Their stellar start to the AFL season could come a cropper in the next month but Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna is remaining calm.

The Suns have powered to third on the ladder with a 7-2 record.

But their next six fixtures will determine whether they belong in the top four or not.

They head to Adelaide this week, with trips to play West Coast, and Hawthorn in Tasmania, in conditions that will prove a chilly contrast to southern Queensland.

Home games against fellow top-five teams Sydney, Geelong and Collingwood will also provide no relief.

Ahead of their debut on Adelaide Oval against a side they’ve never beaten, McKenna was under no illusions of the challenge ahead.

“It’s a tough six weeks,” he said.

“If we won all six games or lost all six games, it has an impact on the ladder, but I’m more interested in how we go about it, how we play.”

“Regardless of results, it’s about how we perform and how we front up.”

McKenna pointed to the cyclical nature of the game for his untroubled attitude.

“You’ve got to understand where we’ve come from,” he said.

“Three wins in two years and then eight wins (last season).

“Being involved in football as long as I have, as quick as it can come, quickly it can go, too.

“Everyone had written off Carlton at the start of the year and they’ve won four of their last five.”

The Suns also have injury concerns ahead of Thursday, with Rory Thompson (wrist) and Harley Bennell (calf) at risk of missing the trip to Adelaide.

Thompson will undergo a fitness test on Thursday, while Bennell could be given a week off.

McKenna said Bennell’s history with calf injuries would prompt a “no-risk policy” with the talented utility.

“We’ve shown we can win without him but, I think we’ve got a better chance of winning with him in there,” he said.