Gold Coast SUNS ruckman Rory Thompson says the young GC SUNS took plenty of positives out of Sunday's match against West Coast despite being eliminated from the NAB Cup by the Eagles.

The GC SUNS held their own in the stifling Perth heat and Thompson says he and his teammates will learn a lot from the experience.

"I thought it was really good. I thought we were really competitive," Thompson said on Tuesday.

"We definitely had a young side in compared to them, so I thought we were really good.

"[I'd] definitely [give us] a high mark just with our competitiveness for such a young side against the older bodies. I thought it was really good."

Thompson and fellow big men Daniel Gorringe and Tom Nicholls had their hands full with decorated West Coast ruckman Dean Cox, but will only learn from watching the premiership player's tireless work habits up close.

While Cox held sway for the majority of the contest, Thompson provided a highlight of his own with the sole nine-pointer of the day in the first quarter.

He'll get the chance to build on that experience when Gold Coast SUNS takes on the Sydney Swans at Southport in the NAB Challenge series on Saturday.

It will be something of a homecoming for the local product, who took part in several junior premierships with the Southport Sharks.

"It will be good to get back there and have a game," he said.

"It should be a decent crowd."

Thompson turns 20 before the start of the season and feels he's capable of getting some AFL games under his belt in the GC SUNS first year in elite company.

While Thompson is delighted to be representing the region he grew up in - he maintains he was just in the right place at the right time when the GC SUNS were born - he says each player's origins now mean little to coach Guy McKenna.

"It doesn't have that much to do with where you come from," he says of the direction he receives from the coach.

"It's just to play the footy that he thinks you can play."

Rory Thompson is a $97,600 ruckman in the Toyota AFL Dream Team competition.