Exciting Gold Coast youngster Lloyd Johnston has penned a new two-year contract extension with the club that will see the 19-year-old remain a Suns player until at least the end of the 2026 AFL season.
The Yanyuwa man has shown exciting talent across his two seasons so far on the Suns' list appearing in five AFL games – three so far in 2024 – including the two matches at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
Johnston told the Gold Coast that he was excited to stay on with the Suns.
"I love this club and love coming to work every day with my closest mates," Johnston said.
"To be able to represent the club and my community in the AFL is an opportunity I won't take for granted, and I want to do everything I can to become the best AFL player I can be to help the club win games of football.
"I can't wait to keep wearing the Gold Coast Suns jumper for another two years and making my family proud whenever I walk onto the field."
Johnston joined the Suns via the club's Darwin Academy and was pre-selected as a rookie at the end of 2022.
Originally drafted as a rebounding defender, Johnson has spent most of the 2024 season under new coach Damien Hardwick in the forward-line and has kicked multiple goals in three of his five matches at VFL level this season.
The rangy and agile utility hails from Borroloola – a community around 1000km south-east of Darwin.
He caught the eye of Suns scouts after starring for Northern Territory Football League club Wanderers across the 2021/22 season, winning the competition's Rising Star award and representing the league against SANFL club Woodville West Torrens.
Johnston told the NT News it was a "great feeling" to resign with a club that had put its faith in him.
"I love this club a lot, particularly because they were so accommodating to me when I had to go home in preseason for cultural reasons for as long as I needed," Johnston told the NT News.
"They also have the two games every year back home in Darwin, it's so good to get back there and show off in front of friends and family."
The Suns' National Recruiting Manager Kall Burns said Johnson had shown promising improvement across his two seasons on the club's list.
"Lloyd came to us in 2022 as a raw prospect but with a lot of talent," Burns said.
"What's been most pleasing is seeing his commitment to bettering himself as a player, culminating in him earning an opportunity at AFL level late last year.
"The improvement we've seen over these two years has been substantial and we look forward to watching that continue in the coming years."
