Suns aim to build on AFL comeback victory

Young gun Matt Rowell believes Gold Coast's epic comeback win over Richmond can be the making of the AFL club.

The Suns' dream of a maiden finals appearance is alive this season after Noah Anderson's ice-cool set shot on Saturday night sealed the most famous win in their 12-year history.

It came after Stuart Dew's side had trailed by as much as 40 points during the third quarter.

"Those sort of wins create really good memories and that's what footy clubs are built off," Rowell told Fox Footy.

"I think we've got the right people at the footy club now and we're starting to play some more consistent footy.

"A game like that we'll remember for a long time."

The confidence-boosting victory came just days after Gold Coast confirmed a two-year extension to Dew's coaching contract.

Suns players have lauded their "connection" with Dew this year amid rampant speculation about his coaching future.

Anderson said Dew's connection with and trust in the playing group was evident during his half-time address against Richmond, when the coach didn't show any match vision.

The Suns trailed by 34 points at the time, yet Dew remained calm.

"It's not something that usually happens but he just wrote something up (on the board) that was pretty simple," Anderson told Fox Footy.

"He trusted that us as a playing group knew where we were a bit off and knew where we had to improve.

"For that connection and that trust to happen and then to succeed in the second half was pretty cool."

Speaking with experience, GWS interim coach Mark McVeigh said Gold Coast's win over Richmond will "hold huge weight" for the Suns.

A long-time assistant at the Giants, McVeigh saw similar moments during the NSW expansion club's rise through the ranks to a grand final in 2019.

"I just don't think you can underestimate how good that can be for a young footy club," McVeigh told Fox Footy.

"Internally you can see things growing, you can see players growing and the work that they put in ... you can see it evolving over a number of years.

"You wait for those moments, you hope for those moments and when they come you get this feeling of, 'right, here we go, we know we can beat anyone in any given moment'."

Gold Coast (8-8) sit one win and percentage outside the top eight and take on Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.