Port Adelaide Power

latest Preview of the Port Adelaide season: Can Power overcome the finals chains?

Published

4 months ago

February 20, 2024

DANNY CHAINZ

The Power recruited a plethora of players over the off-season in an attempt to go all in. Will it be profitable?

Insides and Outsides

Xavier Walsh (rookie draft), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (trade, Essendon), Esava Ratugolea (trade, Geelong), Ivan Soldo (trade, Richmond), Jordon Sweet (trade, Western Bulldogs), Lachlan Charleson (rookie draft), Will Lorenz (rookie draft), and Thomas Anastasopoulos (no. 48 draft pick)

OUT

The following people have been delisted: Nathan Barkla, Riley Bonner, Trent Dumont, Xavier Duursma (trade, Essendon), Orazio Fantasia, Sam Hayes, Tom Jonas, Scott Lycett, retired, Jake Pasini, and Brynn Teakle.

hospital room

Leading man Charlie Dixon acknowledged that he is sore heading into what may be his final season, but he was scheduled for intraclub on Friday.Along with Josh Sinn, a bright young talent, Tom Clurey (back) and Mitch Georgiades (ACL) should be available for round one. (hamstring).After 2023, Todd Marshall (hip) and Trent McKenzie (ankle) both had surgeries, thus they were gradually introduced to pre-season play.

Three urgent queries
Contestants or pretenders?
For a few years now, the Power have been pounding on the door. preliminary finals in 2020 and 2021, placed eleventh in a dismal 2022, and came back fiercely the previous year, only to fall short against Greater Western Sydney in the home semifinal. Are the figures in the flag window accurate, or are Port just making them up? The finals series from the previous year indicated they were still lagging behind.

How much of a schedule does Charlie Dixon have?
After playing in 12 games in 2022 and 14 games in 2023, Dixon, 33, is now well into his senior year of play. Injury concerns going into 2024 raise the possibility that the Power won’t get much more than 10 to 15 games out of the spearhead. It implies that Todd Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson will once again be key players, and that Mitch Georgiades’ strong return and more development from Ollie Lord would be enormous benefits.

Are discreet recruits the solution?
During the Trade Period, Port concentrated on strengthening its ruck and defensive stocks, adding Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Essendon) and Esava Ratugolea (Geelong) to the back six. To make room for 2021 All-Australian Aliir Aliir, The Power will be hoping they can hold their own in shutdown duties, while Tom Clurey’s injury comeback will also be encouraging. In place of departed Scott Lycett, Ivan Soldo of Richmond and Jordan Sweet of the Western Bulldogs square off for the No. 1 ruck position.

Monitor the watch.
The enigmatic Mitch Georgiades, whose 2023 season was cut short by an ACL tear, is starting to show off in 2024. After attending a training camp in the United States with seasoned coach Travis Boak during the off-season, Jason Horne-Francis feels that he can finish games as a midfield player. Ollie Wines, the winner of the Brownlow Medal, seemed destined to make a permanent move back to inside midfield having occasionally being moved to the wing in the previous season. Ivan Soldo has declared his preference for the starting ruck position.

After a sluggish start to the season as a forward, fantasy lock Zach Butters (MID, $898,000) has emerged as a true star of the competition. An added plus is that he is reasonably priced at midfield. Over the course of his career, Butters has raised his average each; the 99.5 he achieved last season was a career high. He averaged 121 during a stunning six-week stretch in the midst of the season, and he concluded the year in excellent form, averaging 117 over the last month.

Instant hit

The Power managed to rank fourth for total clearances last season despite being 18th for hitouts, so a lack of force in the ruck didn’t necessarily hinder their stoppage game. But the star-studded midfield will surely appreciate hitouts landing in their laps more often. That’s where recruit Ivan Soldo comes in. The big man lacked opportunity at Richmond but of his eight AFL games last season, 34.6 per cent of his hitouts were to advantage, which is above League average. He’ll give the midfield a defensive boost with his tackling (four per game in 2023) and is a threat when drifting forward. At 27, he’ll be desperate to prove himself.

It’s a big year for…

Todd Marshall has signed a five-year contract extension, with the Power pencilling him in as the main man up forward until 2029. The 25-year-old will bear big responsibility in 2024, considering Dixon is nearing the end, Georgiades is returning from a knee reconstruction and Lord is still finding his feet. He’ll have support from Finlayson, but may need to beat his previous best goals tally (45) for Port to push into September.

Pass mark

After three failed finals campaigns over the past four years, it could be argued Port now need to strike while Boak, Dixon and Wines are still around. On the other hand, Rozee, Butters and Horne-Francis should lead the club for another decade, so it shouldn’t be panic stations if they fail again. However, the pressure cooker will again rise on Ken Hinkley if they don’t win at least one final, possibly two, in 2024.

Best 23 for 2024

B: Trent McKenzie, Esava Ratugolea, Ryan Burton
HB: Miles Bergman, Aliir Aliir, Dan Houston
C: Travis Boak, Ollie Wines, Willem Drew
HF: Jason Horne-Francis, Todd Marshall, Sam Powell-Pepper
F: Willie Rioli, Charlie Dixon, Jeremy Finlayson
Foll: Ivan Soldo, Zak Butters, Connor Rozee
I/C: Kane Farrell, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Mitch Georgiades, Lachie Jones, Josh Sinn (sub)
Emerg: Jed McEntee, Dylan Williams, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher

360sportgist

latest Preview of the Port Adelaide season: Can Power overcome the finals chains?

Port Adelaide Power

latest Preview of the Port Adelaide season: Can Power overcome the finals chains?

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360sportgist

latest Preview of the Port Adelaide season: Can Power overcome the finals chains?

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