WHETHER it was a premonition, or just knowing his player, Damien Hardwick had no doubt a breakout game from Ethan Read was not far away.
Just two days before the young Gold Coast forward kicked a career high four goals in a big win over Richmond in round two, Hardwick was quizzed about the 20-year-old at his weekly press conference.
Read had partnered spearhead Ben King in the Suns' first two matches, and despite not having kicked a goal in 2026 to that stage, was keeping Jed Walter and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in the VFL.
"He's getting a lot of hands to balls at the moment and they're just not sticking. But what he's doing is getting to position," Hardwick said.
"You watch him behind the goals. No one works harder than this kid, or smarter.
"He's probably a little frustrated he's dropping those balls, but the fact of the matter is, that's the cream that'll come. He's doing a lot of hard work that will eventually heed the results.
"Eventually it'll stick."
The three-time premiership coach had to wait just 48 hours for that to happen, with Read taking six marks inside 50 against the Tigers and proving the ideal foil for King.
It's an outing that's been coming for much of his 28 career games.
Read is a phenomenal athlete. Standing 202cm, the equal fourth-tallest player at the club, he beat Touk Miller to win the club's 2km pre-season time trial in under six minutes.
He "loved" being trialled on the wing during the pre-season, but with Walter suspended for Opening Round and Ugle-Hagan still finding his feet after a tough 2025, Read reverted to his more familiar role as a tall forward offering back-up support in the ruck.
Speaking to AFL.com.au, Read said it was a dream to perform so well at the MCG in front of his family and best mate, Will, who had made the trip south for the Tigers game.
"It's a bit of the reward for the work I've been putting in over the last three years," he said.
"I've still got a way to go, but it's a step in the right direction.
"Because I've got the endurance and I have an athletic ability to put myself in good spots, it's just the ability to finish my work with a bit of polish, kicking my goals and taking strong marks. I've been doing a lot of work with (forwards coach) Brad Miller in that space."
Read said he spent countless hours in the gym to get stronger, and regular "bag work" with Miller during training to fine-tune his craft.
"I've been tapping into a bit of mindset stuff, trying to get more confident. When I'm confident, I play better," he said.
One thing Read has mastered quickly in his career, is playing alongside focal point King.
The pair have a synergy, rarely jumping for the same marks, and King has been full of praise for his younger sidekick.
"He's one of the more hard-working young guys I've come across," King said.
"His ability to get to heaps of contests - he's always in the right spot because he works his arse off.
"Even when he's not marking the ball, he's so good to play with because he creates so many opportunities and he's always doing the selfless, hard stuff.
"When I'm struggling to get off my man, he'll come back and block and free me up and do all that selfless stuff.
"The times where I'm not getting to a contest, I've got so much trust he's there. He saves me countless times throughout a game. He's unbelievable to play with."
For Read, the key is now consistency, as with any young forward. He knows not every week is going to result in eye-catching marks and goals.
"I think just playing my role … playing consistent footy and consistently marking the ball, because I know I can get to those spots and give a lot to the team.
"As the game wears on I think it suits me.
"When I get more experience and play more games, I'll hopefully kick more goals in the second half because I have that running ability."
