Luke Russell, the young gun remembered for kicking the sealing goal in the Gold Coast SUNS first ever win over Port Adelaide has put pen to paper, re-signing with the club until the end of the 2014 season.
Russell said he was rapt to re-sign with the club. “It’s great to sign with the club for the next few seasons.”
“I’m really enjoying my time on the Gold Coast and believe together we will enjoy success in the future.”
Russell, who currently lives with David Swallow and Piers Flannagan, also said he and his teammates were enjoying the challenge of becoming elite AFL footballers.
“We are in such a unique situation, no other club has ever done what we are doing, right now its challenging but it’s still exciting and I can’t wait to get to the other side and share in some success
“We know there is plenty still to do between now and then, I think we are building something pretty special and I wanted to be part of it.”
General Manager – Football Operations, Marcus Ashcroft, said “Luke is and elite young player and is an exciting prospect for us going forward.”
“We see Luke forming an integral part of our forward line and is very much a part of our long-term planning and future.”
Like many of his teammates, 2011was a great educational first season for the lightly built midfielder/half-forward who boasts good speed and a good leap and finished his first AFL season with three strong showings.
Late last year Russell was a standout during the GC SUNS training camp in Arizona, voted by his peers as one of the best performed at the camp.
Russell was just 16 years old when he first joined the Burnie Dockers’ senior squad. He later captained Tasmania in the 2009 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Russell joins a growing list of SUNS stars who have re-signed following the end of the 2011 season, including, Tom Lynch, Sam Day, Trent McKenzie, Brandon Matera, Rory Thompson and Jacob Gillbee.
