The Gold Coast SUNS have re-signed Kade Kolodjashnij in a deal that will see him recommit to the club until the end of 2018.
Over his first two AFL seasons, Kolodjashnij has played 40 of a possible 44 games and was runner-up in the 2015 SUNS Club Champion award, falling two votes shy of winner Tom Lynch.
The Tasmanian told SUNS TV of his excitement about calling Metricon Stadium home for the next three seasons.
“Really super excited to be staying here until the end of 2018 now,” Kolodjashnij said.
“I’ve had a great couple of years so far and really enjoying my time at the Gold Coast SUNS.
“The off-season there’s been a few changes and it’s been really beneficial for the club. We’ve obviously got a lot of new high performance staff, which has been great.
“Great for the development of us players and also we’ve got a great group of coaching staff as well which has been really good for my development.”
READ: The evolution of Kade Kolodjashnij
Recruited from the Launceston, the SUNS selected Kolodjashnij with selection five in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.
Kolodjashnij avoided any chance of having the fabled second-year blues associated with his game in 2015, producing an outstanding body of work under Rodney Eade.
The polished rebounding defender was a model of consistency, playing every game in just his second year in the AFL and averaging 22.3 possessions at a classy disposal efficiency rate of 75.1 per cent, to go with 5.6 marks and 4.5 rebound 50s per game.
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The 20-year-old’s main focus in 2016 is to play as many games as possible while continuing his development as a footballer.
“Obviously just play as many games as I can once again and play consistent footy,” he said.
“And continue to learn and grow as a player is probably the main thing I’ll take into this season.”