He's one of Gold Coast SUNS lesser lights, but this man has dealt with more than most to get on the paddock this pre-season.

Jack Hutchins has played just six senior games in two years, and suffered a horrific kidney injury while playing for the SUNS reserves last season.

Playing against the Northern Territory Thunder, Hutchins was on the end of a routine tackle that went wrong.

"It just got me in the wrong spot," he said.

"Straight away I started pissing blood in the change rooms. It was in Darwin so I wasn't allowed to fly back. I spent a couple of nights up there before I came home."

The result was a grade two laceration to his kidney and a fracture to a vertebrae in his back.

What was initially thought to be a six-week injury cost him 10-12 weeks.

"It was frustrating. With a kidney you can run around and do everything but you just couldn't do the contact stuff," he said.

"You felt fine and could run around but you just had to wait. It was frustrating, but you look at the positives from it – every time you get injured you learn more about your body and how you can control it."

It continued a frustrating second season for the 20-year-old defender, who was also hampered by knee, quadriceps and elbow injuries.

As one of Gold Coast SUNS initial 17-year-old talent access selections taken to build their list, Hutchins knows this third year is a big one for him and the team.

In his debut season in 2011, Hutchins managed six games and displayed a robust attitude and willingness to attack the contest.

He knows winning a spot this year will be far more difficult.

The SUNS have strengthened their defensive stocks in the past 12 months, with experienced trio Matthew Warnock, Tom Murphy and Greg Broughton all coming to the club.

Hutchins had an excellent training camp in Arizona during November and is ready to fight for a spot.

"Hopefully I can. There's a lot of defenders on the list but it's all healthy competition," he said.

"Everyone pushes each other and that's how you get the best out of yourself. Hopefully I can get a spot in there."

"There's a lot of experience down there now, which is really helpful. It's our third pre-season for a lot of us and we're getting stronger and able to cope with it a lot more, so it's certainly a positive."