Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas predicts big things from top draft picks Miles Bergman and Mitch Georgiades
Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas tips top draft picks Miles Bergman and Mitch Georgiades to make an early AFL impact after impressive pre-seasons.
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Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas has hailed the club’s latest top two draft picks, saying they have enjoyed standout pre-seasons and could play AFL early in the year.
Jonas lavished praise on athletic prospects Miles Bergman and Mitch Georgiades - selected at numbers 14 and 18 respectively at November’s national draft - after they arrived at Alberton following injury-riddled 2019 campaigns.
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“Every year these young guys come in more and more prepared to play,” Jonas said as the Power held an open training session in front of a healthy crowd at Alberton Oval on Wednesday morning.
“Young Bergman and Georgiades have shown that they are almost ready (to play) through pure athleticism, they are really fit and they just attack the footy, so they have been really exciting.
“But all the young boys have contributed in their own way.”
Victorian forward/midfielder Bergman played through shin splints last season while West Australian key forward Georgiades missed the season due to a persistent quad complaint.
Port was given great service last year from 2018 first-round draft picks Connor Rozee, who finished runner-up for the Rising Star award, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma and Jonas said if one of the new draftees can this season “play footy like the three we had last year we would be over the moon”.
. @PAFC goes through it’s first open training session of the season at Alberton. pic.twitter.com/vlclY1ACPh
— Andrew Capel (@andrewcapel) January 14, 2020
Bergman and Georgiades illustrated their fitness by finishing in the top 15 in the Power’s annual post-Christmas fitness challenge, which consisted of three 1km time trials, on Monday.
Wingman Karl Amon won the trial for the fifth consecutive year.
Jonas told FIVEaa that young ruckman Peter Ladhams and Sam Hayes had taken the next steps in their fitness levels, while veteran star Robbie Gray had trimmed down to lighten the load on his body.