"Buyer's remorse?": Hardwick and Gold Coast's "misread" on underwhelming star

Christian Petracca’s early season form has become a distant memory, and after Suns’ coach Damien Hardwick’s curious comments on Sunday, Adam Simpson has floated the notion of buyer’s remorse.

After a blistering start to life in the Gold Coast, Petracca’s role has become a complete unknown as the Suns continue to slip further into misery as the season goes on.

However, over the last five games, Petracca is rated outside the top 300 players in the competition, averaging 18 touches and having incredibly little influence playing forward of the ball.

This was most pronounced in Round 23, with Petracca managing just 12 disposals at 50 per cent efficiency, with three turnovers and just one behind in nearly 80 per cent game time.

With just one win in their last 12, the Suns’ buy-in on Petracca hasn’t quite panned out as they would have planned, prompting head coach Hardwick to own his personal mismanagement of the former Norm Smith medallist.

“He has had a bit of a downturn in form,” Hardwick said after the Suns’ loss to Brisbane.

“I’ve got to find how I can best use him, and that’s up to me to figure it out.

“We’ve had some really good conversations, and he will do whatever I want for the benefit of the team.

“That’s the great thing about Christian; he is a guy that’s come from a background at Melbourne where… best player, Norm Smith medallist and all of that sort of stuff.

“What I’m after from Christian is a little bit different up here. His legacy to me is to help us change the fortunes of the Gold Coast Suns.

“He is pulling his part in that, and I think I’ve got to get better at utilising him to his absolute strengths.

“I haven’t found that right lever yet; we had it at the start of the year, it’s probably drifted off a little bit, so we will work to that.

“One thing I will say is our communication with each other is very, very good, so we will work through that, and we will get it better.”

Both Gerard Whateley and Adam Simpson couldn’t help but wonder how the Suns and Petracca alike must feel heading into the conclusion of their first season.

“Has it drifted off, or did he move him away from the position?” Whateley questioned.

Simpson added: “He was the 42nd rated player on the weekend.”

Whateley: “Having been in the top five rated players across the competition for the first chunk of the season.”

Simpson: “I think ‘Dimma’ openly said, when he did make this move, that he is the number one forward/mid (in the competition) – he threw the stat out.

“I’m not quite sure. It’s difficult when you get to this time of year and you can’t play finals.

“What’s going through Christian’s mind as well, as much as ‘Dimma’. What’s he thinking?

“He is looking at his old mates (Melbourne) and what they’re going through. ‘Have I made the right decision? Am I happy? Is the family happy?’

“Is their buyer’s remorse? All of those things ‘Dimma’ can’t control… and ‘I’m getting played out of position’.

“This is looking from a long way away, so let’s just see what happens, but has it worked?”

Whateley: “Not now, no.”

Simpson: “You’d think that’s a no-brainer. It’s a misread, absolutely.”

Petracca and the Suns will close the season at Marvel Stadium against St Kilda.

At best, the Suns can move into 13th with a win – significantly below the benchmark set for the side moving into the 2026 campaign.