Disappointed with his team's poor goalkicking, Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna has nonetheless lauded the SUNS for "winning ugly" against Melbourne at the MCG on Easter Sunday.

Gold Coast continually butchered the ball – particularly in front of goal – in its scrappy eight-point win.

The SUNS led all the key statistics and had 31 scoring shots to 23 but were never able to kill-off the gallant Demons.

The visitors had more possessions (338-316), marks (97-75), tackles (62-43), clearances (43-34) and also won the inside 50s count 47-44.

So while McKenna couldn't fault the effort, he conceded the SUNS wouldn't beat fellow expansion club Greater Western Sydney with another performance of that ilk in round six.

"We certainly have to play a lot better than that," McKenna said.

"It was just our polish today.

"I think our effort - we out-tackled Melbourne, we had more possessions than them - so our effort was strong.

"We just couldn't finish that last disposal, that last execution once we got it inside our forward 50.

"We kicked 11.20 and I'd say 10 easily out of bounds on the full – and not all in the forward 50 too – so that certainly doesn't help."

While the performance wasn't a memorable one, the young club took another step forwards with its second win at the MCG from seven attempts.

Both victories have come against the battling Demons – with the first registered in round seven last year by 60 points – and it was the SUNS' first win away from Metricon Stadium since that clash.

"There's certainly been a bit of talk about us winning away from home so that's what you take out of it, you win ugly, you win away from home, it's four points and we're 3-2," he said.

"With all due respect, certainly myself as senior coach you sit down and look at the fixtures and you certainly put a question mark to a tick on this game away from home as an opportunity to win.

"We had to play well, we probably just played well enough to eke out a win."

Apart from the four points, the SUNS would have been pleased to hold 17 marks inside 50m – up from their league-low average of six per game.

Tom Lynch hauled down four of those grabs and booted two goals in an encouraging display, while SUNS champion Gary Ablett (32 disposals, two goals) again inspired the victory.

Watched by his father, Gary senior, in the stands, Ablett's 11 disposals and one goal in the second term led Gold Coast to a crucial 20-point half-time lead.

Ex-Docker Greg Broughton (25 disposals, one goal), Michael Rischitelli (25), David Swallow (18 and 2.2) and Dion Prestia (22) were also influential as the SUNS bounced back from a 99-point hammering from Hawthorn last round.