Port Adelaide
Coach – Ken Hinkley (Dead Man Walking) – Josh Carr
2024 –
Points For – 8th
Points Against – 3rd
Top 5 Best and Fairest
- Zac Butters
- JHF
- Aliir Aliir
- Connor Rosee
- Dan Houston
2024 Rising Star Noms
Logan Evans (Rnd 24)
Ins – Rory Atkins, Jack Lukosius, Joe Richards, Benny Barrett, Joe Berry, Tom Cochrane, Christian Moraes, Jacob Moss, Jack Whitlock
Outs – Charlie Dixon, Tom Clurey, Dan Houston, Francis Evans, Kyle Marshall, Tom McCallum, Trent McKenzie, Quinton Narkle, Tom Scully
My Prediction
Port had a strange year last year. They finished second but never seemed a genuine threat to the premiership. They felt like a middle of the road team at times and I felt they were flattered by ladder position. That being said, for the second year in a row they traded in talent and set themselves again to be better than the year before.
The backline will be better than last year after a year together and getting to know each other’s games. It felt like Aliir was exploited by opposition teams at times last year and BZT had the same challenges he had at Essendon. He just isn’t quite big enough, the alternative is Esava who is too big and too immobile. They will miss Dan Houston and his distribution although he spent a lot more time on the wing last year. They will get good run from Bergman and Byrne-Jones. It is a solid backline if not spectacular. It is probably still the worry for Port.
The midfield is good, very good. JHF and Butters is as good a one two punch as any team. JHF took a big jump last year and I think will take another this year. Rozee probably wasn’t as good as he was the year before but is such a great player. They will be looking for more from Drew and Farrell and hoping that Burgoyne improves even further, you then add in Wines and you could make a very good argument that it is the best midfield in the league.
The forward line is a little bit of a mystery. No longer weighed down by Dixon plodding around they look on paper to be much more dynamic. Georgiades will play out of the goal square. And Lukosius and or Marshall will rotate through CHF and deep forward. SPP will be the bull along with JHF that will spend time up forward or in the middle. Smalls in Berry, Richards and Rioli who was outstanding last year as well make them a very dangerous.
The ruck situation sorted itself out by accident when it turns out that Sweet is a very handy ruck and did a good job in stepping up for them. The coaching situation is a mess, it looks like it gets sorted out this year with reports that Hinkley will handover to Carr. These situations rarely work and expect it to end in a bloody mess at some stage during the season.
Port have a very good list and look better balanced and better placed than they were last year. They lost Houston who is a very good player but they brought in talent and filled holes in their list again. The only real question is the coaching situation and the backline which they bolstered last year but still looks vulnerable. I think if the coaching situation works out, they are a very good chance to win the minor premiership. Because it wont work out, I think they will finish in the 3-5 range.
