AFL 2024: All the latest team news from the Crows and Power ahead of round 11
Ken Hinkley has hinted at a surprise return for Ivan Soldo before Port Adelaide’s bye, putting pressure on understudy Jordon Sweet as he returns to the Power side on Saturday.
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Port Adelaide’s ruck merry-go-round could be set to continue, with Ivan Soldo pushing to make a surprise AFL return before the club’s round 13 bye.
Soldo’s deputy Jordon Sweet will return to the team on Saturday against North Melbourne after being displaced by Dante Visentini.
But with Soldo poised to return through the SANFL after a knee clean-out, pressure will be on Sweet to maintain his place in the side as he takes on one of the AFL’s most-improved big men, Tristan Xerri.
“There is a real chance that he (Soldo) comes back to take on the Blues,” Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said.
North Melbourne is still searching for its first win of the year, but Hinkley said Port cannot take the struggling Kangaroos lightly — especially in Hobart.
The Kangaroos have only won one game in over a year and have struggled for most of 2024, but they did show some sparks of life before running out of steam against the high-flying Bombers last weekend.
“We see it every week and we continue to see it every week, North Melbourne in Hobart will be a challenge,” he said.
“They are youthful, they are a young side who showed a lot against Essendon last week.
“There is a challenge in every round we play, I know it seems easy but I look a lot of tipsters getting their rounds wrong.
“They (his side) don’t need reminders … we know that if you are off you are in trouble.
“They have a lot of enthusiasm around the ball, they have some really high picks in that team.
“Let’s be really mindful, they are in a stage where they are rebuilding but they will challenge teams especially around the ball.
“I saw it last week against Essendon.”
The Power will welcome back captain Connor Rozee, after he missed the last two weeks with his well-publicised hamstring injury. Sweet also comes in, as well as defender Lachie Jones.
Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines will make the trip down after being subbed out of the Hawks game at quarter-time with heart palpitations.
Hinkley said the Power had gotten every approval it required with Wines.
“Ollie was sitting on the bench and after he had what he needs to settle his heart down he was good as gold,” he said.
“He has a big heart Ollie.”
Key forward Charlie Dixon has been managed for the second time this year, after he missed the Round 6 loss to Collingwood.
Hinkley said the clash against the Roos had been one the Power decided before the season started that Dixon would miss out on.
“We said right from the start that Charlie would rest more than once this year and he will rest more than twice this year to give him the best preparation to have a strong season,” he said.
“We knew the situation we have a game next week (against Carlton on Thursday) on a short turnaround with five-days and then we have a bye.
“So we think it is a really good opportunity for him to give his body physically a really good rest knowing that in a five day turnaround it would be hard for him to get up.”
Hinkley said this would not be the last rest for Dixon.
“It is fair to assume,” he said.
“We will explore the second half of the year once we get through the next couple of weeks.”
PORT READY TO UNLEASH ROZEE AFTER INJURY
Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee will return for the Power for its trip to Hobart to take on North Melbourne, as does ruckman Jordon Sweet.
But Sweet’s time back in the Power side could be limited with ruck rival Ivan Soldo to make his return from a knee injury in the SANFL this weekend.
After being burnt by the decision to risk Rozee in the Showdown, the Power took an ultraconservative approach with its star captain - ruling him out of the win over Hawthorn when he thought he was good to go.
But Rozee will return for the trip to Hobart to take on the winless Roos.
He is one of three changes for the Power.
Sweet returns in place of Dante Visentini, while defender Lachie Jones also comes back into the side after his own hamstring injury.
Key forward Charlie Dixon has been managed, while defender Josh Sinn is out for six weeks after surgery on his broken collarbone suffered against the Hawks.
Port will get a big inclusion away from Hobart, with Soldo to play at state league level this weekend.
The former Richmond player established himself as the No. 1 ruck option at the Power after his arrival, but irritated a lateral meniscus last month in the loss to Collingwood.
Meanwhile, the Crows have included James Borlase, Chris Burgess, Harry Schoenberg, Sam Berry and Kieran Strachan on an extended bench for their clash with West Coast.
Josh Rachele is set to be the big beneficiary of Izak Rankine’s time on the sidelines with injury with Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks hinting that he is set to get the midfield time he craves.
