He’s had a taste and now sustained action at AFL level is the goal in front of rising Gold Coast SUNS star Elijah Hollands.

After an ACL injury dampened the early stages of his career, the 20-year-old broke through for his debut late in 2022, featuring in the last five games of the season.

Speaking following a gruelling session on Day 1 of the club’s pre-season camp on the Sunshine Coast, Hollands says he’s eager to stamp his influence on his third season on the SUNS list.

“My main goal is to be a consistent member of the AFL side,” Hollands said.

“I was able to crack in late last year which gave me the confidence that I have the ability to play at that level and play it well.

“This year, that’s the goal – to give myself the best shot at playing [23] games and finals.”

His most impressive outing was a 23-disposal, 2-goal outing against the Hawks, showing off both his ball-winning capabilities and ability to hit the scoreboard.

“I played on the wing when I came in last year, which is where I’m doing a lot of training. Today there was a bit of time in the midfield and some forward time too,” he continued.

“I’ll give myself as many options as possible which is something I’m really keen to embrace.

The SUNS kick-started a five-day camp on the Sunshine Coast with match simulation in steamy conditions on Monday morning.

The coming days provide plenty of opportunities for the squad, both on and off the field, to ensure they’re hitting the ground running come Round 1 against the Sydney Swans at Metricon Stadium.

“We got a great session in this morning and we’ve got a terrific opportunity to connect as a team over the next few days. The boys have been sweating it out in match simulation but it’s been very enjoyable,” Hollands added. 

“We feel like we’ve got a strong connection within the team, but it’s always something we can improve on and will evolve and we’re looking forward to working on that.”