Chad Wingard to spend more time in the midfield for Port Adelaide in 2017

CHAD Wingard is set to spend more time in the midfield for Port Adelaide in 2017 as part of a number of key changes from coach Ken Hinkley to turn his side’s fortunes around.

CHAD Wingard is poised to emerge as a gamebreaking AFL midfielder after already making his reputation at Port Adelaide as an elite finisher as an opportunist forward.

Wingard, 23, stood out as one of the Power players most likely to change Port Adelaide’s on-field fortunes as coach Ken Hinkley revealed telling adjustments to his team’s structure in the internal trial at Alberton Oval on Friday evening.

Wingard’s top-notch status at the Power — let alone the AFL — was quickly established as he started his national league career in 2012 with the John Cahill Medal as club champion in 2013 and All-Australian honours in 2013 and 2015 in the demanding role of small forward.

Now, after 107 AFL games with 186 goals to his record, Wingard is primed to be starting rather than finishing plays to the scoreboard as an ominous Power midfielder.

And, as Power senior assistant coach Matthew Nicks notes, there will be lessons quickly picked up by Wingard as he makes the adjustment to reinforce how he is — despite his basketball roots — a natural Australian footballer.

Chad Wingard in action during the Power’s intra-club game. Picture: Sarah Reed

“Chad is the sort of guy who will make a mistake and not do it again — he will learn from every moment,” Nicks said.

Wingard impressed as a critical linkman from the midfield from the first bounce of Port Adelaide’s practice game in which he won the first clearance.

“He had a fair bit of footy and it is a different game in the midfield,” Nicks said. “And (Wingard’s take to the midfield) is a real positive. He did not die off as the game went on. He is an explosive player — and he will play an important role for us in there.

”We want that depth in our midfield. Our younger midfielders did perform well (in the internal), so that is more encouraging when you do need that depth (in a long AFL season) — and you need midfielders to play multiple roles, from inside to wing to half-forward.”

Wingard’s progress to the midfield — as defender Nathan Krakouer played as a forward and midfielder Hamish Hartlett moved to halfback — was one of the many successful refits launched by senior coach Ken Hinkley.

Chad Wingard is set for more midfield time in 2017. Picture: Tom Huntley

Another was the combination of key forward Charlie Dixon and former defender Jackson Trengove as a tandem in attack while veteran forward Justin Westhoff was released to wing.

Port Adelaide finished the internal trial injury free and with its most-favoured 22-man line-up beating the would-be group by 50 points after fitness coach Darren Burgess time-managed the workouts of Dixon (three quarters), ruckman-forward Patrick Ryder (half a game) and wingman Jared Polec.

The Power is still uncertain — at least until the recovery phase for its group plays out this weekend — which players will be up for selection for its JLT Community Series pre-season opener against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday.

“We want to make sure those guys (Ryder, Dixon and Polec) are right; we don’t want to push them too hard at this point,” Nicks said. “Both Ryder and Dixon will be week by week, but we are keen for them to play — we want to get some footy into them through the JLT series. We don’t want it to be Round 1 of the premiership season.”

Originally published as Chad Wingard to spend more time in the midfield for Port Adelaide in 2017