AFL Draft 2021: Every Port Adelaide pick and all the fallout
Jase Burgoyne will follow in his father’s footsteps at Port Adelaide, and he revealed on Friday why his heart belongs at the Power.
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Jase Burgoyne says it is disappointing his brother, Trent, is no longer at the club but he is excited to follow in family footsteps at Port Adelaide.
The father-son draftee was unveiled as a Power player alongside his dad, 2004 premiership star Peter Burgoyne, at Alberton Oval on Friday – a month on from the club delisting Trent.
Jase conceded his brother’s axing after two seasons on the rookie list without playing a game led him to weigh up whether to nominate as a father-son prospect ahead of the national draft.
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Wearing the colours his dad donned in 240 games at Port Adelaide from 1997-2009 and uncle, Shaun, did in 157 from 2002-09, the 18-year-old felt right at home on Friday.
“That was the main reason (for the nomination delay) – I wanted to play at Port with Trent and obviously he wasn’t going to be here,” Jase said.
“I sat with Port and we talked through everything.
“They pretty much told me, ‘We want you here, we think you’re a great young player’.
“It’s disappointing Trent’s not here, but I’m happy.
“He’s obviously got to figure out what he’s got to do next.
“He’s still happy for me and stoked I’m on an AFL list.”
Even though he and Port Adelaide had nominated each other, giving the Power the right to match rival bids, Jase was nervous watching night two of the draft on Thursday, unsure if another club would call his name.
None did, allowing Port Adelaide to grab him at selection 60.
“I was pretty much on the edge of my seat every pick,” he said.
“I’m happy to finally be here and can’t wait to get started.
“I grew up supporting Port and my dad and uncle played here so it’s pretty surreal.”
The Burgoynes watched Thursday night’s telecast as a family, along with St Kilda draftee Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Melbourne premiership forward Kysaiah Pickett.
Jase said his dad had always been there for advice and he would lean on him as he made his way into the AFL system.
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Peter, now 43, looked like he could still play and joked at the start of his press conference: “It’s a proud day for me and Jase. I just got drafted last night, so I’m back on the list.”
Peter likened Jase, who played at half-back and on a wing for Woodville-West Torrens and SA’s under-19s this year, to both himself and Shaun because he could play in attack, on the ball or in defence.
“Put on 10, 15 kilos and it’ll be a good career, I think,” he said.
“Jase is still young, he’s pretty raw and I think his ceiling, no one knows.”
Shaun will be among the familiar faces at Alberton when Jase starts pre-season next week after his uncle’s return to the Power in September in a multidimensional off-field role.
“If you look back to 2004, I think most of my (premiership) teammates are here,” said Peter, referring to assistant coaches Chad Cornes and Brett Montgomery.
“They’ll take care of him and Shaun being here is a bonus.”
Peter said he spoke with Jase before and after Trent’s delisting about whether to nominate the Power, then left it up to his son.
“They’ve got two different stories,” he said.
“Jase wanted to come here – it was his call.
“It’s worked out for the best.”
Although Trent’s Power career is over, another of Jase’s brothers may be at Port Adelaide in a few years.
Rome Burgoyne, a 2024 father-son prospect, has been part of Woodville-West Torrens’ junior program and is “looking the goods”, according to his dad.
“Some people say he might even have Jase covered, but time will tell,” said Peter, whose father Peter Sr also played SANFL for Port Adelaide.
Bonus talent for Port with no father-son bid
– Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Port Adelaide was able to welcome another Burgoyne to Alberton on Thursday and still pick up two players – a ball magnet and a ruckman.
The Power had nominated Jase Burgoyne – son of 2004 premiership hero Peter – ahead of the second night of the draft and secured the Woodville-West Torrens half-back/wingman with its final pick (60) without another club lodging a bid.
With no rivals calling Burgoyne’s name and Port Adelaide trading up the order, it was able to land North Adelaide midfielder Hugh Jackson and Victorian ruckman Dante Visentini with selections 55 and 56.
It was something of a coup for the Power, 24 hours after it moved up two spots to snare half-back/midfielder Josh Sinn, who had previously been touted as a top-five pick.
Port Adelaide recruiting manager Geoff Parker said the club was unsure where a bid would come for Burgoyne.
“It was a good result for us ... (because) it allowed us to get a couple of other players into the club,” Parker said.
After a trade with Carlton, sending the Blues a future fourth-rounder, the Power was able to get pick 55 to take Jackson.
A Power supporter, Jackson impressed at under-18 level for the Roosters as he averaged 29.3 disposals and showed he could play in the centre or on the wing.
Jackson was highly rated at the start of the year but did fade towards the end of the year and did have some injuries.
“Hugh had a real strong season before he got that injury towards the end, his form for North Adelaide and South Australia was really strong,” Parker said.
“He is an elite kick and makes really good decisions with the ball, he works up and down the ground really well.”
Parker said Visentini, who can play forward/ruck, was targeted after the Power traded Peter Ladhams to Sydney.
