Tom Lynch has extended his contract with the Gold Coast SUNS in a deal that sees him recommit to the club until the end of 2018.

The reigning Club Champion said the time was right to extend his future with the SUNS.

“It was always my intention to re-sign with the SUNS and I felt there was no better time to do it,” Lynch said.

“We’ve worked hard, especially during the last six to twelve months, to grow our leadership and shift our culture, and although the job is not done yet, there is a real sense of urgency and excitement about the future."

Lynch said the entire playing group had bought into the shift.

“We are continuing to build a culture of leadership and accountability on and off the field. Everyone involved in the club is aware of the responsibility we all have to the Gold Coast community, the AFL and our fans to perform on and off the field. We know what’s expected and we make no exceptions in holding each other to account,” he said.

WATCH: Game Breaker - Tom Lynch

General Manager – Football Operations, Marcus Ashcroft welcomed Lynch’s signature and credited Lynch and his manager, Paul Connors, for facilitating a smooth negotiation.

“We are rapt that Tom has re-committed to the club until the end of 2018,” Ashcroft said.

“It is evident that he is an important player for us going forward, but one of Tom’s biggest assets is that he is a team man, and his influence in this area has had an impact throughout the playing group and across the football club.”

Lynch’s signature means that in the last month the SUNS have re-signed their top two finishers in the 2015 Club Champion Awards, with Lynch joining Kade Kolodjashnij in extending their playing contracts until the end of 2018.

Recruited from the Dandenong Stingrays and Sorrento Football Club in Melbourne, the SUNS picked up Lynch with selection 11 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft.

Following a breakout season in 2014, Lynch elevated his game to another level in 2015, emerging as one of the best young key forwards in the game.

With experience and leadership spending large chunks of the year on the sidelines, Lynch grew as a leader, resulting in his first Club Champion prize – a year after finishing runner up to David Swallow.