CHARLIE Rowbottom was already a two-time All-Australian at the end of last season but knew there were "gaps" in her game that needed addressing.

Following just three wins and a draw from Gold Coast's previous 23 games across two years, the young midfield star wanted to lead an improvement from the front.

She knew there was high-end draft talent on the way, entirely from the club’s Academy program, and the 23-year-old was hungry to improve.

So, Rowbottom worked harder than ever over the last off and pre-seasons.

"I went to work on a lot of things," a candid Rowbottom told womens.afl ahead of Saturday's QClash against Brisbane.

"There were a few gaps in my game I felt like I needed to attack.

"I've gone to work a lot on my running and worked closely with the S&Cs (strength and conditioning personnel) here to improve my transition game.

"The contest is my strength, and I had to work out ways to get to more of them and impact more and bring my teammates into the game."

Through seven games of the 2026 season, the results could hardly have been better.

The Suns are the feel-good story of the competition with a 5-2 record, playing an exciting brand of footy that Rowbottom is very much central to.

She is third in the League for clearances, fourth for disposals and fifth for tackles, but above the statistics, the impact around the ground is obvious to see when watching her play.

Always a beast around stoppages, Rowbottom is now winning more ball on the outside as well as helping her team defensively. She is ranked 16th for pressure acts in the competition – the first time she has been inside the top 20 in her career.

"I had shoulder surgery, just a little cleanup, earlier in the year and it really forced me to work on my outside game because I couldn't do a lot of the contested stuff," she said.

"My mindset had to be about outside running. I feel like that almost forced me to be not in-and-under all the time.

"Just getting to work on impacting on the inside, but also how can I be more helpful on the outside?

"On a team level, I feel like the growth in our group just allows a predictability to each other and working off each other and it’s been really exciting to be a part of."

Coach Rhyce Shaw said Rowbottom was always asking to be challenged, which is exactly what she wanted at the end of last season.

He said her drive to be better was like few players he’d ever seen.

"We spoke about evolving her game and making sure she knew she's obviously got some really strong weapons not many people can match, but how do you evolve that?" Shaw said.

"She's gone to work on that and now she's essentially the best player in the comp at the moment. That's what I think anyway.

"She's always looking to get better.

"Her inside game is as good as anyone's in the comp, if not the best. Now she's added that outside game as well, which is really cool, and I think the girls are grabbing on to her coattails and flying along with her.

"I couldn't be more proud of what she's doing,

"The turnaround for us is a collective, but you need those leaders to drive that, and she does that every day."

Rowbottom has already won three Club Champion awards, but concedes leadership was not something that always came naturally.

With a squad of teenagers flanking her now, it’s something that’s had to evolve.

"I'm trying to be the teammate I would have wanted when I was 18," she said.

"Having that mindset if there is something to address or a moment on the field, how would I want to be approached or how can I get the best out of my teammate?

"That comes from understanding each other and understanding how to get the best response from each other.

"We're a team that thrives off energy and flair. We love that, but we've also shown when we're down, we can arm wrestle our way back, which is such a positive.

"I feel like I'm constantly learning."

And perhaps the biggest test of the season comes against the Lions, a team Gold Coast has not beaten in seven previous outings, with the six losses, following a first-up draw, averaging 54 points.

"This feels like a great opportunity for us to test our brand of footy against one of the top sides.

"We respect them as a team, but we're also not shying away from we're going to Brighton Homes to win. I'm keen."