VICE-captain Sam Collins says Gold Coast took a step forward last Friday night despite its 45-point loss to Geelong.

The defeat was the Suns' third straight and left them clinging to a spot in the top 10 with a 7-6 win-loss record.

Speaking on Monday afternoon, Collins conceded his team was under "a bit of pressure" but was confident they had turned the corner.

"(Against) Brisbane we weren't up to scratch. Geelong, I thought we played some pretty good footy and left some moments out there," he said.

"I think we've still got a way to go.

"We've got the answers. We're not searching for anything, it's pretty clear what we need to bring each week, and I back our boys to do that this weekend."

Collins said the pressure and work in the contest (despite losing that statistic) was strong against the Cats, particularly in the first three quarters.

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The problems came with a lack of polish and not taking opportunities, he said.

The Suns will face Hawthorn at People First Stadium on Friday night, less than eight weeks after losing to the same opponent in Launceston by 49 points.

"We're hanging out for a win," Collins said.

"We understand it's on us to play the type of football that justifies us getting four points.

"I think we're pretty clear as a team on what we need to do and how we're going to fix it.

"We're not playing our best football, and we'd like to be playing better.

"As a club, we're under a bit of pressure at the moment and that's somewhat new for a lot of us here. We've got to work through that as a team.

"We've got a massive challenge and massive opportunity against Hawthorn this week."

Ethan Read (knee) is in line to return this week, while Wil Powell (shoulder) will need to continue improving in coming days to put his hand up for selection.