It's a confidence game, and that couldn't have been more evident with the way Gold Coast went about it in the first half on Sunday. After back-to-back wins for the first time in the club's history, including the first ever at the MCG two weeks ago against Melbourne, the Suns played like a team that believed it could beat a side that played off in last year's Grand Final. They had a third term to forget, though, when the Hawks piled on six goals to one but they continued to fight, kicking the first goal of the fourth to get within 14 points. But in the end, they lost Jesse Lonergan to a hamstring, Jared Brennan to a knee and Steven May to a corked quad, which restricted their rotations. Their first half was still something to be proud of, with former ruckman Josh Fraser tweeting his support at the main break. "Haven't been this excited at the footy for a while @GoldCoastSUNS have been outstanding! #halftogo @abcgrandstand," said Fraser.

There's a reason Gary Ablett is the hot Brownlow Medal fancy and is currently the No.1 player in the Official AFL Player Ratings. His three goals, 37 disposals, five clearances and leadership, particularly in the second half when things got tough, showed just why he was the Suns' priority target when they were assembling their list. No doubt the Little Master is taking some devastating form into next week's historic night clash at Simonds Stadium against his former team Geelong – Ablett's first game at the Cats' home ground since leaving the club at the end of 2010 (he missed the Suns' only other venture to Geelong in round 20, 2011). 

Lance Franklin had a week to forget when he was plastered on the front page of a Melbourne newspaper for a nightclub incident – publicity club vice president Geoff Harris condemned before the game – and had a first half he'd also like to bin. Gold Coast defender Rory Thompson was playing the game of his life and was all over him, frustrating the forward beyond belief and wearing him like a glove. He had 1.1 to his name, had dropped some sitters and slammed the ball into the point post at point-blank range. In the third, it looked as though the script wasn't going to change when Franklin kicked a set shot from one pocket out on the full only to follow up a minute later with the same result from the opposite side. Then, after giving away a cheap free kick to Thompson, he booted two goals in the third quarter, had a hand in two others and played a huge part in getting the Hawks to their 20-point three-quarter time lead before he ended with five goals for the game.  

Much is made of how inexperienced the Gold Coast – and Greater Western Sydney – sides usually are, but the Hawks had their own degree of youth on Sunday. There were nine players in the team with 50 games or less to their name, including Paul Puopolo and Luke Breust – who were playing in their 50th games - Max Bailey, Taylor Duryea, Jack Gunston, Bradley Hill, Jonathan Simpkin, Isaac Smith and first-gamer Sam Grimley. Grimley ticked off a whole bunch of firsts when he lit up the ground with the first goal of the game, with his first kick in the League, within the first few minutes of the first quarter. He was subbed off at three-quarter time for Duryea with 14 disposals, 11 hit-outs and five inside 50s to go with his goal. Before the game, Harris said the experience of the line up was a "testament to how much talent the Hawks have in their team going forward."

While Dion Prestia continued to show the competition why he is considered such hot out-of-contract property with 33 disposals, Aaron Hall popped up as another exciting prospect with a bag of five goals. In his two years and 16 games of AFL football before Sunday, the 22-year-old had kicked 18 goals; his biggest haul being three against Greater Western Sydney in round 20 last year. Two of his majors came in the last quarter and both times kept the Suns' faint hopes alive.