My Two Cents: Demon looms large on Power hit list

Port Adelaide needs to make another big play for out of favour Melbourne ruckman Brodie Grundy, writes Andrew Capel.

Port Adelaide must reignite its interest in dual All-Australian ruckman Brodie Grundy.

After testing the waters last year and finding Grundy, who was controversially put up for sale by Collingwood, reluctant to leave Victoria and signing with Melbourne, the Power should throw its hat into the ring again.

Port, which is firmly in the premiership window and showcased its quality in a narrow, heartbreaking loss to the ladder-leading Magpies at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, is still in the market for a gun ruckman.

And they don’t come much better than Grundy, a South Australian who was drafted from Sturt at pick 18 in 2012.

While Grundy enjoys living in Melbourne and is contracted to the Demons, the club’s two star ruckmen experiment hasn’t worked and has left the 29-year-old, who should be at the peak of his powers, stuck in the VFL.

Recruited by Melbourne to work in a planned dynamic duo ruck partnership with premiership captain and six-times All-Australian Max Gawn, Grundy has spent the past two weeks running around in the state league competition trying to develop his forward craft.

In contrast, Gawn has reeled off two of his best performances of the season, racking up 29 disposals, five marks, 39 hit-outs and a goal against Brisbane and 13 disposals, eight marks, 38 hit-outs and two goals against the Crows.

Brodie Grundy silences the Port Adelaide crowd after kicking a goal against the Power at Adelaide Oval in Round 10. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin insists his club hasn’t given up on the two-ruck experiment and that Grundy, who still has four years of his seven-year deal - originally signed with Collingwood - to serve with the Demons, will not be put on the trade block for the second consecutive year.

But Port needs to ask the question.

While the Power has a solid No. 1 ruckman in Scott Lycett, a promising back-up in Dante Visentini and other options in Sam Hayes and Brynn Teakle, it has conceded its ruck stocks are an area of list management concern.

“We showed some interest in Brodie last year and the message that we got was that he wanted to stay in Melbourne,’’ Port footy boss Chris Davies told ABC Grandstand.

“I’m not sure where his situation is going to end up and right now he’s obviously well and truly in the mix at Melbourne, another team which is going to be there when the whips are cracking at the end of the year.

“I wouldn’t want to speak about him specifically but, more broadly, with our ruck stocks, there is no doubt that’s an area that we are going to have to continue to look at into the future, from both a number one and depth perspective.

“We think that Visentini has a career ahead of him but outside of that you’ve got Lycett, who is out of contract, Hayes who is out of contract and Teakle, who has done a job over time.

“We think that ‘Scooter’ (Lycett) can continue to do a fantastic job for us but it’s an area that, purely from a contract perspective, that we are going to have to continue to look at.’’

Brodie Grundy wins the hit-out against Fremantle’s Sean Darcy at the MCG in Round 11. Picture: Michael Klein

Port Adelaide’s Scott Lycett contests the ruck with Collingwood’s Darcy Cameron at Adelaide Oval last week. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Lycett, a 2018 West Coast premiership ruckman, turns 31 in September and has battled injuries and form issues in the past two years, which have restricted him to 17 of a possible 40 games.

He was subbed out of the loss to the Pies.

Visentini, who made his AFL debut when Lycett was a late withdrawal with a knee injury against Essendon in Round 16, is only 20 and still very raw.

Hayes, 24, and Teakle, 23, have not been able to command a regular AFL spot.

Grundy, a veteran of 193 games and a dual Collingwood best and fairest winner, would step straight into the No. 1 ruck role at Port and be handed one of the best young midfields in the competition, headlined by rising stars Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis.

It is enough to make Power fans salivate at the thought.

While Port is right in this year’s premiership race, signing Grundy would ensure it stays in the hunt for several years.

He won't come cheap (about $650,000 a season) and the Power already has traded its 2023 first-round draft pick as part of the deal to secure Horne-Francis from North Melbourne.

But it does have one key bargaining chip - out of contract key forward Mitch Georgiades, who is recovering from a knee reconstruction and was not in Port’s best 22 early in the season.

Melbourne's Brodie Grundy (right) goes head-to-head with Essendon ruckman Sam Draper in the Round 5 Gather Round clash at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Michael Klein

And the Demons need a key forward. It is their biggest area of concern, adding to the trade possibility.

Finding a mature-aged, high-calibre key defender is also high on Port’s recruiting wish-list.

It has been linked with North Melbourne’s Ben McKay, Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea, who it tried to trade for last year, and Essendon's Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

“We are going to need to replenish those (key defensive) stocks, there’s no doubt about that,’’ Davies said.

“Our bigger key defenders are all 26 years (old) plus, so our responsibility to the club from a list management perspective is to continue to look at players that we can bring into that group over time and add to the depth.

“Looking at 2024 and beyond we’re definitely on the lookout for someone who can play key defence for the next four or five years.’’

Given the Power’s recent trade and draft successes, it promises to be another busy off-season at Alberton.

NUMBERS GAME

5

Wins by Collingwood this season after trailing at three quarter-time.

10

Charlie Curnow goals against West Coast, giving the Carlton forward a league-leading 61 for the year.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“I think the theatre of footy, we should embrace it, allow Brayden Maynard to just be himself, be authentic. We shouldn’t get precious about comments.’’

Collingwood coach Craig McRae on Maynard’s pre-Port declaration that the Pies were “sitting on top for a reason”.

“It sort of summed up our year a bit. We’re right there but for whatever reason we’re not quite getting the job done at this point.’’

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks on the loss to Melbourne.