AFL Port Adelaide news: All the latest updates on injury and selection
Port Adelaide’s defensive general Aliir Aliir has reacted to the surprise omission of Tom Jonas this week and revealed the area where the Port skipper must improve.
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Port Adelaide defender Aliir Aliir has backed captain Tom Jonas to find form and quickly return to the AFL side after being left out this week.
Aliir said Jonas remained part of the club’s best 22, he just needed to build momentum on the back of missing three games through suspension or injury this season.
Jonas, the Power’s skipper since 2019, is set to play in the SANFL for the first time in eight years on Sunday.
The 32-year-old missed last week’s win over Richmond due to a one-game ban and Port Adelaide opted to stick with largely the same line-up.
“He knows he has to go out and perform well, but I’m sure he’ll come back, he’s our captain, our leader,” Aliir said.
“He’s missed a couple of games through suspension and injuries, and he knows himself – he’s a proud and great leader who is always going to put the team first.
“Everyone’s been down on form.
“Last year I didn’t have the best year – I had a shocking year – but it’s about finding momentum.
“He’ll go out in the SANFL, do that and come back because he’s our captain and part of our best 22.”
Asked what facets of the game Jonas was down on compared to previous years, Aliir said being caught out of position in some one-on-ones.
But Aliir said a key reason why the veteran was left out was the form of other defenders.
“When you’ve won eight in a row and everyone’s playing well, it’s sort of hard to change (the team),” he said.
Aliir, a 2021 All-Australian, has bounced back to top form this season while further developing himself as one of the leaders in the Power’s backline.
The proud Dinka man of South Sudanese heritage is also a role model for many wannabe footballers.
He was king of the kids on Friday at the Multicultural Power Cup — an annual program for more than 500 secondary students from culturally diverse backgrounds designed to celebrate education, community and footy — even though he was modest about his standing in the AFL.
“I’m no superstar, I’m just your average footballer trying to get a kick, but if I can help inspire one kid or they can achieve something from me having a conversation with them, I guess I’ve done my job as a role model,” Aliir said.
HINKLEY EXPLAINS BIG JONAS CALL, BOAK FITNESS LATEST
Port Adelaide has made a bold selection call, overlooking captain Tom Jonas for Saturday’s home game against Hawthorn despite him being available.
As the Power chases a ninth consecutive win, Jonas is set to play in the SANFL for the first time since 2016, looking to build back to his best after missing three games this season.
Coach Ken Hinkley called the decision significant, but one made by an in-form side.
Hinkley was unsure if the skipper would return for next week’s crunch away game against the Western Bulldogs, saying it would come down to how he and the Power played.
Port Adelaide’s selection squeeze was compounded by Lachie Jones’s strong showing in Jonas’s absence against Richmond and Ryan Burton’s likely shift back to defence.
“We’re in really good form, Tom’s missed a bit of footy now over the last month,” Hinkley said.
“We’re really consistent with our behaviours and don’t separate anyone, whether it be the captain or a first-year player – the opportunity to play comes through form and performance.
“As a good leader of our football club, Tom understands that the players who come in and played last week played really well.
“He knows it’s good for him to go back, have a game and get some form, and make sure he’s in good nick when he comes back in because he’s been interrupted over the last five weeks.”
Forward Todd Marshall’s return from concussion at the expense of midfielder Jackson Mead was the Power’s sole change on Thursday night.
Former captain Travis Boak (ribs) and spearhead Charlie Dixon (quad) will miss a second and fourth consecutive week respectively.
Hinkley expected Boak to be available next week.
Ruck/forward Brynn Teakle was wearing a moon boot at training and was expected to be sidelined for the “short to medium term”.
In positive news for the Power, goalsneak Orazio Fantasia will return via the SANFL this weekend after missing two months with a quad issue.
“We just hope he gets a fair crack at it,” Hinkley said.
Hinkley described the club’s mid-season recruit, former Geelong midfielder/forward Quinton Narkle, as “desperately unlucky” to have been out of the AFL system.
PORT ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN
Saturday June 3, 1:45pm at Adelaide Oval
POWER
B: D.Byrne-Jones, T.McKenzie, D.Houston
HB: K.Farrell, A.Aliir, D.Williams
C: M.Bergman, J.Horne-Francis, R.Bonner
HF: Z.Butters, T.Marshall, R.Burton
F: J.Finlayson, O.Lord, S.Powell-Pepper
FOLL: S.Lycett, O.Wines - C, C.Rozee
I/C: J.McEntee, W.Drew, L.Jones, J.Rioli
EMG: F.Evans, T.Jonas, J.Sinn, J.Mead
In: T.Marshall
Out: J.Mead (Omitted), F.Evans (Omitted)
HAWKS
B: J.Impey, S.Frost, J.Scrimshaw
HB: B.Hardwick, J.Blanck, S.Mitchell
C: K.Amon, J.Newcombe, J.Weddle
HF: C.Macdonald, J.Koschitzke, D.Moore
F: L.Meek, M.Lewis, L.Breust - C
FOLL: N.Reeves, C.Nash, W.Day
I/C: L.Bramble, J.Worpel, S.Butler, T.Brockman
EMG: M.Ramsden, B.Macdonald, N.Long, C.Mackenzie
In: J.Scrimshaw
Out: J.Sicily (Suspension), C.Mackenzie (Managed)
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