What a difference four years can make.

When the club’s young cattle including the likes of David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Trent McKenzie arrived on the AFL scene, many, if not all of Gold Coast’s first-year players came having idolised current day football icons from afar.

For re-signed fullback Steven May, it was Fremantle superstar Matthew Pavlich who had the Northern Territory junior aspiring towards one day stamping his mark as one of the game’s most prolific power forwards.

But as seen best when the two heavyweights met at Patersons Stadium in round two this season, any childhood admiration the SUNS’ young stars may have had for today’s modern day greats no longer burns as bright.

And it’ll be no different when Gold Coast lines up to take on Sydney on home soil this Sunday according to coach Guy McKenna, despite the Swan’s boasting a multi-million dollar forward attack in the form of superstar talent Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett and dual Brownlow medal winner Adam Goodes.

“I don’t think it’s now frightening or scary for them; they see it as a challenge,” McKenna said.

“’I idolised you but now I want to beat you, I want to be better than you’” expressing the player’s views.

“That is where I think the group is at and that is where the maturity of our group has come.

“They don’t fear them anymore because they’ve got some runs on the board; they’re in their fourth pre-season… they relish the challenge which is encouraging.”

While the players’ might not be fretting over the AFL’s new glamour team, “Bluey” hinted the same can’t be said for his experienced coaching group.

Defensive mentor Dean Solomon was one of the 37,355 spectators in attendance that witnessed the Swans deliver Geelong their seventh biggest loss in the club’s118-year history.

“He went down and watched Sydney play Geelong and hasn’t slept ever since,” McKenna said with a smile.

“But the game won’t be won there (in reference to the Swans’ forward line).

“If our pressure is not good enough in the forward half, and we allow them easy access and disposals in our back 50, we could have team full of Peter Knights, Paul Roos and Gary Pert’s and if the supply is silver service well Steven May, Rory Thompson or whoever we pick down there aren’t going to stop them.

“If the pressure is good enough up the ground and we can’t stop the movement like Geelong, we’ll cop the same result.

“I know our back-six will have to stand up but it’s more important with our front twelve kicking a score then holding it in.”