Port Adelaide to hand Jack Whitlock an AFL debut against Geelong

Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee will battle on despite a sore hand as other pillars fall around him, while Ken Hinkley will name a debutant for the Power.

Emerging Port Adelaide tall forward Jack Whitlock is poised to debut against Geelong on Sunday.

Taken at pick 33 from Murray Bushrangers in last year’s national draft, Whitlock is line to replace the injured Jack Lukosius for the away clash.

The Power has been adamant it will not play youngsters before they are ready just because its cannot make the finals.

A raft of injuries and Whitlock’s SANFL form, which includes kicking three goals against North Adelaide a fortnight ago, presents the 19-year-old, 200cm draftee with an opportunity.

“Now is a great time to have that conversation a little bit more about the upside versus the downside,” Port coach Ken Hinkley said.

Emerging key forward Jack Whitlock is poised to debut for Port Adelaide vs Geelong on Sunday.

Taken at pick 33 from Murray Bushrangers last year, Whitlock is line to replace the injured Jack Lukosius.

The 19yo kicked 3 goals in the SANFL two weeks ago, has played some ruck.

— Matt Turner (@mattturner1986) July 31, 2025

Jack Whitlock will debut for the Power this week. Picture: James Elsby.

“The upside might get in front at this stage of the season.

“When you’ve got availability quite low, that’s where there’s potential to explore some youth ahead of time.

“There’s a number of experienced players we could lean on but we’ve also got to balance what’s next.”

The Power will be forced to make at least two changes, replacing Lukosius and Miles Bergman.

Bergman was ruled out for the remainder of the season on Wednesday because of a shoulder issue.

Hinkley said the midfielder/defender would have pushed through the pain if playing finals was a possibility.

“It’s a tough decision (to end his season early), but the right thing for his long-term future,” Hinkley said.

“Each game he played it was getting a little bit worse for him to handle.

“We’ve had 18 surgeries since January – that’s a really big number.”

Jordan Dawson and Connor Rozee during the Showdown. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Hinkley said captain Connor Rozee would battle on because his fractured hand was a more manageable issue.

“It’ll be sore for another week or two probably before the pain goes away,” he said.

Fresh off a 98-point Showdown loss and undermanned, Port is hoping to play at a level it can be proud of against the fourth-placed Cats.

“Last week was really disappointing,” Hinkley said.

“If we’re able to challenge Geelong and potentially beat them, that’d be a great bit of confidence for some young people against a really experienced side.”

Hinkley said he would love to see Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron reach 100 goals, so long as he did not go well this weekend.

Cameron sits on 69 majors with four minor rounds remaining.

“Jez is a great player,” Hinkley said.

“I think think it’d be outstanding for football to see 100 goals kicked again.

“It’s showing us what offence is starting to become again – it’s typically getting on top these last couple of seasons.

Originally published as Port Adelaide to hand Jack Whitlock an AFL debut against Geelong