It’s called the engine room for a reason. An underwhelming work-rate and lack of team structure in the midfield can quite literally bring a performance to a screeching halt.

With up to seven of their first-choice midfielders sidelined with injury over recent weeks, Gold Coast have had to be creative with their structure but are still managing to building continuity each week.

“We think we’re becoming a lot more consistent over this year,” assistant coach Dean Solomon told the media on Monday afternoon.

“Just in the last two games, in the last five minutes, there’s been some structure that has broken down, and as a result the opposition has been allowed to score.

READ: Development and effort evident, says Solomon

“But that’s the education for our inexperienced midfield at the moment, they’ll learn a lot out of that.”

Players such as Touk Miller and Alex Sexton have been required to step up, often supported by somewhat unlikely faces with a number of new names making cameos inside the centre square.

“We’ve had to add a bit of variety to our midfield, which has been great,” Solomon said.

“A lot of education has had to go into players like (Jarrod) Garlett and (Brandon) Matera, who haven’t played a lot of midfield - they’ve really seized the opportunity.

“It’s all just doing what’s required in the game plan, it’s nothing special. It’s nothing over the top, it's just adhering to what’s required and they are doing that consistently, that’s what were after.”

WATCH: Mitch Hallahan post-match

And that game plan required Mitch Hallahan to ‘bash and crash’.

Hallahan finished the game with 11 contested possessions, much to the delight of Solomon.

“Mitchy got a chance on the weekend to come back in and show what’s a real strength of his and that’s his contested footy,”he said.

“And he was very strong over it, that’s a credit to him, he’s got to maintain that now.”