JED WALTER'S rise during his third season has been a beacon in an otherwise gloomy campaign for Gold Coast.

The No.3 pick from the 2023 Telstra AFL Draft, Walter started the season outside of Damien Hardwick's 23, but will finish it against St Kilda on Thursday night very much central to the Suns' plans going forward.

Not only did Walter turn his back on lucrative rival offers to extend his contract until the end of 2029, but the 21-year-old has soared as a player, kicking 31 goals from 17 games.

The improvement has been no accident.

The Suns Academy graduate got himself a goalkicking coach last off season, taking him from a 50-50 proposition in his first two years to booting 31.14 this year, and knuckled down on his diet and preparation.

"I have a plan in place now that I stick to every week, no matter what," Walter told AFL.com.au.

"I've had good conversations with 'Collo' (vice-captain Sam Collins) and 'Millsy' (forwards coach Brad Miller) about a weekly plan, and that's really helped me this year.

"I've matured a bit.

"In my first couple of years … I'd start the year fit and firing and towards the end of the year I'd find myself out of the team.

"I'd get heavier, so I've watched my weight a bit more with my diet and my footy has stayed the same. I haven't really dropped off towards the end of the year."

Despite his team going 1-10 since the mid-season bye, Walter has flourished, kicking 19 goals and becoming a reliable target alongside Ben King.

He has become harder to beat one-on-one, rarely trails his opponent to contests and has unleashed glimpses of the vaunted defensive pressure that captivated recruiters during his draft year.

Walter said his craft had developed with the help of Suns leadership consultant Alex Rance, doing extra sessions twice a week with the five-time All-Australian full-back and Richmond premiership star.

Then there's the video analysis with Miller.

"I've watched a fair bit of Josh Treacy this year," Walter said.

"He's a player I want to hopefully pick a few things from his game and implement it to mine. I've watched clips from most of his games this year."

Walter said one barometer for his improvement has come in the shape of Hawthorn’s All-Australian defender, Josh Battle.

When the pair lined up on one another 12 months ago, Battle destroyed the youngster, keeping him to four goalless disposals.

When they met again eight weeks ago, Walter had more success, kicking 2.2 from 12 touches that included four contested marks.

"When I played against him last year, I could never beat him.

"I'd try and get up the ground a bit more. I just couldn't figure him out. Everything I did he was one step ahead of me.

"When I played on him this year … I beat him a couple of times and it was good to see that I've progressed a little bit, playing on someone I was really struggling to win contests against."

Walter said although 2026 had been anything but what Gold Coast hoped for, his signature, along with the extension of Bailey Humphrey announced earlier in the week, filled him with confidence entering the off season.

"We've got a good list, a great group of boys that get on really well,' he said.

"What I learnt from last year … you need to have a big mental break, refresh, reset, have some fun, go away and travel, but when I come back, I've got to get bigger, fitter, stronger, faster and work on the craft of my game."