Port Adelaide faces calls on out-of-contract ruckmen Paddy Ryder, Peter Ladhams as league prepares for big man signing frenzy
Can Port Adelaide keep hold of both Paddy Ryder and Peter Ladhams? That is one of the big contract questions facing the Power as the competition prepares for a ruckman signing frenzy.
A big man signing frenzy is coming this off-season and Port Adelaide faces a giant question – can it keep hold of both Paddy Ryder and Peter Ladhams?
Ryder and Ladhams are among more than a dozen rucks in the AFL who are out of contract at the end of the campaign, along with the likes of North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein, Brisbane’s Stefan Martin, Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs, Geelong’s Zac Smith, GWS duo Shane Mumford and Dawson Simpson, Hawthorn’s Jonathon Ceglar, Essendon pair Zac Clarke and Sam Draper, and St Kilda’s Billy Longer.
With so many giants potentially on the market, clubs and player managers are holding off signing new deals as they work out the best fit for their clients and lists.
That is understood to be the case at Port, which is delaying making calls on the futures of 2017 All-Australian and best and fairest Ryder, 31, and two-gamer Ladhams, 21.
Both players ideally want to stay at Alberton despite spending the past month stuck in the Power’s SANFL ruck queue, along with highly-rated young tall Sam Hayes.
But if Port re-signs Ryder – who has been recalled for his first game since round 13 for Saturday night’s crunch home match against GWS – it will likely push Ladhams closer to the exit door in search of more opportunity.
Complicating matters for the Power is two of their other talls – reigning best and fairest Justin Westhoff and three-gamer Billy Frampton – are also uncontracted beyond this season, while emerging ruckman Hayes, 20, has a deal until the end of 2021.
The signatures of Goldstein and Draper – both linked to St Kilda – are expected to go a long way towards dictating where other out-of-contract ruckmen go.
Contrary to speculation, Port has no contract on the table for Ryder but there is understood to be one for Ladhams, who is being tracked by at least four clubs.
Ladhams’s manager John Meesen would not comment about the Norwood product’s future, other than to say they were “in constant dialogue with Port Adelaide about their short, medium and long-term future”.
Ladhams cannot be retained on the rookie list after three years there – he has to be re-signed to the senior squad, let go or delisted and then retaken at the rookie draft, if another club does not select him first.
“Port are certainly keen to keep Pete at the football club,” Meesen told The Advertiser.
The Power went into the season believing it could play recruit Scott Lycett and Ryder in the same team each week, alternating them between the ruck and forward line.
“We saw West Coast win the flag this year with two rucks and three or four power forwards,” Hinkley said in November.
“Our list base at the moment with Lycett and Ryder, (Charlie) Dixon available and Todd
Marshall going through his best pre-season, Westhoff is still around – there is some height in our side that we would like to use a bit more of.”
But Lycett and Ryder have only been teammates in 11 of Port’s 17 matches, and Ryder has not played for the Power since being dropped after the round 13 loss to Fremantle in Perth.
Ryder’s return for the Giants game has squeezed Charlie Dixon out of the line-up as the Power continue to search for the right mix of talls.
Ryder is averaging 9.3 disposals, 22.5 hit-outs and one goal at AFL level in 2019 – his lowest possession average since his debut season in 2006 and fewest hit-outs per game in seven years.
Ladhams played alongside Ryder in round 10 versus Hawthorn then supported Lycett last month against Western Bulldogs, registering 25 disposals, 24 hit-outs and two goals across the two games.
Frampton, who has been on Port’s list for five seasons, is also understood to be generating interest from rival clubs.
The 22-year-old, 200cm forward played back-to-back for the Power in rounds nine and 10 then was dropped back to the SANFL.
Westhoff, 32, is second on the Power’s all-time games list with 263 – 37 behind Kane Cornes – but his form has been up and down this season, getting dropped for rounds 14 and 15.
He did not re-sign with Port until October 2 last year – three days before winning his first best and fairest.
The Power did not want to comment about their out-of-contract ruckmen on Friday.
Earlier this month, Port football manager Chris Davies said the club was happy with its ruck depth and “don’t think we’ve got too many”.
“But there comes a time in every player’s career where he needs to look at what he wants to achieve and whether he’s willing to be in an SANFL team or wants to play at AFL level,” Davies said.
“We understand that players have an opportunity to make whatever decision they want.’’