Gold Coast is on target for a maiden finals berth after an ugly, but important win over Melbourne at the MCG.
That's the opinion of GC SUNS midfielder Michael Rischitelli, who was superb in the eight-point triumph on Easter Sunday.
Gold Coast is now 3-2, in eighth spot on the ladder and will start warm favourites at home against GWS on Saturday afternoon.
"I think we're on the right path, we're doing everything we can and we believe we can be in the top eight," Rischitelli told AFL.com.au after the SUNS' win.
"We're 3-2 so we're on target at the moment, so we have to keep it up."
The SUNS are in the midst of their best start to a season and, although Sunday's win wasn't a great spectacle, coach Guy McKenna noted the importance of banking the four points.
"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," McKenna said post-match.
"With all due respect, certainly myself as senior coach you sit down and look at the fixtures and you 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."
Learning how to win at the MCG is, of course, crucial if the SUNS are to realise their premiership ambitions.
Gold Coast has now won twice from seven games at the Grand Final venue – both times over the Demons.
"The more opportunity you get to play at the colosseum – so to speak - the better off you're going to be," Rischitelli said.
"It's what finals footy is all about so it was good to get a taste of it today."
It's perhaps a sign of the SUNS' rising internal expectations that Rischitelli couldn't fully appreciate the victory.
The midfielder, who was one of his side's best with 25 disposals and two goal assists, admitted the feeling post-match was "probably not as good as what it could be" because of the SUNS' inaccurate goalkicking.
Gold Coast booted 11.20 to 11.12 and could never kill off the Demons despite dominating the key statistics.
Twitter: @TravKing_AFL
