Gold Coast has breathed new life into its season with a three-point win over West Coast in a thrilling clash at Metricon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Peter Wright was the hero with a big mark and goal with less than two minutes remaining as the SUNS held on to seal the 11.14 (80) to 11.11 (77) victory.
The win was Gold Coast's first over West Coast in its history and continues the Eagles' horror record on the road.
The scrappy performance proved both sides felt the pressure of a fixture which carried more weight than the four points.
West Coast had been trying to fight off the tag as flat-track bullies, with the SUNS attempting to keep coach Rodney Eade out of negative headlines.
The SUNS held the lead at half-time and kept it until 10 minutes into the final quarter when West Coast kicked four straight goals.
But Wright stood tall for the hosts and kicked the winning goal with 90 seconds left to finish with two for the match.
Earlier, Tom Lynch booted three goals in strong performance, moving widely around the ground and giving the Suns some steel at the contest.
In his return from a shoulder injury, Gary Ablett racked up 36 disposals, while Pearce Hanley had 31 touches in his best game for the club and fellow recruit Jarryd Lyons picked up 29.
The blowtorch will be on West Coast next week after its third straight loss and fourth away from home.
The Eagles lacked Josh Kennedy's precision up front in the low-scoring encounter with Jack Darling failing to fire as the No.1 forward target.
Their slingshot style of football couldn't pip the Suns in a match marred by errors from both sides.
Sam Mitchell produced another stellar performance with 33 disposals but was unable to drag his team across the line.
Elliot Yeo led the way with three goals for West Coast, with Josh Hill chiming in with two in the last term.
GOLD COAST 2.5 5.10 9.10 11.14 (80)
WEST COAST 3.3 5.5 7.8 11.11 (77)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Lynch 3, Wright 2, Lemmens, Harbrow, Sexton, Matera, Hall, Lyons
West Coast: Yeo 3, Hill 2, Schofield, McGovern, Petrie, Jetta, Shuey, Cripps
BEST
Gold Coast: Hanley, Ablett, Martin, Harbrow, Lyons, Miller
West Coast: Mitchell, Sheed, Shuey, Yeo, Jetta
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
West Coast: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevens, Nicholls, Hay, Glouftsis
Official crowd: 11,402 at Metricon Stadium
