MELBOURNE anticipated its trip to the Gold Coast was going to be a tough battle. 

And that proved to be the case on Saturday as the Demons fought 'til the final siren to win by a narrow five points. 

The team travelled to Heritage Bank Stadium for an afternoon clash that saw the Suns bring the challenge on their home deck, heading into the match having won eight of their last 11 home games. 

“It was a game that we thought was going to take place,” Simon Goodwin told media post-match.

“Gold Coast are in good form, they’re hard to beat up here.

“They play a contested brand of footy, and all the games we’ve played up here in the last three or four years have been tight and that’s what we got [tonight].

“I think it was a pretty exciting game of footy to be a part of and you walk away pretty pleased with the result.”

While the game was testing right from the first bounce, the pressure reached its pinnacle heading into the final term, with scores level.

Prior to the night, the Demons had scored a total of 37 final-term goals while conceding just 15 for a total point differential of 137, the largest final term scoring margin of any side in the AFL.

Thankfully, Melbourne continued its trend of last quarters and held off the Suns to secure the win. 

“It was our last quarter,” Goodwin said.

“Our ability in our last quarters has been really strong and that’s been the case for the whole year.

“We’ve got enormous belief in our physical capacity but it was our ability to dominate entry in the last quarter.

“It’s something we can grow off, you build character in those types of wins, it’s starting to be the hallmark of our team – we finish games off.”

Experienced Demon Angus Brayshaw echoed this sentiment, praising his team’s fight to win.

Brayshaw, who was impressive down back with 24 disposals and seven intercept possessions, emphasised the importance of grinding out victory under pressure.

“It was a good way to win, for the group to show that resilience and play the four quarters out, I thought that was a really good sign for our group," Brayshaw said post-match. 

“I thought tonight when the pressure came on, there were some really big moments from individuals.

“There was no panic, just a really calm sense of what we needed to do in those moments and some really awesome executions, so it was a great win.”

While the last quarter saw a number of Demons step up when it counted most, it was the efforts of young Demon Trent Rivers that earned the praises of the senior coach.  

The defender finished the game with eight intercept possessions and six marks, his final-term performance proving crucial to the team's win. 

“The act of Trent Rivers late in the game, I thought he was very influential, late in the game with his desperation, his acts and his will to win," Goodwin said. 

Melbourne will now turn its attention to Round 9 when it faces Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday 13 May.