Midway through last season, Victorian clubs were circling in an attempt to lure Dion Prestia back to AFL’s heartland.

Fast forward eighteen months, and the second runner-up in this year’s Club Champion has reaffirmed his commitment to the Gold Coast, telling The Marngrook Footy Show he’s all-in on winning an AFL premiership on the holiday strip.

“After starting on the Gold Coast you sort of want to finish it off; win a couple of premierships there. That’s our goal,” Prestia said.

When pressed further on a possible return to his hometown, where he played for the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup and represented Vic Metro at the AFL Under-18 Championships, the vice-captain didn’t hold back.

“I’d rather win a premiership (on the Gold Coast) than come back for money.”

In more ways than one, Prestia took a significant step forward in his fourth AFL season.

He produced career-bests in disposals (27 touches per game), tackles and clearances (five each per game) and impacted the scoreboard by kicking ten goals.

Most significantly though, with midfielder mentor Gary Ablett succumbing to season-ending shoulder surgery in round 16, Prestia’s underwent a great learning curve alongside the likes of Jaeger O’Meara, David Swallow and Harley Bennell.

And while the midfield group made sizeable inroads in taking the reins of Gold Coast’s engine room, Prestia said Ablett’s absence around the stoppages at the back-end of the season would only benefit the team’s young midfield core in the future.

“He gets so much attention on the ground and lets us run free. Because he wasn’t there, we got a lot more attention in the back-end of the year.

“Talking to him, his shoulder is going really well and he should be right to go in the first day of pre-season.”