AFL 2023: All the Port Adelaide news ahead of the round 14 clash with Geelong
Ken Hinkley says Port Adelaide will make just one change for Thursday night’s clash against the Cats. Who will replace the injured Lachie Jones?
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Team balance and the return of Ryan Burton will keep captain Tom Jonas out of Port Adelaide’s AFL team for a fourth consecutive game against Geelong on Thursday night.
Power coach Ken Hinkley said Jonas was the club’s best in the SANFL on Saturday but he needed to keep playing well to earn a recall.
Port made one change for the Cats match, recalling Burton, who was rested for most of the second half in the reserves, to replace the injured Lachie Jones (jaw).
Asked if the team contemplated bringing Jonas back in, Power coach Ken Hinkley said on Wednesday: “Not this week. No we didn’t to a point because we think the team’s playing really well with the balance that we had”.
The 32-year-old, has played eight AFL matches this season, most recently against Melbourne in round 10, and has been suspended twice.
“Tom knows exactly where he’s at and exactly what the team’s doing – he’s quite proud of the team,” said Hinkley of Jonas, who had been overlooked at selection for the past three weeks.
“Tom just needs to continually play the way he’s been playing and wait for an opportunity to present or take, like every player at our club.
“He’s putting in a volume of work that’ll hopefully force him in or he’s waiting for an opportunity that came for Ryan this week.”
Hinkley said Burton, who recorded 21 disposals, four inside-50s and five rebound-50s in Port’s SANFL win against Central District, was primed to return after he “played the way we like him to”.
Three-gamer Josh Sinn kept his spot in the Power’s 22 despite being subbed out in last Friday’s win over the Western Bulldogs.
Fellow wingman Riley Bonner will remain the sub.
Hinkley said mid-season recruit Quinton Narkle was very close to being picked after a second strong SANFL performance, particularly against his former side, the Cats.
“He’s got a lot to learn about the way we play … but if he plays like he did again last week, he’s going to be hard to keep out,” he said.
Goalsneak Orazio Fantasia also moved closer to an AFL return after kicking four goals in the reserves.
“We want to see consistent performance and I thought he showed last week he’s still got an incredible amount of AFL left in him,” Hinkley said.
The Power enters Thursday’s home blockbuster in equal-first spot on the ladder on a 10-game winning streak and with a spot in the major round almost locked in.
Hinkley had not given any thought to what winning finals would mean for him, in the final year of his contract.
He and the club have been steadfast that they will not discuss his future together until August.
“I’ve been really clear and the club’s been really clear so we don’t need to go over that ground,” he said.
“We set out at the start of the year to try to ultimately win the premiership, as every club in the competition does.
“We’ve just got to keep in the fight.”
Hinkley expected reigning premier Geelong, which had a 6-6 record, to be at its best, boosted by the return of several key players such as captain Patrick Dangerfield.
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