TALL forward Tom Lee is the 18h player to sign a contract extension with the club as part of the #SaintsFutureFest campaign.
The 24-year-old has had an injury-interrupted start to his AFL career after arriving at the Saints in 2012 in a deal with GWS.
Struggling to overcome shoulder issues, Lee has managed to play 13 AFL games in the red, white and black and is looking forward to what the future holds.
“After such a frustrating year and not playing too many games it’s really humbling to know that the club has got that faith in me to bring the group forward. I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” he told SAINTS.com.au.
“It’s good to know the coaches and the footy department have that faith in me to sign me for a further two years.
“We all have to work really hard towards a common goal and I think we’re all doing that and it’s really exciting.”
Head of Football Chris Pelchen said Lee has showed a lot of potential at the elite level and the club is enthusiastic about his future in the game.
"While Tom's season was interrupted by injury, he continued to work on various areas of his game for further benefit in 2015,” he said.
“Tom has developed a better understanding of forward roles and tactics with his line coach, Aaron Hamill which we are confident with improved fitness, will have him ready for a stronger season next year."
The West Australian has had a frustrating start to his AFL career, notching just three games this season and 10 in his debut year.
He is now hoping to be fit and raring to go by the time pre-season starts in October.
“Hopefully by the start of pre-season I’ll be 100 per cent ready to go and should get a full pre-season in,” Lee said.
“I think I’ve been able to show I can play at AFL level but I just need to be able to run out games better and what better to learn from than Nick Riewoldt.
“I’ve struggled to put on weight with my shoulders and I’ve struggled to maintain that strength and that’s going to be a big focus for me this pre-season and for the rest of my career basically.”
