YOUNG Gold Coast leader Wil Powell said Saturday's win over Melbourne showed the SUNS were no longer going to be pushed around, particularly when it came to "sticking up for your teammate".

A third-quarter melee erupted in the 19-point win after Steven May's clumsy attempt to spoil Ben Ainsworth clipped his former teammate on the back of the head.

Ben King came in to remonstrate, sparking an elongated push-and-shove between the teams that would result in 12 players being fined by the AFL for engaging in a melee/wrestle.

Powell said Gold Coast did not want to go overboard, but May's action was not something they would let slide.

"It's a bit about flying the flag, but it's doing it in the right manner and not going over the top,” Powell said.

"We're not just a push around team anymore.

"Teams can't just come to our home deck and do what they please.

"Sticking up for your teammates is definitely what we want to see instead of just letting it go."

Powell said it was as much about showing care for your teammates as showing the opposition any bravado.

"We're not going to stand for that," he said.

"It's not going out and saying 'We're bad boys and want to fight', but if somebody needs to be stood up for, we're going to stand in and look after our mate."

The win was Gold Coast's ninth for the year and pushed them back into eighth spot ahead of a trip to Melbourne to face Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

Powell said Monday's review of the win over the Demons was largely positive, although there were some areas for improvement highlighted after watching a 46-point lead dwindle in the fourth term.

"It's that last quarter, that 20 per cent, that we need to keep fixing," he said.

"It's making that good win a great win.

"We believe if we play a SUNS brand of footy it's going to stack up against any side in the comp."