Gold Coast young gun Matt Rowell has confirmed reports he is set to re-sign with the AFL club.
The No.1 draft pick is football’s hottest young prospect after producing a best-afield display to fire the Suns to one of the best wins in club history against West Coast in round two.
And he is poised to follow in the footsteps of a growing list of emerging stars in committing to the expansion club long-term.
Rowell’s management is yet to finalise the exact terms of the deal, with the AFL imposing a signing freeze while it works through the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But it is expected Rowell will sign a two-year extension that ties him to the Suns until the end of 2023, as reported by The Age last week.
“It’s still in the process … so that will all happen soon enough, I think,” Rowell told Fox Footy on Tuesday night.
“Yeah, I think so (it will happen).”
Rowell’s signature will be yet another boost to Gold Coast after Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine, Ben Ainsworth and Jack Bowes all inked extensions last year.
The positive news comes after a succession of key players and young guns left the Suns in previous years and ripped the heart out of a club that is still yet to play in an AFL finals series.
Gold Coast will also be keen to lock away Rowell’s close friend Noah Anderson – the No.2 draft pick last year – after a promising start to his senior career.
“My mindset at the moment is just how exciting this footy club is with the amount of talent that we have with the young boys,” Rowell said.
“There’s a lot of confidence with Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and all of those boys that have signed on.
“We talk to each other about if we stick together we could really have a lot of success at this club, which there hasn’t been much in the past, we know.
“Stewy’s (coach Stuart Dew) theme since the start of this season has been, ‘We can write our own story’.
“That’s something that has been really motivating for us young boys.”
Gold Coast will be aiming for their first win over Adelaide in Sunday’s meeting at Metricon Stadium.
The Crows have won all 13 previous matches between the two sides by an average margin of 10 goals.
