Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick admits he’s yet to work out how to get the best from his prized recruit Christian Petracca following another quiet performance from the former Melbourne star.

Playing in the forward line, Petracca had no influence on Saturday at the Gabba as the Suns’ poor 2026 campaign continued with a 42-point QClash loss to the Brisbane Lions.

Petracca accumulated only 12 possessions, following 14 and 16-disposal performances in his previous two games.

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The tally is his lowest in a match since Round 11, 2022.

He also hasn’t kicked a goal in his past four matches, with Gold Coast’s use of him as a forward, rather than in the midfield, failing to benefit the Suns.

“He’s had a bit of a downturn in form,” Hardwick said of Petracca.

“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 a great thing about Christian.

Christian Petracca is tackled by Charlie Cameron. (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“He’s a guy that has come from a background in Melbourne where he was the (Demons’) best player, a Norm Smith medallist … and 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, and he’s pulling his part in that.

“I’ve got to get better at utilising him to his absolute strength. 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’ll work on that.

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

Petracca wasn’t the only Suns player who failed to fire in Gold Coast’s 14.11 (95) to 6.17 (53) loss.

However, Gold Coast was still in the contest in the third-quarter, with Hardwick left to lament the Suns’ lack of “polish” after an 11th loss from their past 12 games.

“There were ample opportunities where we could have had some scoreboard damage, and the kick-in offence was very good as well, so it was like a double-edged sword,” Hardwick said.

“We’d have a shot on goal, miss a relatively simple one, then they’d go back down the other end. That’s what a good side does. They punish you when they have the ability to do so.

“We just couldn’t quite get the pattern and system right, which is frustrating.

“They were just more polished. We just made it look hard, and they’re a cleaner and more polished side at the moment, and they got better results going inside 50.

“We gave them four goals … just through blatant errors, not necessarily Brisbane’s good play, so they’re things that we can rectify and get better at.”

The Suns’ disappointing season comes to an end on Thursday night against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.