Port Adelaide pre-season latest: Mitch Georgiades on the Power’s new-look forward line, Josh Sinn, Jason Horne-Francis impress on the track
Port Adelaide’s forward line struggled at times in 2024 but after a busy off-season, it’s set to look a whole lot different next year. Here’s the latest from the training track.
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Port Adelaide’s forward line is set to be more mobile and versatile in 2025, Mitch Georgiades says as he hopes he can become the spearhead of it.
It is set to be a hugely different forward line the Power rolls out next year after plenty of changes in the off-season.
While Charlie Dixon has retired, the Power brought in tall forward Jack Lukosius from Gold Coast and small forward Joe Richards from Collingwood.
The Power then drafted small forward Joe Berry, while Sam Powell-Pepper will return from his ACL injury in 2025.
Georgiades said he was expecting a different style of forward line for the Power next season.
“I think you look at the personnel we have there between myself, Toddy (Todd Marshall), Jack (Lukosius), Jez (Jeremy Finlayson) and all those little whippets running around I think it is going to suit us to be more mobile,” he said.
A more mobile forward line could suit Georgiades, fresh off a breakout season in 2024.
Despite coming back from an ACL injury, Georgiades kicked a career-high 44-goals.
Coming into a pre-season where he hasn’t had to have surgery, or build into it for the first time, he said he would like to become “the man” of the Power’s forward line.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be the man,” he said.
“I like kicking goals. I think that’s probably what I like doing the most, so if I can keep doing that, I’ll be happy. I think I’ll keep building on my last year.
“We haven’t talked too much about the actual ins and outs of the way the forward line will work. I think it’s going to obviously be slightly different with no Charlie, and we’re pretty mobile up there, so I think the way we might move the ball is going to be very fast.”
So far Georgiades has put his best foot forward to become the spearhead of the Power’s attack.
He finished second to new recruit Rory Atkins in the Power’s 2km time trial, something he said gave him excitement about what he could do in 2025.
“I like to pride myself on being able to get up and down the ground,” he said.
“So for me as a player, I think being fitter is only going to help to race my opponents up and then to race them on the way back, and that’s the way I like to play.
“I’m pretty mobile, I think so. I think I’ve always been reasonably fit by, like I said, this is probably the first pre-season where I’ve actually been available day one of pre-season, which is good.
“So, yeah, I feel like I’m in a really good spot now, and I’m just going to keep building. In the gym I’m feeling stronger. We’ve got weights testing this arvo so we’ll see how strong I am. I’m feeling like I’m in good nick so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Sinn emerges as Port’s answer to post-Houston problem
Josh Sinn has been widely considered a frontrunner to replace two-time All-Australian Dan Houston in Port Adelaide’s backline next year.
The former first-round draft pick is showing promising signs that he can vindicate those opinions.
Houston’s move to Collingwood fans left some Port Adelaide fans outraged and scratching their heads about how the club would replace their most-skilled backman.
But Sinn could be how the Power fills the Houston void, especially if he continues to build on the positive momentum he has shown early in pre-season.
The 21-year-old has only played 10 games for the Power because of injury issues since being selected at pick 12 in the 2021 draft.
After going to America with teammates Jason Horne-Francis and Lachie Jones, Sinn looked leaner and moved impressively at the Power’s pre-season training session at Alberton on Friday.
During match-play Sinn was stationed in the backline and while some of his kicking might have been too ambitious, he provided drive that could have been lacking after Houston’s switch.
When his kicking did come off it was extremely impressive and if Sinn can keep his body right then Power fans might finally get to see why the club rates him so highly.
While it wasn’t full match-sim there were still a couple of insights into what the Power might be thinking when it comes to who plays where in 2025.
Esava Ratugolea was back in defence after his late-season dalliance with the forward line.
New recruit Jack Lukosius was playing as a key forward for most of the day, working well with Todd Marshall — who while still wearing the pink hat was right amongst it in match-play.
Draftee Joe Berry spent time on Power star Zak Butters and had some nice moments.
Jeremy Finlayson was back in full training after recovering from a lacerated spleen, while key defender Aliir Aliir put in a gruelling running session on the sidelines.
Triallist Josh Lai was on the track at Alberton on Friday as he hopes to snare a spot on the Power’s list.
The 19-year-old was playing for Cheltenham in Melbourne’s Southern League.
Forward Sam Powell-Pepper continues to ramp up his recovery from an ACL injury, spending some time practising his goalkicking as his teammates went head-to-head.
PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED
Jason Horne-Francis
The Hornet went to another level in 2024 and the scary thing for opposing teams is that he looks like he will improve further in 2025. Returning to pre-season after his US trip, Horne-Francis was impressive on the track with his kicking and his aerobic capacity standing out. There wasn’t a lot in terms of separating him and Zak Butters — the hardest trainer at the club — during the session.
Rory Atkins
Made the shock move to Alberton as part of the Lukosius trade but is putting his best foot forward at the Power. The former Crow and Sun won the Power’s 2km time trial ahead of Mitch Georgiades.
Christian Moraes
The draftee impressed last week and continued to do so on Friday. Clubs do like to ease draftees into it but in potentially a sign of how much the Power already likes him Moraes was involved in one of the half-field drills on Friday, as his fellow draftees watched on from the sidelines. He took a fine contested mark as he continues to hold his own with his more experienced Power teammates.
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