Jarrod Witts has become the sixth and ‘winningest’ member of the Gold Coast SUNS 150-game club. And the oldest. But if you’re thinking the former captain is winding down, think again.

Overshadowed by the hype of Touk Miller’s 200^th game when the SUNS beat Hawthorn in Darwin last Thursday night, Witts followed Jarrod Harbrow, David Swallow, Alex Sexton, Miller and Sam Day to a mark that across the AFL generally qualifies for club life membership.

And in a crunch game for the club, he produced a typically tradesman-like performance in an eight-point win over Hawthorn to continue a stellar 13^th season in the AFL.

With the support of the emerging Ned Moyle, he gave the SUNS a 54-37 edge in hit-outs and a 50-35 edge in clearances. He had 15 possessions, six clearances, which was fourth best for his side, and 12 contested possessions, which was third best.

The SUNS’ #28 was 32 years, 244 days in his 150^th game, older at the same stage than Day (30 years, 340 days), Harbrow (30 years, 10 days), Swallow (27 years, 276 days), Sexton (27 years, 233 days) and Miller.

But if you asked the big ex-Collingwood ruckman, born in Sydney, a product of St.Ives and Sydney University in the Sydney competition and a one-time NSW Scholarship holder, he’d say ‘so what!’

His 35.6% win ratio at 150 games for the SUNS, while not over the moon in isolation, is well up on that of Day (29.1%), Harbrow (27.5%), Sexton (26.0%), Miller (25.7%) and Swallow (24.8%).

His output is on the rise. In his first 50 games he had 674 possessions, six goals, four Brownlow Medal votes and 13 wins. In his second 50 games it was 639 possessions, three goals, three votes, 14 wins and a draw. And in his third 50-game block it was 680 possessions, 15 goals, four votes (plus any that may come this year) and 26 wins.

Even more compelling are the equivalent ruck-specific statistics for his counterparts.

Witts is one of 14 clear-cut #1 ruckmen, excluding Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong and West Coast, where the role has been shared.

Among this group he is #1 this year for average hit-outs, is equal #1 for average hit-outs won, and is #2 for average hit-outs to advantage, behind only North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri, who leads the AFL Coach’s Association Player of the Year Award.

That he is the game’s second-oldest ruckman in the League this year, nine months younger than Melbourne’s Max Gawn, is as irrelevant as the fact that when he was SUNS co-captain from 2019-24, he was the tallest captain in AFL history.

But what is entirely relevant is the value the SUNS have got out of forgotten trade that saw Witts move from Collingwood after he’d played 40 games at Collingwood from 2012-16.

Lured north by then SUNS coach Rodney Eade, who had built a relationship with him during his time as football manager at the Pies, Witts cost the SUNS pick 44 and pick 62 in the 2016 National Draft.

They were picks that were part of the pre-draft trading frenzy and both ended up at Adelaide, where they were used by the Crows to pick up Myles Poholke and Matthew Signorello. Poholke played 16 games from 2017-20 and Signorello never played at AFL level.

Ahead of his first season on the Coast, the AFL Guide said of Witts: “He is a monster of a man who is not only good at stoppages but has incredible aerobic capacity for his size and has proved he can kick goals when sent forward. Will have to battle Tom Nicholls and Daniel Currie for the #1 ruck spot, but given his attributes he’s every chance of playing plenty of senior football.”

That wasn’t quite right. Witts played the first 18 games before a shoulder injury ended his season, but he still finished 8^th in the SUNS Club Champion.

He’s now banked six Top 10 finishes in seven years, missing out only after he blew out his knee in Round 3, 2021. He was 8^th, 1^st and 3^rd prior to his injury, and has gone 4^th, 5^th and 10^th since then.

Already contracted for 2026 after turning his back on free agency at the end 2024, Witts will face Saint Rohan Marshall in the ruck at Marvel Stadium on Sunday in his 151^st SUNS game as he continues to prove the doomsayers wrong.