GOLD Coast has locked away former No.7 draft pick Elijah Hollands until the end of 2024 with a two-year contract extension.
Hollands was taken by the Suns in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft midway through his rehabilitation from a ruptured ACL.
After fully recovering midway through last year, the 19-year-old played three VFL games to springboard him to a terrific pre-season.
Hollands told AFL.com.au it was a "no-brainer" to ink the new deal after fitting in seamlessly in his first 12 months at Carrara.
He said starting his AFL life in rehabilitation forced him to build friendships off the field that had helped him integrate quicker.
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"You can build them quite easily when you're on-field doing everything with them, but off-field when you're running laps it makes it a bit harder," he said.
"Around the footy club I just put in a bit more effort to build those relationships.
"I've got a lot of confidence in my body now, the knee is a thing of the past, I don't even think about it any more."
Hollands is one of the best endurance runners at the club and has been splitting time between the wing and half-forward in match simulation sessions.
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He said playing his first football in over 16 months late last season gave him "mental relief".
"It just felt like I was back," Hollands said.
"Coming into the first day of pre-season, it felt like I was just mixing back into the group and not just being a rehab guy.
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"It gave me the mental freshness, but also some confidence in my game."
