Port Adelaide’s board will back the football department’s leadership decision — even if it is for co-captains

It has divided Port Adelaide’s supporters — one captain or two? But the board won’t to stay in the way of the football department’s recommendations, says CEO Keith Thomas.

Tom Jonas (right) is one of the candidates for Port Adelaide’s captaincy. Picture: Tom Huntley

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas believes the football department’s captaincy recommendation will be supported by the club’s board even if the call is to stray from tradition and introduce co-captains.

The speculation so far has centred on whether last year's vice-captain Ollie Wines or leading defender Tom Jonas will be appointed captain — or both.

Other candidates include former Brisbane skipper Tom Rockliff and Hamish Hartlett and it is understood the players are split over they want one captain or two.

Senior player Brad Ebert, who has served in the leadership group at Alberton, last week indicated he was leaning towards maintaining one captain playing in the traditional No. 1 jumper when talking about it on Adelaide radio.

Thomas said it was a call for those closest to the issue but that a decision would be made pragmatically rather than nostalgically.

“It’s clearly an issue that’s been spoken about,” Thomas said. “Any time you talk about the traditions of our footy club it’s an important subject.

“We hold that really dear and we’re really clear on that.

“But in the end it’s about making decisions for the club that are about winning.

“The footy guys will go through that process and they’ll be thinking about all the things that they have to think about to make that decision.

“At the top of that list will be, ‘Is this the best leadership structure for us to win games of footy?’

“And then they’ll present it to us and we’ll back it in.”

CEO Keith Thomas at the Port Adelaide Convention at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday. Picture: AAP/Mike Burton

Thomas expected the decision to be made before the club’s first practice match.

Port Adelaide plays its first JLT challenge game against Adelaide at Port Pirie on March 2.

“The timeline for the process was before JLT one and we’re still on that timeline,” Thomas said. “What’s been useful, I think, this lengthy audition for the captaincy, is we’ve had two new directors come into the picture with Gavin Wanganeen and Darren Cahill in the last couple of weeks, who are both going onto the footy committee.

“It’s enabled us to bring them into the conversation as well, which is really important.”

Thomas spoke at the Entertainment Centre on Saturday morning as around 600 members had paid to be part of the club’s second annual member convention, in which the audience was presented with plans from each area of the football department and was allowed to ask questions.

Thomas said it was an important way for the club to stay in touch with its people.

“Port Adelaide supporters have a very, very deep relationship with this club,” Thomas said. “They’re really knowledgeable, often their support is generational — it’s come from the family form generations back.

“They want to know and as uneasy as we get about performance and everything that’s going on if you keep talking to each other, keep each other informed, there’s a sense that we’re going through this together and I think that’s really important.

“What we’re trying to do is to have an ongoing conversation with our members about all aspects of our footy club.

“This is quite unique because it gives an opportunity for every leader of our club to actually get under the bonnet with them and give them inner sanctum, privileged and confidential information about the club.

“And they love it, I think.

“I don’t think it’s something that many clubs do, or any clubs, really.”