The Crows will be without Rankine for three weeks after he injured his hamstring in the close loss to Collingwood at the MCG.
With Rankine going more and more into the midfield, Rachele’s centre bounce attendances have dropped from an average of 23 per cent a game in 2023 to just seven per cent so far this year.
But this could rise significantly with Nicks hinting Rachele could be the one to help fill the Rankine void, starting with West Coast at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
“Josh is probably chomping at the bit to get a bit more time in there so maybe that opportunity comes this week for him,” Nicks said.
“That is a longer term view for Josh, a lot more time around the midfield.
“But replacing Izak that is a tough gig, so he will play his own way and if it does eventuate into that I’m sure he will get a bit more time.
“He plays a really important role for what we do as a team so maybe when you use the word quieter that is possessions.
“We feel like he is impacting the game in a really important way for us.
“But it might be a slightly different role with Izak out of the team.”
After a draw against Brisbane and loss to the Pies, the Crows are 10 points off the top eight and a finals spot.
Nicks said the Crows remained confident they could still challenge for finals, and were not thinking about 2025 or giving experience to younger players yet.
“If we get across the line in the games that are close and we have had four or five of them already then we sit in a different position obviously but that is looking back and saying we got that right and that right and we didn’t,” he said.
“But we are still confident about the footy we are playing and we know that the competition is so even this year so things can change quickly.
“So we are confident that if we keep playing the way we are, we will get the results we need to get and when the time comes we have either got it right or we don’t have an opportunity in the post-season.
“Last year we were knocking on the door, we still believe we can get there this year.
“At the moment we are playing a really young group, we are sitting third or fourth youngest in the competition.
“So we are already playing young guys, it is probably the next ones that are being talked about.
“I mentioned Billy Dowling who has been playing some strong footy at SANFL level, so there are others who are ready to step up when the time is right.
“But at the moment the group who is out there for us is putting in, we just have to become more consistent and in those clutch moments finish the game off.”
Off the field, the Crows continue to be linked with players from other clubs, with the latest West Coast’s big-bodied midfielder Elliot Yeo.
Adelaide has expressed interest in Yeo, having publicly said it would be active in improving its list.
Nicks said the Crows had not been any more active than previous years.
“We are no busier this year than we have been in previous years, it has been talked about a lot, we seem to have been linked a lot of players and in every deal at the moment which is OK,” he said.
“This year we would have injury rate right across the board in the AFL, we are no exception to that.
“We have nine unavailable at the moment and, of them, six or seven would be playing AFL for us regularly.
“So we have a lot of outs that are impacting our group.
“We will be as active as we need to be, as we have been over the past couple of years what do we need to do to improve our list.”
Power’s plan to fill Dixon void revealed
– Matthew Forrest
Port Adelaide matchwinner Darcy Byrne-Jones says his forwards group will have to step up in the absence of key target Charlie Dixon, with the Power opting to rest their veteran against North Melbourne this weekend.
Dixon has played nine of the Power’s 10 games so far this season, booting 13 majors, and has again been the Power’s key avenue towards goal.
But with the big man set to be managed for the trip to Tasmania on Saturday, Byrne-Jones said the veteran’s tenacity would be difficult to replace.
“Charlie was huge for us on the weekend in the ruck especially, when he went in there, he’s a provider of energy for the group as well so we’re all going to have to step up,” he said.
“Todd (Marshall), Jez (Jeremy Finlayson), guys down forward with me as well. We’re going to have to replace Charlie’s energy and his presence.
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Port Adelaide expects Connor Rozee to return to the senior side, while Ollie Lord made it through a SANFL match unscathed as he returns from a pre-season injury to his knee and leg.
Byrne-Jones said he hoped to see Lord return to the senior side.
“It’s probably something for Ollie and Kenny and the coaches to figure out,” he said of Lord’s availability.
“I will be excited when he does come back in because I think he’s a really promising player for us.”
Dixon played the first five games of the season before being rested for the Power’s round 6 loss to Collingwood.
He kicked a season-best four goals on his return to the side against the Saints in round 7 but was subbed out of the round 9 win over Geelong in a tactical move.
Dixon has kicked only one goal in the past three games, however, has spent more time in the ruck with Port’s two ruck recruits Ivan Soldo and Jordon Sweet sidelined.
Sweet is likely to return to the side this weekend.
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