Joel Jeffrey has emerged as a key pillar in the Gold Coast Suns' defence in 2025, and while he's in career-best form, the 23-year-old says there's still plenty of improvement to come.

The Wulwulam and Kukatj man is coming off a standout performance against North Melbourne which saw him collect 20 disposals, 13 marks and a goal in the Suns' 52-point win at Barossa Park in South Australia.

He also registered eight inside-50s and six score involvements, highlighting his damaging ability with ball in hand.

Jeffrey said that he is looking to add defensive pressure and physicality to complement his quality ball use.

"I could always use the footy well. It's just how I can add other things into my game, which is my defensive work, one-on-one work and building strength to compete with bigger bodies," Jeffrey said at a Suns press conference during the week.

"Obviously playing in a hybrid role, you've got to play on small and tall players.

"I feel like I've improved a lot – the coaches have been giving me good raps after a game, so I just need to keep doing the little things that add up."

Now in his fifth season with the club, Jeffrey is ranked the tenth-best player in the AFL according to Champion Data's 100X Ratings System.

Originally drafted as a forward, the Territorian has become a genuine swingman and found his niche across the half-back line.

He says the arrival of Daniel Rioli and John Noble has added another layer to his development, while his relationships with teammates Wil Powell and Bodhi Uwland have also been key.

"Having Daniel and Nobes come in, they give off that drive off half-back," he said.

"I did do that a little bit last year but having them two, I can add other things to my game now and work on my defensive side of things.

"Wil Powell and Bodhi Uwland play similar positions, so when we do our reviews after games, after training sessions, we're always sitting together doing reviews."

The Suns are off to their best start in club history, sitting second on the ladder and remaining one of only two undefeated teams heading into Round 6.

But despite the early success, Jeffrey says the focus remains firmly on the fundamentals.

"We don't want to get too ahead of ourselves – we just stick to our process," he said.

"Getting the wins, it's an unreal feeling obviously, we just want to keep banking them up when we can and not get bored of the little things we're doing throughout the week.

"When we go out, we're not worried about kicks, marks, handballs and all that, we just play to the system and that's what is getting us wins."