Gold Coast's Jack Martin has promised to have his best AFL off-season in an effort to lift the Suns off the canvas.
Acknowledging that his time has come to be a leader at the struggling club, the 22-year-old says he will nail his diet and fitness regimen and return for pre=season later this year in better shape than ever.
The goal-kicking midfielder finished third in the club's best and fairest voting for the second straight year and was one of few to play all 22 games.
"Next year's going to be five years in the system so to go forward I need to make the next step," he said.
"So it's exciting, I think I'm capable and have a lot of growth in me ... the big thing is I've got to make this my best off-season, not pre-season, but off-season."
Martin joined Gold Coast as a 17-year-old after being taken No.1 in the 2012 mini-draft and signed a five-year deal ahead of the 2013 season before he even played an AFL game.
His first two seasons were marred by a dislocated shoulder in his debut in 2014, before hamstring and ankle injuries in 2015.
But Martin has only missed one game in the last two campaigns and is now earmarked as a vital cog in the Suns' revival efforts after a horror six-win season.
"I'm not going to go putting that pressure on myself, there's a lot of guys that need to stand up," he said.
"But you can't hide from it; it's every week.
"You read the papers, the media, the pressure is there - it's how you absorb it and respond to it - and for me it's never been a worry."
The Suns delisted five players earlier this week, including former No. 5 draft pick Jarrad Grant and fellow senior listed Hawthorn recruit Mitch Hallahan, with more cuts likely in the next two months.
The club is continuing an internal review being led by chief executive Mark Evans, which claimed the scalp of head coach Rodney Eade with three games remaining this season.
The tenures of Suns assistants Dean Solomon, Matthew Primus, Ashley Prescott, Andy Lovell, Melbourne-based Brett Munro, Matthew Lappin, Aaron Rogers and NEAFL coach Stephen Daniel will come under the microscope given they are all off-contract at the end of the season.
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