Damien Hardwick says Jack Lukosius is an “indispensable player” on the Gold Coast as rival interest in the talented striker increases following his retirement last week.

Lukosius, 24, was dropped after two goalless performances in losses to Brisbane and West Coast, leading to reports he was seeking a transfer to his native South Australia.

The former No. 2 pick scored 39 goals as a regular striker last season, but has been unsettled on the field again this season as Hardwick deployed him as a halfback and on the wing.

The Suns coach said he had not yet found the best role for Lukosius, but was determined to find a solution with the 115-year-old player and keep him at the club.

The powerful right-footer is under contract until he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of 2026.

“Look, there’s always speculation at this time of year, isn’t there? From our point of view, he’s a must-have player,” Hardwick said on Thursday.

“The thing is, part of it is Jack’s fault, part of it is mine. We just have to figure out how to use him.

“He’s an incredibly talented player, but I feel like I haven’t gotten the best out of him yet. So we need to sit down and think about what that should look like, and that’s primarily up to me as a coach.”

Hardwick said the two had a “really good relationship” and Lukosius had been honest with him about the position he felt was best suited to him.

“(Lukosius) still needs to make improvements in some areas of his game, but that goes for every other player in the AFL, so we’ll come back and make sure he becomes a very valuable player for us in the coming weeks,” Hardwick said.

“In my opinion he is a highly talented player with incredible skills.

“We have a really good relationship, he is a great young man.”

Hardwick said he had no concerns that clubs might plan to poach his young, talented players.

“The positive thing is that a lot of players are calling us, which is exciting,” he said.

“One thing we do know: our club is young and up-and-coming, but I also believe that we are on the verge of becoming a destination club.

“Clubs will always approach our players, but first and foremost we believe that we will become an attractive club in the not too distant future.”

Hardwick said he would keep Mac Andrew at forward for Saturday’s home game against Melbourne after he scored seven goals in two weeks, including his game-winning strike after the siren against Essendon.

“He’ll stay up front this week – we really enjoy what he gives us, his athleticism, his size … because he’s so big and athletic, it makes (Ben King) a little bit better player because opponents can’t drop back and get in his way,” Hardwick said.

“Obviously it will be a different challenge this week… one thing the Dees do very well is they defend the back of the field very well.”