The Gold Coast Suns have shown their faith in coach Stuart Dew, re-signing him for another two years.
The club brought forward contract talks after both parties had earlier decided to wait until later this year.
Dew, who is in his fifth year at the helm, will remain as head coach until the end of 2024.
“I’m immensely proud to coach the Gold Coast SUNS and I think with the help of some fantastic people around me we’ve laid some exciting foundations to build on in the coming years,” Dew said.
“We have had an unprecedented level of commitment, support and dedication from everyone involved to create a connection to a journey that people believed in. I love this club and the game, and it gives me all the love back.”
The re-signing finally puts to bed speculation about Dew’s future after former Hawthorn premiership-winning coach Alastair Clarkson was linked to a move to the Coast.
The club has backed Dew’s overhaul of the Suns’ roster and his focus on developing younger players since taking over in 2018.
The players have also backed what Dew is building at the Suns with the likes of Touk Miller, Ben King and Jack Lukosius re-committing to the club.
Under Dew, the Suns are no longer the easy beats of the AFL and are sniffing a maiden finals berth.
The club sits in 11th place on the ladder with a 7-8 win-loss record this season.
Suns Chairman Tony Cochrane says they’ve always been clear on their belief in Dew.
“Stuey has worked tirelessly alongside a number of others to create an environment that sets our players, and this football club, up for success both on and off the field and we look forward to him taking us forward on that journey, as we continue to build a strong culture and a winning environment.”
