Sydney FC coach Patrick Kisnorbo believes the best is yet to come from Al Hassan Toure after the flashy winger scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 home thumping of a winless Central Coast.
With captain Rhyan Grant marking his 350th A-League Men appearance, Toure took matters into his own hands to make sure the milestone was celebrated appropriately at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
The one-cap Socceroo completed a first-half double before hitting the scoreboard again in the 50th minute.
Gabriel Popovic, son of national team coach Tony, came off the bench in the 83rd and scored two minutes later, before suffering a cut above the eyebrow from friendly fire in the ensuing celebrations.
But a foul in the box from defender Ben Garuccio on Mariners midfielder John-Kymani Gordon denied the hosts a clean sheet, with striker Oli Lavale converting the penalty one minute into added time.
Toure's efforts at least helped last year's grand finalists nab their second win of the season to leave the Sky Blues (2-1-1) second ahead of the weekend's games.
It was also the first time Sydney have put together back-to-back wins at Allianz Stadium since 2023/24.
Kisnorbo believes Toure is finally hitting his stride after a torrid history with soft tissue injuries.
"We'll have to keep pushing him because he can go more, he can do more," Kisnorbo said.
"When I came last season, he was in and out through injury and stuff and we've rebuilt his body, the way he does things this pre-season.
"You can see through that what's happening and the rewards, but he needs to do more and he knows he needs to do more."
Central Coast drop to 11th (0-2-2) and are still hunting their first win under new coach John Hutchinson.
A dejected Hutchinson joked he needed a lot of patience with the young group.
"I feel like I believe in them at the moment more than they believe in themselves," Hutchinson said.
"And that's frustrating as a coach, because I get to see them every single day.
"It's tough to take. It's a harsh lesson for these boys, but one that hopefully they grow from."
After a flurry of early chances for both sides, the door opened for the hosts when Scottish centre-back Noah McCann handballed from a Garrucio corner in the 27th minute.
Toure converted the penalty easily, drilling the ball straight as Mariners goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne dived to his right.
Central Coast's poor defence on transition was ultimately their undoing.
The hosts added to their lead after Sydney shot-stopper Harrison Devenish-Meares managed to punch a Haine Eames corner over the pack to unleash a free-running Toure.
Toure offloaded to MLS-bound midfielder Akol Akon, before the 17-year-old nailed a cutback to help his fellow attacker score again in the 42nd minute.
Another counter-attack - after striker Bailey Brandtman gave away the ball - helped Toure complete his hat-trick in the second half, with the Mariners simply happy to watch as Oriola Sunday carved through the midfield for the assist.
Sydney substitute Tiago Quintal found the back of the net in the 75th minute, but the goal was chalked off for offside.
