Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew has questioned his team's maturity following Saturday night's horror loss to Carlton.

Just seven days after arguably the greatest win in club history, the SUNS dished up a stinker against the bottom-placed Blues to lose by 35 points in front of a bewildered home crowd.

Dew said Gold Coast played just 12 good minutes of football all night, and it was hard to argue. 

The SUNS kicked the game's first three goals and then managed just two more the rest of the night as Carlton ran roughshod.

All of this just a week after a landmark upset of Sydney at the SCG.

"It probably sums up the maturity of the group, or lack of, being able to deal with that, such a high, and we didn't," Dew said.

"We talked about making sure something didn't happen like what we did to Sydney, but it has.

"They came out, we didn't.

"I thought bar the first 12 minutes, the game was on their terms. 

"Full credit to Carlton, they came in and hunted us down, won the game of footy.

"Lesson learnt, unfortunately, in actions." 

Dew conceded he would have to make changes for next Sunday's game against Melbourne at the MCG after the poor showing. 

David Swallow, who returned after being rested last week, was concussed in the opening quarter and failed to return, but his absence was no excuse.

Pearce Hanley, Ben Ainsworth and Michael Barlow all played in the SUNS' NEAFL team on Saturday and could come into the frame for a recall against the Demons.

"We really can't accept the performance," Dew said.

"We've got four games to show how we want to play.

"Consistency has been our battle. Last week we played three-and-a-half (quarters), this week, 12 minutes.

"It's disappointing but it's probably a sign of where we're at as a side and a football club and we need to keep challenging each other and not putting our head in the sand."