GOLD Coast threw everything at Melbourne on Saturday night, but the Demons clung on in a thriller at Heritage Bank Stadium to win by five points.

Melbourne hung on to win 13.12 (90) to 13.7 (85) in front of a parochial home crowd.

After the Demons got out to a 15-point lead early in the final quarter of what had been an intense, see-sawing battle, the Suns mustered one last effort and could consider themselves unlucky to not get something from the game.

But the Demons did enough, with Christian Petracca (26), Max Gawn and Clayton Oliver (28) all having enough of an influence to earn their team the four premiership points.

Melbourne shot out to a three-goal lead early in the match as it made the most of every foray forward.

Jacob van Rooyen, Kysaiah Pickett and Brodie Grundy all kicked truly before Gold Coast wrestled back the momentum with a relentless hunt around the contest.

Matt Rowell got on top around the stoppages, while Rosas jnr (who kicked three goals in the first half) finished nicely.

Melbourne was the slightly more composed team as tempers frayed, kicking goals right on the quarter-time siren and then again just before the half to take a seven-point lead to the main break.

The third quarter was more of the same back and forth action, with the intensity and pressure from both teams seemingly rising the longer the match wore on.

Kade Chandler's magic finish
The young Melbourne forward is having a great season and added another highlight to his resume with a brilliant first quarter goal. With the ball running into the Demons' forward 50, Chandler sprinted after it, picked it up, evaded Wil Powell and Sean Lemmens and then calmly swung on to his left boot and curled home a finish from 40m for a spectacular goal.

GOLD COAST     3.3     7.4     11.6     13.7 (85)
MELBOURNE     4.4     8.5     11.6     13.12 (90)

GOALS
Gold Coast: Rosas 4, Casboult 2, Chol 2, King 2, Anderson, Ellis, Lukosius
Melbourne: Gawn 2, Grundy 2, Pickett 2, Bowey, Chandler, Jordon, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, Sparrow, van Rooyen

BEST
Gold Coast: Anderson, Macpherson, Ballard, Powell, Rowell, Lemmens
Melbourne: Petracca, Gawn, Oliver, Brayshaw, Sparrow, May

INJURIES 
Gold Coast: Ballard (head), Long (leg)
Melbourne: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Gold Coast: Nil
Melbourne: Daniel Turner replaced Michael Hibberd (managed) in the selected side

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: James Tsitas (replaced Sam Flanders in the fourth quarter)
Melbourne: James Harmes (replaced Daniel Turner in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 11,440 at Heritage Bank Stadium