GOLD Coast plans to continue holding open dialogue with senior coach Stuart Dew on his future at Metricon Stadium, with the Suns intent on playing finals football for the first time in club history this season.

Dew, now into his fifth season at the helm of Gold Coast, is uncontracted beyond this year but has steered the club to a respectable 6-6 and into the chasing pack just outside of the top eight.

Speaking from the team's hotel in Darwin just prior to its victory over North Melbourne over the weekend, Suns footy boss Wayne Campbell said the club wouldn't hide behind the fact Dew is "under some pressure" to deliver results this year.

However, Gold Coast's hierarchy remains impressed by the manner in which the 42-year-old has handled himself and his situation throughout the first half of the campaign and plans to continue assessing his future based around the club's ambitions.

"There's two parts to it. It's getting his head around what he needs to do, which he's been really clear with. That's being the senior coach, providing clear direction to the players and the staff. That's the first part," Campbell told AFL.com.au.

"Hopefully, he would say we've had good conversations around what it looks like and what the state of play is. There's been open dialogue continually, so that he knows what the expectations are and what he'll be judged on and how he's tracking against that.

"The mix of those two things has presented itself in a persona that's very level and in an ability to absorb the stress. If he is stressed underneath, he's not showing that to players and staff. That's been really impressive."

Campbell, who joined Gold Coast last September, praised Dew's ability to get the most from his playing group throughout a stressful situation for the club, with Saturday's win over North Melbourne its fourth in the last five matches.

"It's been really good," Campbell said.

"We hadn't really had much to do with each other before I joined, but I came in with an open mind and I came in understanding the position he's in. There's no need to hide behind that, he's in the last year of his contract and he's under some pressure.

"I've been incredibly impressed, firstly with his ability to handle the pressure. It's such a tough job, being a senior coach, regardless of being under more pressure and all of the other stuff that's going on.

"Initially, I just saw the buy-in from the players and his relationship with them. Is that everything, to have the players? Well, probably not. But he certainly does. He's got a good feel of the game and the way it's played.

"He's got that ability to take on board some new staff, having Steven King, Brad Miller and Jackson Kornberg coming in as well to bring some different ideas. He's wanting to take that on board, to change up the style of footy.

"Then, to put that into plans and to get all the things during the week in line to play some good footy on the weekend … it doesn't guarantee that you win, sometimes you lose, but he has the ability to bounce back and provide a level and stable sort of emotion during the week. That's what he's been able to do during the week, even after some losses, and that's been impressive."

The side's 62-point win over North Melbourne at TIO Stadium over the weekend ensured Gold Coast would draw level at 6-6 heading into its bye round, just a game behind Collingwood in eighth spot.

But with a relatively routine fixture to come in the back-half of the season, with the Suns due to play just three top-eight teams in their last 10 games, finals is still well and truly on the agenda.

"I think it's important not to put any ceiling on it," Campbell said.

"We feel like we're in a good position at the moment, where there's a really good feeling amongst the group. The culture of the playing group and the football department, you put your best foot forward and you get out there and you compete each weekend and you see where it takes you.

"Clearly, if you look at our list demographic we're still probably in the bottom-third in terms of games and experience. But, again, that's not to put a ceiling on it and say that we can't do some stuff this year. We've said from the start of the season that we're aiming to play finals this year and that goal remains."

Victories over top-eight teams Fremantle, Sydney and Carlton already this year have bolstered those September ambitions, with Gold Coast now looking to consolidate in games they will be expected to win in the second half of the season.

"We've got a pretty clear, distinct brand – which has had some adjustments along the way, which is the way it is – but I think we've been in each game. Even the Brisbane game, where we lost by nine goals, we actually felt like we competed with them," Campbell said.

"You look at it and you say, 'we'd have loved to have stolen one more'. Whether that's Collingwood, St Kilda or the Bulldogs. Even the Melbourne game. We were right in those games, but probably never felt like we had controlled them or were going to win.

"I think that Bulldogs game almost sums up our year. We were really competitive against a good team, away from home, and with 60 seconds to go we have a shot to put us within a point. I think the right team won that game, they were a better team than us on the day, but we were just able to hang in there even when we weren't playing great footy.

"Sometimes you just need to win one of those. We've been really competitive against some good top-four or top-six teams. But, at this stage of the year, we're probably happy with the way we've gone."