CHARLIE Rowbottom was forced to watch from the sidelines as her Gold Coast teammates played in the club's second ever final in November last year.

But now the former No.1 draft pick is playing the best footy of her career.

An ankle injury in round nine prematurely ended her stunning season, in which she earned her first All-Australian blazer and finished second in her club's best and fairest count.

"I did my syndesmosis in round nine, then we obviously made finals and was sitting on the sidelines," Rowbottom told AFL.com.au.

"It was huge for us to get to that stage and obviously we're chasing further this year … obviously you want to be out there every week with the girls."

In a strange way, the injury itself has spurred another lift in Rowbottom's ability this year. Extra time spent rehabilitating her ankle over a long off-season has led to some ominous form from the midfielder.

"We stretched out my rehab because we had the time, so we really took it slow, took it easy, so I could be back ready for pre-season," Rowbottom said.

It meant not being able to jump on a surfboard for much of the summer, one of Rowbottom's loves away from footy, but plenty of swimming and paddleboarding were adequate replacements in the process.

Across the opening three games of the season, Rowbottom is averaging career-high numbers as she wills the SUNS on from the midfield.

Her 42 disposals against Greater Western Sydney last week put her in rare air across the AFLW, as one of just five players in the League's history to record 40 or more disposals in a game.

On the way to those 42 touches, she registered an AFLW-record 26 contested possessions, adding to her record of 16 clearances set in round two last year.

Charlie Rowbottom's skyrocketing numbers

The choice to nominate Queensland in her draft year, when AFLW drafts were still state-based scenarios, took many by surprise. But the Gold Coast lifestyle is perfect for the fun-loving, beach-going star.

"Love the weather, love the beach, it creates a really nice balance for me with my footy up here," Rowbottom said.

Learning from her brother, James, who plays for Sydney's AFL side, has also helped to shape Rowbottom into the contested beast she is. They both wear the same guernsey number, eight, which she claims is simply a coincidence.

"In juniors he was just always No.8 and I was always No.8, and then got drafted and No.8 was free for both of us," Rowbottom said.

"He really helps me a lot and I love watching him play. (Sydney has) been pretty successful this season, and I'm excited to see what the team can do. He supports me, supports all of our skills, watches all our games. He helps me a lot, so there's not really a lot of competitiveness it's more just helping each other out."

Now with the 2024 NAB AFLW season well and truly under way, pressure is mounting on Rowbottom's SUNS, who sit with two losses and a draw to their name, and hopes of making consecutive finals series' are slipping away.

But around the footy, Gold Coast is in good hands with Rowbottom leading the way.