GOLD COAST will be aiming to compete for four quarters against the Hawks to give it the best chance of winning Sunday’s clash at the MCG.

Coach Guy McKenna knows if his side has lapses in concentration against the ladder leaders, then the Hawks will put his young side to the sword.

The Suns will enter the Round 9 clash as underdogs, and rightly so given the Hawks have lost just one game this season and the Suns are still in a development period despite marked improvement in their third season in the AFL.

But McKenna has seen the underdogs triumph on a number of occasions in his career as both a player and a coach and knows if his team can compete for for quarters, then it gives itself the best chance to pinch an unlikely victory at the MCG on Sunday.

He believes his young side is up for the challenge.

“We've seen where the underdog can get up,” he said on Wednesday.

“We just have to compete for longer and if we do that we give ourselves a chance of winning.

“We're trying to emerge out of that lightweight bracket. You've seen lightweights knock over heavyweights, you've seen David and Goliath.

"We understand what's ahead of us but I think we're better physically and mentally able to absorb that.”

In order to be competitive for longer, the Suns will be leaning on their experiences players to provide leadership throughout what is sure to be a physical match fort he young Suns.

There is no one better to inspire the young side than their Captain, Gary Ablett.

They too, will need to win more than two quarters to win the game.

Despite having registered four wins in 2013, the Suns have won just 16 quarters of football - an average of two per game.

The Hawks on the other hand have won 21.

Gold Coast have won their past two matches, including their first win at the MCG over Melbourne in Round 7.

The Suns pulled off an unlikely victory over the hapless Demons in an impressive performance that was a cornerstone moment in the club’s short history.

McKenna says that win has given his side the confidence it can go to the MCG and take it up to the Hawks.

"We won our last game at the MCG, we've won two in a row, the boys are confident but certainly aware of the challenge ahead of us," McKenna said.

"I think they're ready to step up and take on that challenge.”