After a blistering start to the season, the 2013 All Australian has struggled the past two months, but director of coaching Shaun Hart thinks the dynamic forward is close to turning the corner.
Wingard kicked 26 goals in his first 11 games this season, but as Port's form has dipped, so has his, kicking just four goals in his past seven appearances.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's crunch clash against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, Hart said the key to recapturing Wingard's form was simple.
"Chad's had some strong patches, but also some patches where he hasn’t impacted the game as consistently as he has done early in the year," Hart said after a light team run at Metricon on Friday.
"His ultimate outcome and impact for the team will be through four-quarter effort, and we want him to lift his consistency through games, but he's had some really good patches.
"It’s the ability to continue to work in every part of the game. You can't hope the footy comes to you on a nice platter.
"You're still not going to have a great game sometimes but if your work-rate is 100 per cent throughout the game, you should be guaranteed to have some sort of impact for the team."
Hart said he expected versatile tall Justin Westhoff to be even better again this week after overcoming an ankle injury to be a solid contributor against the Sydney Swans last weekend.
He said the loss of defender Steven May (hamstring) would have minimal impact on Gold Coast as the Suns had strong options to cover him.
Hart is returning to the Gold Coast for the first time since leaving at the end of last season as the Suns' reserves coach.
Along with Ken Hinkley – also formerly a Suns assistant – they bring a wealth of knowledge to the table about Saturday's opponent.
Hart said inside knowledge only went so far though.
"Only to the point of what you know about the players, then it's about how our players execute against them," Hart said.
"The stats show they win footy games at Metricon. The reality is they're tough to beat here and they're a quality side if they get the game on their terms."
