Despite being only two wins from the top four, Gold Coast co-captain Tom Lynch expects a tough slog if the Suns are to make their maiden AFL finals appearance.
They sit 13th on the ladder at the halfway mark of the season and on Saturday are looking for three consecutive wins when they host Carlton.
"We've got a long way to go ... this weekend will be a massive game for our finals' hopes - to try and get us to six and six and give us a strong platform for the second half of the year," Lynch said.
"Every team is so even. It's the closest year I've seen in recent memory and is going to be really hard to get wins in the second half of the season and push for those finals."
Upsets have come thick and fast this year in the AFL. At the halfway point in the past two seasons, four wins have separated 13th and fourth on the ladder.
The congestion of teams on the table can easily be seen on the park - Carlton hammering this point home last weekend, beating Greater Western Sydney.
A week ago, the Suns would have tentatively pencilled in four points from their upcoming fixture against the Blues, with a 20-point win already this year against Carlton.
But Gold Coast have followed the trend in the AFL, being consistently inconsistent, but the skipper thinks their two crucial wins over Hawthorn will help the Suns against Carlton.
"They set up really well behind the ball, they make sure they get numbers back and defend really well," Lynch said.
"They're going to be tough to score against - at times we might have to go a bit slower ... they set up a bit similar to Hawthorn so we've had a bit of a taste of what they could bring."
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