Matt Rowell poses with the 2025 Brownlow Medal at Crown Promenade on September 23, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

NEWLY-CROWNED Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell says Gold Coast's first taste of finals has built an appetite at the Suns for more September action.

After 15 seasons, Gold Coast's long wait for its maiden finals appearance arrived, progressing to the semi-finals against Queensland rivals Brisbane after a famous week-one win over Fremantle in Perth.

But the Lions, who are preparing for their third-straight Grand Final, gave the Suns a reality check about how far they need to improve to seriously challenge for a premiership.

"We've got to keep doing a lot of the same from what we did this year and just keep building on it," Rowell said on Tuesday.

"It's great that we got a taste of finals this year, but it just left us wanting to be in finals again next year and go deeper." 

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Matt Rowell delivers his first speech after becoming just the second Gold Coast Sun to be awarded the Brownlow Medal

After toying with the idea of returning home to Victoria, meeting with several other clubs including the Western Bulldogs, Rowell opted to re-sign with Gold Coast for another two years.

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Delighted to join Gary Ablett jnr as the only other Suns player to win a Brownlow, Rowell is desperate to have team success.

Achieving the ultimate with great friend, Gold Coast captain Noah Anderson, would be seriously special after the pair were drafted by the Suns together in 2019.

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"I'm always looking to keep getting better as a player, and I'm not going to stop here. 

"I really want to take this Gold Coast side to a premiership.

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"We've got a lot of the right pieces. 

"It's just about getting more of a connection within the team and keep building on the year that we've had."

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