Port Adelaide’s youth policy is paying dividends and rival clubs are starting to follow

Born in the year 2000, a trio of Port Adelaide young guns are proving youth is the best policy and it’s being quickly followed by rival clubs, including the Crows, writes Mark Bickley.

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There are many reasons why Port Adelaide fans are smiling after six rounds.

One is their team’s great early season form, another is the emergence of a swag of precociously talented youngsters.

Some Port fans and others (including me), questioned the wisdom in trading two established players in the prime of their careers for a number of high-end, but unproven draft picks.

It was a bold move but one that clearly looks well founded.

The performances so far of the three first round draft picks in Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Dursma, along with the other debutant, Willem Drew have all been outstanding.

Zak Butters of the Power breaks a tackle during the win over North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

The measurement is not only about the pure football output, they bring other intangibles. I’ve loved watching the way they go about it. Between them they have made plenty of mistakes, but almost always trying to take the game on, and not once have they ever dropped their bundle or recoiled as a result of it.

Also don’t underestimate the rub off on the other players, of the swagger of Rozee and Butters, the enthusiasm of Dursma and the numerous courageous acts of Drew.

When you add Todd Marshall to the group that’s almost 25 per cent of your side that haven’t yet celebrated their 21st birthday.

As a Crows fan in the first few rounds when their form was poor I must say I was envious of what the Power were doing.

The Crows had only blooded one youngster in Chayce Jones along with the 20-year-old rookie listed Lachie Murphy, without a heap of standout young options knocking the door in the SANFL to come in.

Adelaide's Elliott Himmelberg marks in the win over St Kilda. Pic: Michael Klein.

I don’t know if the Crows were emboldened by the form of not just Port Adelaide’s youngsters but many of the young players given opportunities throughout the league who have excelled at the level, but they too have joined the party.

Adelaide through a mix of forced and unforced selections last week against St Kilda had four players under 21, Elliott Himmelberg, Murphy, Myles Polholke and Jordan Gallucci.

The Crows produced their best performance of the year and, while individually the youngsters didn’t star, they played their role, as well as bringing a desire and urgency to the side.

They played like they were desperate to keep a spot in the team, an accusation levelled at some of the players they replaced.

That last sentence encapsulated some shrewd selection tactics of Ken Hinkley earlier in the season. Regular starters last year Sam Gary and Douglas Howard were both forced to earn their way back into the senior team through hard work and excellent form in the SANFL.

This can only be achieved if the output of the senior team is not going to be affected, a luxury the Power had due to the good form and belief in their quality youngsters.

The Crows now find themselves in that same enviable position — established players like Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs outside the side with youngsters doing their jobs at AFL level.

Gibbs was a late withdrawal last week due to illness, so I would expect him to regain his position in the team.

Jenkins is a different case. With Himmelberg playing much better in game two than in game one I would expect him to retain his position. Who knows how good game three might be.

There is no doubt Jenkins will return to the Crows side in time, but he has to have fully earned it like his counterparts in Ellis-Yoleman and Polholke, who played numerous good games before being rewarded with selection, a path Jenkins appeared to have started last week.

The other very visible club appearing to opt for this strategy of backing the kids in is ladder leader Geelong.

When the Cats ran onto the MCG in round one to take on last years grand finalist, Collingwood, they like Port Adelaide also had three teenage debutants — Gryan Miers, Charlie Constable and Jordan Clark — all of whom have played five or more games so far, along with three more 20 year olds who have done the same, in Esava Ratugolea, Brandan Parfit and Jack Henry.

In a very short space of time Geelong has gone from an ageing list over reliant on it’s stars to a rejuvenated challenger, as well placed as any at present to contend for this year’s flag.

So who is still waiting in the wings for our two local clubs?

For Port Adelaide, Kane Farrell showed late last year what he is capable of at the top level along with Joe Atley who looks ready to go.

Adelaide has Chayce Jones looking to win back his place in the side, Ned McHenry starting to run into some form along with the X-factor of Tyson Stengle and Shane McAdam.

This is not to say the careers of players like Jack Trengove and Andy Otten are over, as they will have specific roles to play. What it does mean is that coaches should have greater confidence in picking young players in good form, as they seem to handle the step up to the senior level with greater ease and maturity than any generation before.