4 tackles and a superb 6.4 clearances per start.
Speaking on the cemented unit, Suns GM Wayne Campbell claimed that the locker room would benefit from playing under such a varied, yet familiar, leadership group.
โWe've been really impressed with the quality of leadership from these four players across their careers with the Gold Coast SUNS,โ Campbell said.
โWhile these four will serve in an official capacity, we also have strongย leadership from the playing group as a whole which will assist our leadership groupย to drive the standards required for us to succeed.โ
The Suns will cap their pre-season program when they face off against GWS at Manuka Oval next Thursday night.
The Hardwick era will officially begin in earnest when Gold Coast plays host to Richmond at Carrara on Saturday, March 9 as part of the league's inaugural Opening Round.
