After a handful of seasons as a bits-and-pieces one-day player, Nathan Reardon won his first-class debut at the end of 2007-08, scoring 18 and 1, and delivering an over. More opportunities for Reardon, a stylish left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pacer, came in the FR Cup campaign, where he played in seven matches at the top and middle of the order, with a high of 36 off 39 balls against Victoria. At the end of the summer he was given the team's fielding award and the prize for the Second XI's Player of the Year.

In 2008-09 he showed his power in the Twenty20s, blasting 144 runs at a strike-rate of 158 and finishing with a competition-high 12 sixes. He was also a fixture in the victorious one-day side, registering two fifties and impressing with his stroke-play. A breakthrough day came when he blasted seven sixes in his 147 against West Indies at Allan Border Field, but he added only four Shield games to his tally for one half-century. The one-day arena was much more fun and his return of 393 runs, with four fifties, was the second best in the side, although he wasn't able to replicate the form in Twenty20s.

Reardon gained his initial senior experience in 2005-06. Picked as the first domestic Supersub, he made his ING Cup debut against New South Wales in the season-opener and was called to bat in the second innings. He played another five times during the competition and collected a handful of double-figure contributions, but delivered only one ball. In his follow-up season he appeared in four Twenty20 matches, striking 54 against Tasmania. Reardon was a Gladstone junior who led Queensland Youth teams before being picked on an Academy tour to India and Sri Lanka. In 2005 his exciting multi-purpose skills also won him a spot in Australia's side for the Hong Kong sixes.
Cricinfo staff September 2010