YOU WON’T hear the coaches talking it up, but Gold Coast players are daring to dream of gatecrashing the top four as confidence continues to grow within Damien Hardwick’s squad.
The Suns boast a 13-6 record, placing them in sixth spot but with a game in hand on the rest of their top-eight rivals.
Gold Coast faces Carlton on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium, before taking on Greater Western Sydney (home), Port Adelaide (away) and Essendon (home) to round out its home and away campaign.
The Suns probably only need two more wins to make finals for the first time.
But win all four of their remaining games and there’s a strong chance it would be enough to net Gold Coast a top-four berth.
The Suns have posted crushing wins over Brisbane (66 points) and Richmond (84 points) in the past fortnight, and forward Ben Long is growing excited about the prospect of ending the club’s finals drought.
“It’s obviously coming to the end of the season, the pointy end, and we’ve got a lot of wins on the board,” Long said.
“We hope to finish off really strong. Our sights are finals time, so really pushing for that, and who knows where it could take us from there.
“We’ve come a long way from last year. Dimma’s brought a new system and we’ve learned that over the pre-season and taken another step forward.”
Asked about the prospect of a top-four finish, Long indicated it was on the group’s mind.
“It’s more like in one-on-one conversations,” he said.
“It would be really good to finish in the top four and have that second chance.
“But we’re just really focused on week by week and hoping it will take us to where we want to be.”
Nick Holman and Ben Long celebrate a goal during Gold Coast’s clash against Richmond in round 21, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Gold Coast’s percentage sits at a healthy 125.1.
It puts them ahead of Hawthorn (117.6), Fremantle (113) and GWS (111.3), but behind fourth-placed Geelong (138.6), second-placed Collingwood (130.8) and ladder leader Adelaide (144.1).
Brisbane’s percentage of 112.1 is unlikely to matter given the second-placed Lions have a draw to their name.
“Percentage wise, it might come down to that,” Long said in reference to the importance of his side’s recent big wins over Brisbane and Richmond.
“In terms of running out games and putting the foot on the throat, it builds trust and confidence coming up against really good opposition.
