Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says the Power needs more from Charlie Dixon who has been axed after six goals in five games
Ken Hinkley admits he thought long and hard before deciding to send Charlie Dixon to the SANFL after five games back from a broken leg, but a must-win game against GWS this weekend convinced him it was the right call.
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PORT Adelaide is so desperate to save its season it has run out of time to wait for Charlie Dixon to return to form, coach Ken Hinkley says.
Speaking after the Power made the big decision to drop its key forward who is seen as so crucial to its structure, Hinkley said six goals in five games since returning from a broken leg was not enough.
Dixon has effectively been replaced by ruckman/forward Paddy Ryder who returns to the Power side for the first time since Round 13.
Ryder kicked 12 goals in 12 games before being axed and has been forced to earn his spot back via the SANFL.
Port Adelaide, which sits ninth with an 8-9 record, had its final training session at Adelaide Oval on Friday morning ahead of hosting GWS, which is sixth on the ladder at 10-7, on Saturday night.
Hinkley said he had thought long and hard about persisting with Dixon for more than five games but there was urgent need for improvement after dropping consecutive games.
“Absolutely we have, we understand his importance to us so we haven’t made the decision lightly but we think we’ve made the decision based on giving us the best chance to win this week,” Hinkley said.
“And that’s the critical component for us - we have to win this week.
“It’s pretty simple for Charlie, he’s trying to give everything he’s got and his form is not quite where he’d want it to be, in five games he’s kicked six goals and had his 8-10 possessions which we would like it to be a bit more than that.
“He knows that, he’s trained incredibly hard to catch up on some lost ground, let’s not be confused with the fact that he’s had a long 10 months out of the game and he’s got back - and pretty good effort to get back to be honest and had some other battles himself.
“It’s as simple as not quite getting enough done and he can’t try any harder.
“Charlie is really important to our team, it’s as simple as that, we inside understand how important he is to us and when he’s at his absolute best what he does to the team.
“People outside will always have opinions, we respect them, we listen to them, we don’t always take notice of them.”
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Hinkley said Dixon was not restricted by his leg injury which saw him miss 10 months of footy.
“The only way he’d be physically limited is he hasn’t had the greatest preparation, clearly, when you have 10 months away it’s a long time catch up, that doesn’t mean he can’t come back and play for us next week or the week after.
“Sometimes a bit of confidence is a good thing too, feel good about marking the ball and having shots at goal.
“Paddy will play a similar role to Charlie, he certainly has a bit more ability to go in the ruck so where we’ve used Dougal we can use Paddy so it gives us a bit more flexibility”.
Steven Motlop was the other player dropped after the loss to the Tigers and has been replaced by Joel Garner who Hinkley says gives the defence some more flexibility.
Mid-season recruit Cameron Sutcliffe has kept his spot in the team for a third consecutive week but after tagging Lachie Neale and then playing as a defensive forward against Richmond, Hinkley would not reveal the specifics of his task against the Giants.
reece.homfray@news.com.au