Inaugural Gold Coast SUN David Swallow and fellow club veteran Sean Lemmens have today announced they will retire from AFL football at the conclusion for the 2025 season.

The duo informed their teammates of their decisions in a team meeting alongside their families on Tuesday morning ahead of the club’s first AFL final this Saturday against Fremantle at Optus Stadium.

The announcement will see two of the club’s most esteemed figures close their careers at the end of the season with a combined 396 games of experience.

After being granted permission to play in the club’s first VFL season in 2010, Swallow became the Gold Coast SUNS’ very first draft selection with Pick 1 in that year’s AFL Draft, debuting the in Round 2, 2011 in the SUNS’ inaugural AFL match against Carlton at the Gabba.

He held official leadership positions from 2014-2023, including as co-captain alongside Jarrod Witts from 2019-2021, winning the SUNS Club Champion in 2014 and finishing on the podium a further four times.

In 2020, Swallow became the club’s first life member, and in 2023, made history as the first SUN to play 200 games for the club. Fittingly, the Players’ Player Award, which Swallow won on three occasions, was re-named the ‘David Swallow Award’ in 2024 in honour of the 32-year-old’s contribution to the club and continued embodiment of club values.

“I firstly want say how thankful I am to the footy club and everyone who’s here today, and all the people that have come before me,” Swallow said in a team meeting on Tuesday morning.

“This club gave me a chance a long time ago. I’ll forever be indebted to the SUNS and am so thankful for the opportunities this club has afforded me and my family.

“I’ve spent my whole adult life here, had two beautiful kids in that time and share a lot of wonderful memories with so many people.

“We’ve got the biggest game in the club’s history this weekend, and I feel like it’s just the beginning for us. I’ve waited my whole career to get this point, and I’m proud to still be here and get to be a part of that.

“It’s just the beginning for this team and this club.”

Since debuting for the SUNS in Round 1, 2014, Lemmens has led by example across a career spanning 12 seasons.

The fan favourite has been an exemplar of professionalism throughout the journey and is seen as a role model throughout the SUNS squad, highlighted by two seasons in the club’s leadership group in 2022 and 2023.

As a proud Tiwi man, the 30-year-old earned the opportunity to represent the Indigenous All Stars in 2015 and has been particularly impactful through his work elevating the club’s Indigenous programs whilst also providing guidance and mentorship to SUNS AFL and AFLW players.

“I’ve had a lot of time over the last couple of months to reflect on the last 12 years here. I am so truly grateful that this amazing club gave me an opportunity to live out a dream and achieve so many special things,” Lemmens said.

“I have made so many lifelong friends along the way, there are so many people at the club today that I absolutely love.

“To the playing group, it’s been an absolutely privilege to go to work every day with such a connected group that I care about so much. The way I play is hard and I put my body on the line, but it’s easy to do that for people you love and care about.

“We’ve come a long way in the last 12 years as a club. We’ve still got plenty of footy left in us this year and I’m excited for where that can take us.”

Gold Coast SUNS CEO Mark Evans thanked both David and Sean for their incredible contributions over more than a decade on the Gold Coast.

“It’s hard to summarise what David Swallow means to our football club. He has been here for every minute of our AFL program, our first ever National Draft selection, a Club Champion winner, captain, games record holder, and the most humble, team player who attacked every contest as if it was the most important moment in the game,” Evans said.

“At a time where the club was in turmoil, David was one of the first to offer to extend his commitment to the club, and we were able to stabilise and build off the back of that.

“David and his wife Georgia, young children Charlie and Lucy, and his parents Ian and Alice have been mainstays of our young club, and we will be forever grateful.

“He will finish his playing career with universal respect, love and admiration. It’s high praise, but he is incredibly deserving of a special place in SUNS’ history.

“Sean too sits among one of the most impactful players to play for the club throughout our journey so far. Coming on board as one of the club’s young guns in the excitement of the 2014 season, he has been a consistent and ever-present contributor in his 12-year career.

“On field, Sean was hard and competitive, exciting and skilful. And off-field, his leadership, positivity and his support for others is a trademark that few could surpass.

“We have loved seeing Sean and wife Chaye blossom as parents while raising two beautiful daughters Rhaea and Penelope. They will forever be a SUNS family.”