Power co-captain Tom Jonas says Ken Hinkley has made a commitment to rewarding form and has stuck to it this season
Power co-captain Tom Jonas says Ken Hinkley made a commitment to every player on the list that they’re a chance of a game this season and he’s stuck to it. Could another youngster be in line for debut? Listen to The Lowdown Podcast here.
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Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley’s pre-season promise that no individual is above the team is starting to bear fruit with co-captain Tom Jonas declaring small forward Boyd Woodcock the next draftee in line for an AFL debut.
Hinkley has torn up the supposed ‘gold passes’ at Alberton this season by being prepared to drop anyone from reigning club champion Justin Westhoff, to highly paid key forward Charlie Dixon and premiership ruckman recruit Scott Lycett.
He was also prepared to make co-captain Ollie Wines return from injury in the SANFL on the weekend before Zak Butters was a late withdrawal due to injury for the clash against Sydney.
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“Ollie wasn’t playing until Saturday morning,” Jonas reiterated on The Lowdown Podcast.
It has paved the way for the Power to unleash nine new faces this season and find an unlikely star in the making in Peter Ladhams, while giving them genuine depth and competition for spots leading into a potential finals campaign.
“I think that’s come on the back of a couple of years of criticism where he’s (Hinkley) only changed the same names every couple of weeks,” Jonas said.
“So this year he’s made a commitment and stuck to it and we hope we see the reward from that - whether it’s in results right now or in the future because you end up blooding people who should potentially be playing more (senior) footy on the back of their form in the SANFL.
“We think it’s the right policy.
“A bloke like Boyd Woodcock who at the start of the year you might have thought was a long way off, he’s played some really strong SANFL footy and was an emergency last week so it really shows that anyone if they do put the footy together (is in contention).
“In fact we may as well use Pete Ladhams for an example. At the start of the year he couldn’t have been further off playing an AFL game, he had another year but who knows what’s going to happen.
“He finds himself having 23 touches in an AFL game and pushing Lycett out getting close to finals.”
Cameron Sutcliffe wasn’t even on Port Adelaide’s list and has played the last five games after being selected in the mid-season draft, while Lycett is trying to force his way back in after rookie-listed Ladhams demanded senior selection by dominating in the SANFL.
“Ladhams came in when Scott was in some OK form, so that doesn’t mean there won’t be changes (this week), but Kenny has been pretty strong on rewarding the teams that win this year and Pete had 23 touches and played a pivotal role on the weekend,” Jonas said.
“So he’s probably likely to get another go, and that’s the same with Paddy he was good too, so Scotty may need to bide his time but he went back and did exactly what he needed to do to put as much pressure on and that’s the same for Steven Motlop who kicked five goals.”
Port Adelaide is in eighth spot by 1.5 per cent with games against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium and Fremantle at home to come.
“The Kangas have played some strong footy the last 8-10 weeks under Rhyce Shaw and will be keen to bounce back after Geelong,” Jonas said.
“Get back under the roof where they’ll be playing some quick footy and Benny Brown will be hoping for it lace out off Shaun Higgins so it definitely won’t be easy.
“We’ve got to go over there like we did with the Dons last week and put together a strong four-quarter performance.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au