While they might boast eight-straight wins at Marrara, the Suns' annual trips to the Top End offers more than just a dominant second-home advantage, Daniel Rioli says.

Rioli, one of four Suns with strong ties to the Territory, says the time at home offers something special each year for his teammates who call it home.

It's a "refresher", a chance to switch-off, see family and reconnect mid-way through the season, he said.

The Tiwi Islands and Darwin-raised defender is in his second year at the Gold Coast after moving north from Richmond.

As a Tiger, Dreamtime at the 'G was grand final-like, and something he circled on the calendar each year for Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Rioli told reporters this week.

At his second club, there's the opportunity to go home to look forward to.

"The fact that I get to go back to Darwin, where I played all my junior footy. is pretty awesome. I get to, like I said, play in front of family and friends. It's pretty special," Rioli said.

"I'm just excited to get back up there with a few of the Indigenous boys."

In addition to himself, Ben Long, Joel Jeffrey and Jy Farrar have connections to the NT.

There's plenty of fishing on their agenda, Rioli said.

"It's just a refresher, to be honest. You don't really get to go home very often in your AFL career. So for us to have our games in Darwin, especially for the Indigenous boys, to be able to be surrounded by family and friends, get to switch off, have some time to go fishing, catch up with family. It's a good feeling, for your mental health.

"By the time we come back here (to Queensland), we've already done that full of stuff, and we're ready to go again for the second half of the year. I guess just a family connection and being back home, it's good for our wellbeing."

The Suns have a 8-2 overall record at TIO Stadium.

Within that is a faultless run across two games hosted there in each of the last four seasons, having not lost at the ground since 2020.

Off the back of their maiden finals appearance, Gold Coast began the year in strong form, and as premiership contenders in many eyes.

Slight hiccups against fellow current top eight sides Melbourne, Hawthorn and Sydney have them sitting in fifth with a 5-3 record.

In Darwin they'll host St Kilda and Port Adelaide in back-to-back games from this Friday, the Power arriving for week one of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

The slippery footy in Darwin are familiar ones for Rioli, who hopes the comparative heat in Queensland, compared to their Victoria and South Australian opponents' conditions, gives his side an edge.

The record doesn't matter against good opposition, he added.

"It's been a bit of a fortress for us going up to Darwin...St Kilda and Port Adelaide, are going pretty well.

"We go out there and try and compete as hard as we can, and I think we'll do that."

The Suns group have been able to tidy up in a couple of areas which let them down in previous weeks ahead of last Sunday's win over GWS.