Tom Lynch is bracing for the hysteria that will come with his free-agent status but the Gold Coast AFL co-captain won't let that rush his decision.
The in-demand key forward is in the final year of his contract at the Suns and says he wants to make it a successful one under new coach Stuart Dew.
Conversations about his future beyond that are on hold though, with Lynch happy to have fully recovered from the back and knee injuries that curtailed his 2017 campaign.
"I think free agency is part of the game now, we all need to get used to it," Lynch said.
"I haven't put any time or anything on that (decision); I just want to improve the footy club every day and see where we're going."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Gold Coast will have to dig deep to retain the talented Lynch, who will be wooed by Melbourne-based clubs selling big crowds and a chance at a premiership.
But Lynch, just as co-captain Steven May did last season, appears set to play a straight bat to any talk of a move.
"I want to see Gold Coast Suns succeed, that's my first priority and only priority to be honest," Lynch said.
May conceded Lynch's future will dominate the headlines this year, but expects his long-time teammate to handle it well.
"We're 20 days into the last year of his contract, he's got plenty of time," May said.
"It's going to be in the media a bit because he's such a high profile player, but he's a professional and that's not going to change the way he goes about it."
The Suns celebrated an early win on Tuesday as they welcomed new major sponsor, global travel insurance company Cover-More, on a five-year deal worth an estimated $7 million.
The deal with Cover-More, who also sponsor English Premier League giants Arsenal, will boost a bottom line hurting since Fiat ended its partnership in 2016.
