Mac Andrew Biography

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick says he supports Mac Andrew's aggressive play on the field.

"We sit there and look at the way he plays the game and that's who he is. We love his tenacity at the contest and his love for the jumper," Hardwick said.

"He wants to be a proud Gold Coast Suns player."

Mac Andrew is praised for aggressive approach in recent game, with Suns teammate and midfielder Sam Flanders supporting his unique display of skills and personality.

"We don't want to be robots," Flanders said.

"Everyone has personality, and obviously Mac wears his heart on his sleeve. He backs it up with his performance. He brings such a unique display of skills to our back unit, so if he does a little bit of that we don't mind it. I think it's great for the game."

Mac Andrew inks a long-term deal after recommitting to the Suns until the end of 2030. The deal is also understood to hit a trigger for another four seasons, meaning he could be locked in until the end of 2034.

Mac Andrew says he realized the hard work he had to do to get back into the Suns' senior side after some tough and honest chats with Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick over the summer.

"He thought there were people that deserved to play over me, which I agreed with at the time," Andrew said.

"I thought if I want to get back in the team, I've got to change something up. I had that 'head down, bum up' attitude and grind my way back into the team.

"I had chats with those around me, family and close friends. I told them how I felt about it. They all came back to me with the same advice – get back and show them where you belong."

Mac Andrew is the AFL Rising Star nominee for round 20 of 2023.

Andrew had 14 disposals, seven marks (including a game-high three contested), and six intercept possessions in the Suns' 41-point victory against Brisbane at Heritage Bank Stadium.

The Suns hand Mac Andrew a two-game ban following the young defender being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol late last month.

In a statement, the Suns said they were satisfied the former first-round draft pick was remorseful for his actions.

Mac Andrew is charged with drink driving and will face court and a club-imposed sanction.

"Mac has made a poor decision and understands that he has let a number of people down, as well as the club and the wider Gold Coast community," Suns football boss Wayne Campbell said in a statement.

"He understands the severity of his actions and has shown remorse and as a club we will now look to support Mac and help him through the situation."

Mac Andrew makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast with 9 disposals (5 kicks and 4 handballs) and 3 marks in a 3-point win over West Coast.

Mac Andrew will remain at Gold Coast until at least the end of 2025 after signing a fresh two-year deal with the Suns.

"I didn't hesitate when they approached me. I've found a good group of friends. There's a lot of young kids here that have come from interstate and know what I was going through when I first came up," Andrew said.

Gold Coast select Mac Andrew with pick No.5 in the 2021 National Draft.

Draft Report: A Melbourne Next Generation Academy member, Andrew has emerged ?out of nowhere? to sit as a likely top-10 draft pick this year. The athletic tall was added to the NAB AFL Academy squad in April after a dazzling start to the season with the Stingrays and caught the eye in the Academy team's exhibition match against Geelong's VFL team in April. In that match, Andrew was used at full-forward and full-back with limited impact in the opening three quarters. But his favoured position is in the ruck and he shone when given an opportunity in that position in the last quarter. The mobile big man covers the ground effortlessly, is a nice kick, possesses a giant jump and becomes an extra midfielder once the ball hits the ground out of the ruck contest. His upside is enormous.