Port Adelaide’s ‘no-name’ defence to be tested without its spiritual leader Tom Jonas

PORT Adelaide’s “no-name” defence has to cope without injured leader and — one of the Power’s most important players — Tom Jonas for at least a fortnight, exposing the young group to a timely test of their nerve.

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KEN Hinkley has repeatedly said he does not want his Port Adelaide team defined — or reliant — on one player.

In the next month, the Power’s status as a top-four contender will measured against the absence of the one player everyone does know from the “no-name” Port Adelaide defence: Tom Jonas. And this says so much of how far Jonas has moved as a team player in the past two years.

Tom Jonas during the round 12 win against Richmond at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

This time — unlike in that heartbreak elimination final lost in extra time when Jonas was in the Adelaide Oval grandstand completing a two-match ban from the AFL tribunal — injury is denying Hinkley the most-important player he has behind centre.

Jack Hombsch inevitably gets a recall to replace Jonas — and, with 92 AFL games to his name — immediately becomes the most-experienced player in a defence already denied by injury the maturity of Hamish Hartlett (knee), Matthew Broadbent (ankle) and Jasper Pittard (hamstring).

The next most-experienced player in this unheralded — but most-effective — defence is (on last week’s line-up) former Melbourne captain Jack Trengove (88 games) followed by key defender Tom Clurey (55).

It is a greatest testament to Jonas — and defence coach Nathan Bassett — that such a raw group ranks as the No. 3 (of 18) defence in the AFL by points conceded. It no longer “leaks” as noted by a 73-point average that is the meanest in Port Adelaide’s AFL journey since 1997.

Jonas, a 116-game player, is forced to the sidelines by a knee-cap injury suffered against St Kilda on Saturday after more than a month of managing a hamstring issue. The break might be timely provided Jonas can resume without limitations during the Power’s month of truth with its last four home-and-away games involving Adelaide in Showdown 45, nemesis West Coast at Adelaide Oval (where the Eagles are 4-0 against Port Adelaide), finals rival Collingwood at the MCG and the pesky Essendon at Adelaide Oval.

Dougal Howard tackles Tom McDonald. Picture Sarah Reed

Jack Hombsch and Tom Clurey duel at training. Picture SARAH REED

Jonas, 27, is another of those success stories from the rookie list (and a reminder that top-10 draft picks need not be the soul of a team or a division within a team). There is the extraordining realism with Jonas that whatever he has been denied as “talent” is more than covered by his understanding he can succeed in the AFL if he attacks every contest with everything he has — and those second and third efforts that set the example for others.

And now that the “no-name” Port Adelaide defence has to deal with Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney without Jonas, Hinkley is to see how the Clurey-Dougal Howard combination stands up without its spiritual leader calling the shots.

Hinkley might wish that none of his teams ever be defined by one player, but reality dictates that Port Adelaide is heavily reliant on Jonas in defence, All-Australian ruckman Patrick Ryder in the midfield and key forward Charlie Dixon in attack.

Mentioning Jonas in this way underlines just how far he has come by sheer determination to be an AFL player. If that spirit translate in his absence to Jonas’ fellow no-made defenders, Hinkley will find the next fortnight an opportunity to test his squad’s depth rather than a curse.

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