Port Adelaide excludes Melbourne recruit Jack Watts from options on its ruck dilemma

PORT Adelaide is ruling many options in - but not Jack Watts - for its week-by-week puzzle to cover All-Australian Patrick Ryder in ruck.

Port Adelaide recruit Jack Watts is to stay part of the Power’s attack rather than become an answer to its ruck puzzle, despite his proven ruck work at Melbourne. Picture: Sarah Reed

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PORT Adelaide is keeping open all options - except Melbourne recruit Jack Watts - for its ruck puzzle as All-Australian ruckman Patrick Ryder spend the next month on the AFL injury list.

And the whiteboard at Alberton does have untried ruckman Billy Frampton in line for an AFL debut against Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Sunday - even if the rise of the 200cm West Australian loads up the Power attack with more height.

Port Adelaide is ruling out Watts returning to the pinch-hitting ruck roles he had with the Demons. This would have eased the burden on Justin Westhoff, who has partnered key forward Charlie Dixon in ruck during Ryder’s absence.

“It is not (an option with Watts) we have really discussed because Jack is playing a pretty important role for us in our forward half,” Power assistant coach Aaron Greaves said.

“We see Jack as more of a forward-link player for us.”

Watts, 27, joined the Power in the club’s busy trade period in October to become a critical foil against opposition defences working against key forward Charlie Dixon. His three games with the Power at half-forward have returned four goals and one goal assist.

“Jack has played an important role for us,” Greaves said. “He does a lot of the work up and down the ground, creating that link play for us.

“We have liked what he has brought so far. And he is still learning our system and how his team-mates move. He will get better.”

Port’s Billy Frampton celebrates kicking a goal in the SANFL. Picture: Tom Huntley

Port Adelaide’s ruck options against Essendon rival Tom Bellchambers also include 190cm midfielder Ollie Wines, who is on lighter training duties this week after rolling his right ankle just before half-time of the five-point win against Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

“Each week we will address that (puzzle) looking at the opposition, who is ready (to ruck) and who is our best ruckman for that game,” Greaves said. “We have a few weeks to keep working through that - and I am sure we will see different looks in that time.”

The focus on Ryder’s absence, while he recovers from left Achilles tendinitis, broadens beyond the ruck puzzle on reflection of the last Power-Essendon clash at Etihad Stadium on June 10. The Bombers won by 70 points despite Ryder giving Port Adelaide a 49-23 advantage in the hit-outs against Bellchambers.

Most telling in this match was how Essendon’s midfielders overcame Ryder to win at ground level with a 35-35 count at clearances and 150-139 edge in contested football.

The external push for Frampton, the sixth-round (No. 84) pick in the 2014 AFL national draft, would load up the Power attack with Dixon (200cm), Watts (195), Todd Marshall (198), potentially Westhoff (200) if he is not on a wing or floating in defence to work against Essendon’s three talls of Joe Daniher, Cale Hooker and James Stewart.

Port captain Travis Boak leads the Power off the field after their drubbing from Essendon last year. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Greaves forecasts Frampton and Dixon ultimately alternating between ruck and the goalsquare.

“Both Billy Frampton and (fellow untried ruckman) Sam Hayes have the ability to play forward,” Greaves said. “And with Watts, Dixon and Marshall - when the ball is on the ground - we don’t feel we are big and heavy.”

Port Adelaide has had a win-loss sequence at the Docklands since 2015. Overall, the Power has a 19-30 win-loss count at Etihad Stadium.

“It is generally a fast deck,” Greaves said. “It will be about what we put out there defensively to stop the Bombers being so potent (as they were last time with 19 goals and 36 scores).”

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