GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 15: Noah Anderson during a Gold Coast Suns training session at Heritage Bank Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images via AFL Photos)
Honeyball takes a look at the best 23 for Gold Coast ahead of the 2026 AFL season, noting ins and outs, key injuries, plus a look at relevant AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach players.
We’ve used quotes from Suns coach Damien Hardwick’s chat on afl.com.au’s Your Coach podcast to offer additional insight on relevant players.
Ins: Beau Addinsall (No.18 draft pick, Academy), Koby Coulson (No.46 draft pick, Academy), Dylan Patterson (No.5 draft pick, Academy), Christian Petracca (trade, Melbourne), Jai Murray (No.17 draft pick, Academy), Avery Thomas (No.28 draft pick), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (trade, Western Bulldogs), Zeke Uwland (No.2 draft pick, Academy)
Outs: Ben Ainsworth (trade, Carlton), Tom Berry (delisted), Connor Budarick (trade, Western Bulldogs), Brayden Fiorini (trade, Essendon), Sam Flanders (trade, St Kilda), Lloyd Johnston (delisted), Sean Lemmens (retired), Malcolm Rosas jnr (trade, Sydney), Alex Sexton (delisted), David Swallow (retired)
Key Injuries: Matt Rowell (finger), Jake Rogers (hamstring), Charlie Ballard (ACL), Elliott Himmelberg (knee)
Opening Round 23
B: M.Andrew, B.Uwland, S.Collins
HB: J.Noble, D.Rioli, J.Jeffrey
C: L.Weller, W.Powell, S.Clohesy
HF: C.Petracca, B.Humphrey, W.Graham
F: E.Read, B.King, L.Lombard
Foll: J.Witts, N.Anderson – C, T.Miller
I/C: A.Davies, B.Long, Z.Uwland, O.Adams, J.Farrar
Relevant Players
Christian Petracca
Suns coach Damien Hardwick: “We needed a player forward of centre that could complement our forward line, complement Bailey Humphrey, allow him to move more through the midfield and in tandem work together and we were able to achieve that with ‘Trac’.
“We know about his on-field and how good he can play, what has blown me away is just his leadership qualities and connection qualities within our playing group. Normally players come in and take a little bit of time to find their way, but he came in straight away and made an immediate impression on not only the players but our coaching staff and admin as well. He’s been a delight to bring to the club and I can’t wait to see him play. I’m quite excited to see how he pans out for us.”
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
Hardwick: “He’s only going to get better as he gets fitter, gets a greater understanding of our gameplan, our style of play and the connection with his teammates. What we do know is he’s a highly talented individual. He can kick goals, he’s shown that with the Bulldogs over a number of years, and that’s something we crave.
“He’s also got a bit of spunk about him too, which you quite like. You can’t win a premiership with all choir boys, so it’s good to have a couple of lads around the place as well. He loves the game, he loves playing, he loves training. It’s in his hands. He’s got a good understanding about what’s required to be done, he’s just got to go out there and do it.”
Zeke Uwland, Leo Lombard, Bailey Humphrey, Noah Anderson
