Gold Coast Suns recruit Hugh Greenwood says he can see the AFL cellardwellars turning things around in the manner of local rivals Brisbane Lions.

The Suns have struggled on and off the field in recent seasons, with difficulty retaining players.

But Greenwood said a spate of recent re-signings – including Ben King committing to another two years – had given the group belief it could build a good culture and push up the ladder.

“From the outside in, you look at 19 guys re-signing in 12 months, within the four walls there’s genuine buy-in and genuine belief,” Greenwood said.

“And you look at the talent on the list, the young talent, it’s exciting and you see teams like Brisbane do it, you see teams like GWS do it a few years ago.

“It doesn’t take long for the switch to flip and I’m excited to be a part of it and hopefully get the club where we want to go.”

Greenwood said he saw himself playing as an inside midfielder with stints up forward at the Suns.

The former Crow was traded to the Suns after 51 games at Adelaide, moving to the Gold Coast in exchange for a future third and future fourth-round draft pick.

Greenwood said his relationships with development coach Tate Kaesler and head of development and integration Josh Francou – both former Adelaide assistant coaches – had helped him settle on the Suns as his destination.

“Even the last two weeks it’s been such a positive impression – the buy-in from everyone and just the communication between coaches, players, everything’s been so transparent,” he said.

“I’m excited to be here and I’m thankful it all worked out in the end.”