James Tsitas will make his AFL Debut this Saturday night against Collingwood at Metricon Stadium.

In-front of what’s tipped to be a bumper crowd of close to 20,000 people at Metricon Stadium, the hard-edged midfield/forward will run out for his debut in the red and gold for the first time.

The 27-year-old has been a standout so far this season in the VFL since joining as part of the Supplementary Selection Period in February this year to secure the SUNS final list spot for 2022.

“You’ve been doing what you need to do mate, you’ve been consistent, hard and it’s a great story” Senior Coach Stuart Dew said when breaking the news.

“It’s an opportunity and like you’ve always said you’ll be ready so it’s going to be a great moment and you should be really proud of yourself.”

Tsitas’ reaction to the news was one of appreciation.

“Yesssss Stuey, thank you so much mate,” Tsitas said.

“Thank you so much for the faith you’ve showed in me.

“I won’t let you down.”

In last week’s Round 14 VFL Clash, Tsitas played his 100th VFL game after previously playing for North Ballarat (29 games) and Geelong (63 Matches) before featuring in eight for the Gold Coast SUNS this year where he is currently averaging 23.8 disposals and 6.5 tackles per game.

Tsitas joined the SUNS off the back of receiving a Magarey Medal as the SANFL’s best player and winning the 2021 Premiership with Woodville-West Torrens, in a season where he averaged 28.6 disposals.

Off the field, Tsitas is also leading all SUNS players for most members signed up during the 2022 season, so if you haven’t signed up yet make sure you visit goldcoastfc.com.au/membership and mention his name, to add to his overall tally.

The SUNS Scorcher Membership starts from $29 for adults and provides access to the club’s four remaining home fixtures in 2022.

As well as watching James Tsitas go about it for his first game on the field, off the field members and fans can expect a plethora of entertainment this Saturday night at Metricon.

All patrons attending the game are encouraged to be in their seats before 6:30pm when Aussie Rock icon Daryl Braithwaite will take centre stage to perform his classic hit, The Horses, before a Fireworks Show lights up the Gold Coast sky prior to centre bounce.