IT'S HARD enough to keep it quiet when you're thinking about a trade, let alone when your best friend busts you on a trip to check out your potential new home.

But that's exactly what happened when Lily Mithen visited the Gold Coast ahead of a potential off-season switch to the Suns.

An inaugural Dee, Mithen won a flag alongside best friend and eventual captain Kate Hore at Melbourne.

But when Hore invited Mithen on a weekend away on the Gold Coast with teammates during the off-season, Mithen had to decline.

Unbeknownst to her teammates, Mithen was already booked to be up on the Goldie that weekend for meetings with the Suns, and was staying about 300m away from the other Melbourne players.

"I was staying up in Burleigh [Heads] with a few of the Dees girls, and [Mithen] was staying in Burleigh as well, and if you've ever been to Burleigh you know it's quite a small place," Hore told AFL.com.au.

"The timing of it was very funny."

Of course, Mithen and Hore's paths crossed, requiring some quick-thinking on Mithen's part.

"I was also invited to go on the trip with those girls, which I politely declined," she said.

"They were like 'you'd never say no to a holiday to Burleigh, why are you saying no?'

"I saw them from afar and was like 'oh no what's my story, what am I going to do?'"

"It wasn't just Kate, she was there with 'Hanksy' [Tyla Hanks], Maeve [Chaplin], Liv Purcell, maybe 'Lampy' [Sarah Lampard] as well.

"I was with Mum so I played it off a little bit but I think they knew what was happening."

Being her best friend and captain, Mithen quietly told Hore that she was considering a move to the Suns.

"She obviously had to call me and tell me the reason she was up there," Hore said.

"It was obviously a very emotional time, a huge move for her, a big decision but ultimately it was the right one for Lil and I'm super proud of her for making that call."

While the two are still great mates, on Friday they'll be adversaries rather than teammates for the first time.

Mithen will take to the field at her old stomping ground of Casey Fields alongside so many of her dearest friends, but she'll be wearing different colours.

"I love playing at Casey so that's a bonus, not many people say that but I'm one who likes playing there," Mithen said.

"It'll just be really interesting to be out there with so many good friends and see them and be like 'oh they're not on my team anymore, but they've been on my team.

"Even the language that they'll be using, I'm really familiar with. 

"I'm really excited. 'Lizey Mac' [Eliza McNamara] seems to think she'll just be laughing the whole time because she'll be like 'this is so random'."

And as for the prospect of facing off against each other on-field, both Hore and Mithen agree there will be no love lost.

"I think Kate will get some real white line fever. I feel like we could have some beef but it's a sisterly love kind of thing," Mithen said.

"I reckon we'll kind of go at each other and then laugh about it and have a really deep hug after the game.

"But it'll be on.

Hore concurred: "I'm sure she'll absolutely dominate up there. Except in round seven, she can have a pretty quiet game."