He's won premierships, a Brownlow medal, All-Australian jumpers and just about every AFL gong on offer.

But Gary Ablett had trouble summing up the joy of captaining Gold Coast to their historic first AFL victory.

"It's an amazing feeling," Ablett said after a stirring three-point triumph over Port Adelaide on Saturday.

"It's a fantastic feeling for the boys to have that feeling of winning, it's great."

His coach, Guy McKenna, looked like a proud parent.

"It's a great fillip for the football club - on the field it's fantastic for the players, but off the field I have no doubt it's a great shot in the arm," McKenna said.

The Suns triumphed after trailing by 40 points deep into the third quarter on foreign soil.

"It just shows we're moving in the right direction," McKenna said.

"I wouldn't say the whole game was some great football by the Gold Coast, that is for sure, but we just played a bit more better football than we did last week.

"The pleasing thing was, the boys spent another game out there playing alongside one another and they were able to play the footy they wanted to play, and today they got a win."

McKenna, who scaled the greatest heights as a player to win premierships at West Coast, was uncertain how coaching the win compared to his playing achievements.

"I haven't really stopped to think about that, to be honest," he said.

"I have got a job to do - to develop these boys, to make them grow into good footballers and good people, and that is my job.

"Obviously ultimately the club and the side gets judged by wins and losses, but it's about these boys developing and growing.

"And today, they stood up and won a game of footy, which is fantastic.

"But next week against the Bombers we all start from scratch."

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