“We’ve got high hopes for Dante,” he said.
The Power has two spots free going into Friday’s rookie draft.
One will be used on Sam Mayes while Parker said ex-North Melbourne midfielder Trent Dumont will be one of the players the Power will consider with the other selection.
How Sinn reacted to Power’s bold sacrifice
- Dan Batten
Port Adelaide draftee Josh Sinn is ready to tackle the pressure head on after the Power made a bold sacrifice to secure the Sandringham Dragons speedster on the opening night of the AFL Draft.
The Power gave up its future second round selection via a live trade to West Coast to move up two spots in the draft order, allowing the club to leapfrog Essendon — who had shown interest — to select the talented 186cm defender-midfielder at pick 12.
Sinn had been in the No. 1 pick conversation after a standout Under-16 carnival for Vic Metro, but nagging injuries and a lack of exposure saw others move ahead of him.
Speaking moments after having his name read out, the speedster said he felt honoured to be actively targeted by the Power and expressed his desire to repay the faith.
“It’s such an awesome feeling and I guess to see Port Adelaide trade up a couple of positions to try and seek out for me, it really means the world and I just can’t wait to put the foot in the door and really get working,” Sinn told The Advertiser.
“I certainly think that there will be some pressure that comes along with it as well but I’m ready to take it on.”
Sinn is likely to begin his career as an electric rebounder off half-back but has the potential to become an elite-kicking inside midfielder.
“I think I can play similar to an Adam Saad off half-back, or a Nick Hind. And even through the midfield and on the wings like Isaac Smith as well,” Sinn said.
“I think I’ll be able to bring some extra dash, kicking as well being able to hit my targets and really open up the game and bring others into the game as well.”
Greater Western Sydney used its prized first selection tied to Collingwood, which it secured in a live-trade in the 2020 AFL Draft, to bid on Western Bulldogs father-son Sam Darcy, before selecting damaging midfielder Finn Callaghan.
In a twist of fate, Richmond nabbed Tom Brown – who fell just shy of father-son status at the Cats through father, Paul - with the selection it received from Geelong from a live trade of picks at last year’s draft.
The act of aggression that saw young gun land at Port
— Matt Turner
Port Adelaide has maintained its trade-period aggression and struck a draft-night deal to secure a classy, dashing Victorian once touted as a top-5 pick.
The Power swapped its 2022 second-round selection to West Coast on Wednesday to move up two spots – from 14 to 12 – so it could take Sandringham Dragons’ half-back/midfielder Josh Sinn.
That move came a month after Port Adelaide climbed four positions in the first round when it traded ruckman/forward Peter Ladhams to Sydney.
Power national recruiting manager Geoff Parker did not know if Essendon, which was linked with Sinn on Wednesday, would have snared the left-footer with the selection before it if the club did not agree to the deal with the Eagles.
But Parker said the club rated him very highly so was happy to move up to get him.
“There’s always a risk – we weren’t 100 per cent sure what Essendon were thinking,” Parker told News Corp.
“We looked back over past drafts and they’d drafted some players that we liked.
“From the first day of trade period our plan was to try and be aggressive to try and get up as high as we could in the order.
“We wanted to target someone we think can change games and add some real talent to our list and complement what we’ve already got.
“He’s got a real change of speed and acceleration
“(Power list manager) Jason (Cripps) was talking to all the clubs about who might be prepared to trade back and we were able to find a buyer in West Coast.”
Injuries restricted Sinn to five NAB League matches this year for the Dragons, whom he co-captained.
He missed the AFL Academy game against Geelong’s VFL team in April with a hamstring strain and suffered an ankle injury during Vic Metro’s clash with Vic Country in June.
Port Adelaide was confident of his quality and considered him among the top four or five players after the national under-16 carnival in 2019, when he captained Vic Metro.
“He’s had some injury issues and then Covid (affected Victorian competitions) so hasn’t really been able to play and that’s why some clubs would’ve let him come through, but each clubs also have their own needs,” Parker said.
The Power will consider another pick exchange on Thursday so it can bridge the gap between its next selection, in the middle of the fourth round.
It has nominated father-son prospect Jase Burgoyne – whose dad is Port Adelaide premiership player Peter Burgoyne – but does not expect a rival club to bid on him until after pick 40.
Melbourne and Essendon have shown the strongest interest in the Woodville-West Torrens half-back/wingman.
With its later picks, the Power has been linked to the likes of North Adelaide duo Hugh Jackson and James Willis, as well as West Australian inside midfielder Kade Dittmar – the nephew of Port Adelaide great George Fiacchi.
The Power also has some interest in delisted North Melbourne on-baller Trent Dumont.
It has spoken to the 113-game South Australian and is eyeing him as a potential late pick on the second night of the draft on Thursday or as a rookie on Friday.
Taken by North Melbourne with pick 30 in 2013, Dumont would add midfield depth to a Port Adelaide side that had lost veteran Tom Rockliff to retirement.
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