Lock, from Terranora on the NSW/QLD border, has been the captain of the Gold Coast for the past two years, leading the club through a season in the TAC Cup and a year in the VFL.
With the injection of AFL experience into the club during the off-season, Lock did not expect the title to stick. He was, however, delighted to be named as one of the eight leaders after player voting was conducted.
“To be part of this club, and where it has come from, and to have Gary (Ablett) as captain and the other two boys (Nathan Bock and Campbell Brown) as vice captain and deputy vice captain is great for the club moving forward,” he said.
Lock said he was looking forward to developing his leadership skills even further by learning from three such experienced players.
“To have these boys as the three leaders of your club, there wouldn’t be any three better players to learn off, I wouldn’t think, in the AFL,” he said.
“Hopefully (I can) stick around this leadership group for a couple of years and learn a fair bit off these blokes.”
While Lock has learnt a lot from the experienced players, he also revealed that the older players had been picking the brains of the younger footballers to get a feel for the club.
“It has happened already, the (new players) wanting to know how things work, and how certain boys react to things.”
Lock said that after all of the hype and all of the waiting, the team is eagerly awaiting its first match.
“The boys are just itching to go already,” he said.
“We have had a couple of 30 minute games, and the boys have just been raring into it. They are just ready to go.”
The Gold Coast Suns play their first NAB Cup game on February 19 against Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Sydney Swans.
