A handful of Gold Coast’s AFLW players have sprung a surprise birthday message for one diehard SUNS fan.

Grace Parkinson celebrated her 16^th birthday on Tuesday and was elated to find a special video message waiting for her from some of her favourite SUNS players Kate Surman, Lauren Ahrens, Hannah Dunn and Sally Riley.

 She told SUNS Media the video message was the best birthday present she could have received.

“I woke up and mum had her computer out and a video popped up with the Gold Coast SUNS players,” Parkinson said.

“It was definitely a big surprise and I think I cried listening to their birthday messages.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better to be honest.”

Parkinson is a huge SUNS AFLW fan; she describes herself as “150%” invested in the team.

She attended all home games in the club’s first season and even got to rub shoulders with some of the players at the Team Photo Day.

“I was in the photo and stood next to Kate Surman,” Parkinson said.

“I was taller than her which was pretty funny but she was really nice and we had a good chat.

“Then I saw her out at training one day and she recognised me and came and said hello which was awesome.”

As well as the players above, she likes Paige Parker because of her evasiveness, Kalinda Howarth because of her extraordinary kicking ability and Jordann Hickey because they share the same number.

She loves the SUNS so much that her birthday cake was shaped into the club’s AFLW guernsey which she shared with her Jimboomba Redbacks teammates after training this week. 

Currently playing as an under-ager in the Under 17 Gold Coast competition, Parkinson’s dream is to make the SUNS Academy and hopefully one day pull on a SUNS AFLW guernsey of her own. 

“That’s the goal definitely, I’d love to play AFLW one day,” Parkinson said.

“I love footy so much; I love the atmosphere on the ground and playing with my friends and getting around each other.”