The Gold Coast SUNS have extended the contract of SUNS Academy graduate Will Graham for an additional two years.

The two-year extension will see the young midfielder remain at Carrara until at least the end of 2027.

Graham’s extension comes following the midfielder’s superb outing against Collingwood, which has earned him the Round 16 nomination for the Telstra AFL Rising Star.

Graham, who made his AFL debut in Round 4, has burst onto the scene since being taken with Pick 26 in last year’s Telstra AFL Draft.

He was one of four SUNS Academy products drafted and is a born and bred Gold Coaster who played his junior football with Palm Beach Currumbin Lions.

The 18-year-old said he was eager to continue living out his boyhood dream of representing the SUNS in the AFL.

“I have been absolutely loving my time as an AFL player and feel right at home here at the SUNS,” Graham said.

“To be able to live my dream alongside my best mates every day is just an amazing feeling.

“The Academy has been huge in helping me prepare for AFL level and I just want to continue to establish myself in our team and help us win in the years to come.”

GC SUNS National Recruiting Manager Kall Burns said the club was delighted to see Graham make an impact so early in his career with the SUNS.

“We’ve known what Will can do for many years after developing him through our SUNS Academy program and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how valuable he has become to the club in such a short period of time,” Burns said.

“It’s a huge credit to all the work Will has put in to earn his opportunity in the AFL and also to our Academy staff who have done a mountain of work to prepare our players for the rigours of AFL football.

“We see an exciting long-term future for Will at the SUNS and are thrilled to have him sign on until 2027.”

Graham has played nine games in 2024 under Senior Coach Damien Hardwick and is averaging 14 disposals and six tackles per game.