DESPITE repeated off-field misdemeanours from his Suns teammates, Tom Lynch is confident Gold Coast has the building blocks in place for a successful future.

Six players have been suspended in the past five weeks for breaking team-imposed alcohol bans, sparking a flurry of commentary about the club's professionalism – or lack thereof.

Lynch, who is part of the leadership group, said they were trying to "change standards" this season, and the odd transgression was to be expected.

Harley Bennell, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie and Danny Stanley were dropped from the seniors for drinking within six days of a match, while Charlie Dixon and Jack Martin broke a zero-tolerance policy on the eve of round nine against Hawthorn. All were relegated to the reserves for one week.

Lynch said he was confident the message was now loud and clear.

"I think all along this year we've talked about wanting to effect change and change standards and grow as a group," Lynch said.

"You've got to expect to have a few speedhumps along the way.

"We've seen massive growth in that area during the year.

"We'd be disappointed if it happened again, but we know we've started to effect it (change) and it's been a strong message.

"There's been plenty that have jumped on board, there's just been a couple of slip-ups and they may happen from time to time.

"We know we're heading in the right direction."

The most recent suspension was that of Dixon, who was forced to play in the NEAFL at the weekend rather than take on the Sydney Swans. Lynch said the attitude of his fellow forward had been first rate since the ban.

"He handled it well, he admitted that he made a mistake and we welcome him back this week," he said.

"He's got a bit of a spring in his step this week. He was obviously disappointed, along with Jack - as we all were with him.

"He's done his suspension now and we're moving on."

While Dixon will return to full-forward to play Fremantle, Lynch could be used at either end of the ground after spending stints in defence against both Hawthorn and the Swans in the past fortnight.

While Michael Johnson's absence from the Dockers lineup makes it more likely he'll play in his preferred forward spot, Lynch said he had learnt plenty in the back-half.

"Obviously to go down there and play on the good forwards in the competition, you can learn plenty off them and you can understand what defenders are thinking when you're leading," he said.

"It definitely helps, but also adding versatility - if I'm not getting a kick up forward, I can always go back and hopefully get a kick down there."