By Michael Whiting 

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said the GC SUNS would use every piece of inside knowledge they had on Collingwood in their quest to beat the reigning premiers at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

The GC SUNS are littered with former Magpies including McKenna, who was an assistant to Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse for five seasons.

GC SUNS assistant coach Shane O'Bree, along with players Josh Fraser, Danny Stanley and Sam Iles, all have recent experience with the Collingwood system.

McKenna said the GC SUNS were capable of springing the biggest upset of the season, citing Samoa's unlikely rugby Test win over Australia on Sunday as evidence of the unpredictability of sport.

He feels the GC SUNS inside knowledge could play a significant role on Saturday.

"If we bring the effort and attitude and structure, we give ourselves a good chance," McKenna said.

"Shane O'Bree has recently come out of their midfield, Danny Stanley and Sammy Iles have been there two and three years ago, obviously Josh (Fraser) has rucked for them and played his 200th game for them last year, so they know their system, probably know how it can be brought down," he said.

"They understand what Mick likes and Mick doesn't like from an opposition so we'll be using that as much as we can, but we also have to have the players to carry that out.

"If the players bring their effort and we give them a decent structure to hang off, as we have three times this year, it's good enough to win games of footy."

On paper, the matchup between the 16th-placed GC SUNS and the ladder-leading Magpies looks to be a clash between David and Goliath, but McKenna doesn’t see it that way.

"I don't think Josh Fraser is any weaker by working in our green shed compared to the Lexus Centre's gym," McKenna argued.

"It's about what you make out of what you've got."

Malthouse has played a huge role in McKenna's football career, coaching him for 10 seasons at West Coast before working with him at the Magpies.

McKenna said it would be an "honour" to oppose him as a coach, and there was no doubt some of Malthouse's philosophies had rubbed off on him.

"I'll be trying to make him angry and he'll be trying to make me angry," he said.

"I know what he's like as a coach, (but) one thing he doesn't know is what I'm like as a coach. If that's an advantage, that's something I can take into the game."

The GC SUNS players have been given two days off to recover from Saturday's victory over Richmond as they manage a long first season with a young playing list.

McKenna said the coming three matches against Collingwood, St Kilda and Geelong would be a great test to see how far the team had come in its first season.