GOLD Coast spent all of last week in Melbourne in an unique plan to prepare the team for back-to-back games at Etihad Stadium. But on Saturday night's evidence against Collingwood, the Suns might as well have headed back to Queensland, skipped training and gone for a surf.

Collingwood put the listless Suns outfit to the sword under the Docklands roof, setting up the commanding 71-point win with a dominant first term that saw them jump to a seven-goal lead.

Gold Coast's different preparations in Melbourne might have been set up to give the young side a taste of the football bubble in Victoria, but it did not deliver a competitive effort from the Suns, who fell to the 16.22 (118) to 6.11 (47) defeat.

Full match details and stats

The Pies' win was their first at Etihad Stadium since 2014, and followed their strong performance against the Western Bulldogs last week when they fell short by three points. But the victory was soured by another hamstring injury to young star Darcy Moore, which may open the door for a senior recall for Travis Cloke, who kicked four goals for the Pies' VFL side on Saturday.

Pies forward Jesse White put in one of his best games with three goals, 10 marks and 17 disposals to be the most damaging inside-50 player, while Adam Treloar (38 disposals, six tackles and a goal), Scott Pendlebury (32 disposals) and Brodie Grundy (26 disposals, 36 hit-outs, five clearances) were also excellent.

Jeremy Howe took on Suns goalkicking star Tom Lynch and won that battle, gathering 29 disposals and amassing 18 marks – two of which were trademark high grabs.

Jesse White takes flight

Youngsters Josh Smith, Jordan De Goey and Tom Phillips also impressed, in what would have excited Pies' fans after a trying third straight year out of the final eight.

"We rate Gold Coast's speed, and they clearly picked a more outside, quicker team. On the fast track (of Etihad Stadium), we didn't want it to turn into a running race. We controlled our ball use really well and we were able to keep the ball in our front half more often than not," coach Nathan Buckley said after the game.

Touk Miller backed up his 39-disposal effort from last week's loss to Essendon with another 32 touches for the Suns, while Aaron hall provided some moments of zip with his 26 touches. There were few other winners for the Suns, who had 129 fewer disposals and 18 fewer inside 50 entries (61 to 43) than the Pies.

TALKING POINTS: Collingwood v Gold Coast

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade said the level of injuries to hit the Suns has meant they are mentally and physically fatigued as the end of the season draws closer.

"We needed to use the ball as well as we could but we struggled in that area as well. We're struggling for run," Eade said.

"[Callum] Ah Chee shouldn't be playing, Tom Lynch is carrying a little bit at the moment. All our markers on a few of our guys [shows] we should be resting about six or seven of them. But we can't so we just have to push on and get up for net week."

The signs were ominous early. The Pies moved the ball with ease through their midfield, and sent it inside their forward-50 with next to no pressure. It saw them boot seven goals for the opening term to open up a 43-point lead at the first change, against a Gold Coast side that went goalless and was largely uncompetitive for the quarter.

Pendlebury has made much better teams look slow and out of position than this injury-hit Suns line-up. But the poise he had to coolly turn onto his non-preferred right foot midway through the quarter and snap the Pies' fifth goal highlighted the lack of pressure by the Suns.

The Suns got their first goal less than a minute into the second term when Ryan Davis made the most of a 50-metre penalty, but that was their only major of the half to record their lowest half-time score (1.6) of the season – second lowest in the club's short history.

Collingwood continued to pick apart the Suns in the second term, piling on another five goals to open a 68-point margin at the main break. Pleasingly for the Pies, it wasn't just the usual faces making the running.

First-year midfielder Smith collected 20 disposals in the first half, De Goey kicked two goals from 11 first-half disposals, and inconsistent forward White was having one of his best games of the season with three majors to the major change.

The latter rounds of a long season often offers these types of contests, with two sides out of finals contention largely playing for time with the end of the year in reach. But Collingwood showed the way to take on the task, and Gold Coast presented the opposite approach.

The Pies were methodical in their style and clinical in their execution across the game, with Treloar's third-term running goal exposing the gap between the sides.

The former Greater Western Sydney midfielder, playing his 100th career game, burst out of the centre square, sped away from a group of chasing Suns, shot away a handball, won the ball back and snapped a classy goal. Treloar was too good, but it was all too easy.

The Pies' 77-point advantage at the final change meant the game was already wrapped up in the last term, with the Suns' two goals the only majors of the last term.

MEDICAL ROOM
Collingwood: Tyson Goldsack was a late withdrawal with a foot problem that arose on game day, with the Pies unsure on its severity. Exciting forward Darcy Moore strained his hamstring in the second term and played no further part in the game, in what will be a frustration for the Pies after some injury niggles this season.
Gold Coast: Defender Sean Lemmens was concussed after being on the end of a strong bump from Collingwood's Jesse White. The 21-year-old's head connected with White's shoulder and was taken from the ground on a stretcher and sat out the rest of the game.

NEXT UP
Next week will be the end of the road for 2016 for both of these teams. The Suns will close out their campaign against Port Adelaide at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night. The Pies play the next day against Hawthorn at the MCG.

COLLINGWOOD        7.3    12.8    16.13   16.22   (118)
GOLD COAST            0.2     1.6      4.8       6.11    (47) 

GOALS
Collingwood: White 3, De Goey 3, Crisp 2, Greenwood 2, Treloar, Smith, Crocker, Sidebottom, Phillips, Pendlebury
Gold Coast: Davis 2, Lynch 2, Martin, Wright 

BEST
Collingwood: Grundy, White, Treloar, Crisp, Howe, Pendlebury, Smith, De Goey
Gold Coast: May, Miller, Lynch, Brooksby, Hall 

INJURIES
Collingwood: Goldsack (foot) replaced in selected side by Williams, Moore (hamstring), De Goey (right foot)
Gold Coast: Lemmens (concussed)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Dalgleish, Hay, Mollison

Official crowd: 17,644 at Etihad Stadium