Forward Courtney Jones will welcome any extra attention thrown her way when the Gold Coast SUNS meet her former side Carlton under Friday night lights at Metricon Stadium.

The two sides will do battle in a contest that’s shaping as a must-win for both outfits and has been earmarked on the calendar for the former Blues forward.

Jones says all that matters though is doing her bit to get the SUNS what would be a fifth win of the season.

“I’ve been watching the weeks go down (until this game). It’ll be good to see some old friends, but we’re really just focused as a team on knuckling down and fine tuning for this weekend,” Jones said.

“We’re a pretty physical side so we’ll be looking to sustain that, even take it up another level. If they’re there to by physical with me, I’ll welcome it, take it on board, play my game and get around my teammates to get that win.

“I’m really big on getting my teammates involved and working on the process more than the outcome. We know that if we can focus on that process, do the little one percenters, the outcome will sort itself out.

“We’re both pretty much in the same boat. For us, it wouldn’t matter who we were playing, we know we need to win.”

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AFLW RD9 | Jones "We need to get the ascendancy"

Courtney Jones fronts the media ahead of her first match against her former club

The 22-year-old was the Blues’ leading goalkicker last campaign and has five majors under her belt in SUNS colours.

She will be looking to put her development under Head Coach Cameron Joyce and Forwards Assistant Coach Kieran Daley on full display.

“I’m pretty excited. I have some great relationships with a lot of the girls at Carlton but I think it’s a opportunity to show that I’ve really grown, playing some really good footy and if I can keep up that consistency hopefully we can get the win on the board,” Jones added.

“Anyone that gets traded and ends up playing against their old team wants to play well.”

The SUNS remain as one of the league’s best contested sides and know that needs to be a key part of its game to get the points on Friday night and close the gap on the Top 8.

“We’re such a contested team so if we can play to those strengths and our brand of footy, we can get the ascendancy,” Jones continued.

“As a group we’re training to show that we can compete against those top sides, that’s what we’re working towards. Hopefully this weekend we can show that we belong in the Top 8.”

Get your tickets for Friday’s night clash against Carlton here. Gates open at 6pm before a 6.40pm opening bounce.