IN SO many ways, Friday night's match against Collingwood at People First Stadium stands to be the biggest in Gold Coast's 15-year history.
Sold out a month ago, with the Magpie Army expected to be more than prominent, the ground record of 24,032 is in jeopardy.
That mark was set in 2014, against the same opponent, in perhaps one of the most defining matches in Suns history, one it finished victorious to move to a 9-6 record, but one that also saw the end of Gary Ablett jnr's season with a dislocated shoulder.
With its main man down for the season, Gold Coast capitulated, winning one of its final seven matches to not only miss the top eight, but end the coaching tenure of Guy McKenna.
This will be the first time the Suns have hosted a prime Thursday or Friday night timeslot at Carrara, apart from the disjointed COVID-19 seasons, in their existence.
Currently perched in seventh spot on the ladder, they can validate their September ambitions with a victory and announce themselves as genuine players in 2025.
"We've got a really challenging game next week," coach Damien Hardwick said following Saturday's win over Essendon.
"We're really pleased with how our squad is playing and how, when challenged, they do respond.
"We're looking forward to the challenge."
It won't be easy against the runaway competition leaders, who will be playing their first game outside Melbourne since May 8 and view it as an opportunity to dent another finals aspirant. (Hardwick's men have flown almost 15,000km since the Magpies last hopped on a plane).
The past three seasons, this corresponding fixture – played at Carrara each time – has been a litmus test for a Suns outfit that has threatened to play finals.
In 2022, they gave up a late lead to lose to Craig McRae's close-game experts. A hammering in 2023 was the virtual death knell for Stuart Dew's time in charge.
Collingwood played scintillating football to lead by 10 goals at half-time, win by 78 points and crush Gold Coast's aspirations of progress.
Hardwick had success last year, watching his team eke out an 11-point victory.
Beyond the ramifications on-field, this match provides one of the great opportunities to capture the Gold Coast community.
The Suns are making inroads, with home attendances in 2024 at an all-time high and 2025 tracking similarly.
Gold Coast, the city, is begging to support a winning team. The National Rugby League Titans are sitting bottom of the ladder.
There's a school of thinking the first team that has genuine success will dominate the landscape in the country's sixth largest city. This week alone is a great test case.
Rugby league's State of Origin decider between Queensland and New South Wales is being played in Sydney on Wednesday night and will lead news bulletins and back pages in the south-east corner of the state.
However, Gold Coast's local newspaper and television networks will be focussed on the build-up to the Suns and Magpies with media opportunities through the week filling news quotas before Friday night's blockbuster.
One result won't define the season for the Suns or their share in the market, but victory would go a long way to helping both.
