Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has labelled some of his side's midfield and pressure numbers as "laughable", saying Melbourne gave his fancied group a "kick right in the nuts" during Sunday's defeat.

The SUNS entered their clash against the Demons with a 3-0 record and as one of the form teams of the competition, but had their colours lowered during a disappointing 20-point defeat at the MCG.

Gold Coast lost a series of key midfield battles – the SUNS were -11 for clearances, -22 for contested possessions and -14 for inside 50s – with Melbourne ruck Max Gawn clearly the game's most influential player.

"At the end of the day, I just thought we got beaten around contest. I thought they were harder and tougher than us," a disappointed Hardwick said after the game.

"Every now and then, this game will give you a wakeup call and a kick right in the nuts. Today, that was it for us.

"Our midfield is better than that, we know that and everyone knows that. We just didn't have the desired result today. We had too many players down that normally bounce."

A number of Gold Coast stars were down on their usual lofty form, with reigning Brownlow Medal winner Matt Rowell managing just 13 disposals from 77 per cent game time after returning from a badly broken finger.

Gawn played a key role in Melbourne getting on top in the midfield, with the Dees' superstar captain finishing the contest as its best player with 22 disposals, 32 hitouts and a goal.

"The middle part of the ground, we got absolutely spanked," Hardwick said.

"Max Gawn was by far the best player on the ground. We've been very fortunate with Jarrod Witts, I think we've got the second best ruck in the competition. But he got well and truly beaten today. He'll bounce back, there's no question.

"I thought our midfield had their colours lowered as well. We were -23 in contested possessions, -9 in clearances, they kicked eight goals from stoppage, our pre-clearance pressure was 2.2 which is just laughable.

"If you can't win the ball and you can't put pressure on at the contest, all of a sudden your backs are under enormous pressure. End of story. They have to bounce back. They will bounce back."

Hardwick also warned against underrating Melbourne across the remainder of the season, with the Demons now 3-1 under first-year coach Steven King and playing an exciting brand of footy.

"It's disappointing, but I think people underestimate that side across the road. They've got a great blend of experience and they've also got a spattering of youth," Hardwick said.

"Once again, we look at narratives and all this sort of stuff and people look at the ladder last year … the ladder last year is worth s**t, to be perfectly honest. We take them for what they are.

"They were 2-1, coming off some good wins and they're a good side. They play an attacking brand of footy, easily identifiable, trying to stop it though is another thing. They're a tough side to beat here."