Recently delisted St Kilda player Jack Peris has the chance to receive an AFL lifeline after being invited to train with the Gold Coast Suns.
Peris will join the Suns during the pre-season in what is essentially an audition for a spot on the club's rookie list as a pre-season supplemental selection player.
The pre-season supplemental selection period begins on November 27, shortly after both the AFL National Draft and Rookie Draft.
Peris originally joined St Kilda as a Category B rookie via the Suns' Next Generation Academy at the end of the 2021 season.
He was not offered a contract for the 2024 season after spending two seasons on St Kilda's list for one senior game.
His solitary outing at AFL level was impressive with the speedster recording 13 disposals and a couple of chase down tackles against the Gold Coast in Round 18 last season.
Peris – the son of Olympic athletes Nova Peris and Daniel Batman – was also named as an emergency for the Saints on five occasions.
The 19-year-old's strengths are his elite speed and athleticism, plus his desire to apply frantic pressure on the opposition ball carrier.
He featured in 30 games at VFL-level for the Saints affiliated club Sandringham over the past two seasons.
Across his 16 games in 2023, Peris averaged 14 disposals, with his best performance a 20-disposal, two-goal outing against the Northern Bullants
It was reported last month that the Suns had a level of interest in Peris after what many would consider a surprise delisting from the Saints.
Over the past couple of years, the Suns have drafted a handful of players during the pre-season supplemental selection period, with Jed Anderson and Brodie McLaughlin the latest in 2023.
Gold Coast have a strong link to the Northern Territory, playing two home games at TIO Stadium in Darwin each season and recently extending that deal until 2026.
The Suns also have by far the largest group of players from the Northern Territory out of the all the AFL clubs.
