Gold Coast have notched their biggest-ever AFL win, thumping Essendon to secure the club's first finals campaign since their 2011 admission.
Gold Coast have thumped Essendon to emphatically end the club's 15-year wait to play AFL finals.
The Suns moved from ninth to seventh with Wednesday's 23.15 (153) to 8.10 (58) win in front of 16,768 fans in the rescheduled, regular-season finale.
The club-record, 95-point margin relegated the Western Bulldogs, who had been holding onto hope since a Sunday loss, to ninth.
The Suns' (15-8) margin of victory easily boosted their percentage above Hawthorn's, meaning they'll travel to Perth to play Fremantle next weekend in the club's first finals game since their 2011 AFL admission.
Back-to-back losses left the Suns needing a win to avoid what would have been a catastrophic finals miss.
A seven-goal first term eased the nerves though, Ben King (career-high seven goals) the early source and fellow All Australian squad members Noah Anderson (34 disposals, 12 clearances, three goals) and Matt Rowell (31 touches, eight tackles, two goals) dominating.
Much-loved ruckman Jarrod Witts iced the cake with a long-range goal after the siren to trigger joyful celebrations.
It was the injury-hit Bombers' 13th consecutive loss.
Daniel Rioli (leg) and Bailey Humphrey (knee) both impressed in timely returns from injury, their efforts helping the Suns comfortably boost their percentage to demote Hawthorn to eighth.
The Suns were sharp early, a staggering 12 inside-50 marks a sign of their first-quarter dominance.
They didn't truly cash in until late in the term though, King finding joy leading back to his midfielders to kick their first three goals.
Skipper Anderson had a quick-fire double, his second a brilliant checkside effort after a neat stripping tackle.
Ben Long benefited from a soft off-the-ball 50m penalty to kick the Suns' fifth and Rowell completed his prolific quarter with a spearing goal just before the buzzer.
Rioli's bursts from defence had been sorely missed by the Suns, so too the physicality of Humphrey, who used his body nicely to mark and goal and extend the lead to 40 in the second quarter.
King kicked his fourth and the lead ballooned beyond 50 when Rowell palmed off Andrew McGrath and slotted his second major.
Rioli's confident strike from 50m midway through the third quarter and King's 67th goal this season - a new Suns record - were the nails in the Bombers' coffin.
They then filled their boots in the final term to beat the previous record 87-point thumping of West Coast that began their season.
Essendon, dealing with a 15-strong injury list, lost Matt Guelfi in the second quarter after he copped an accidental hand to the face.
Veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein then followed him to the rooms with concussion as the hits kept coming for Brad Scott's men.