AFL Round 5 Port Adelaide v Fremantle: All the analysis and news from the Power’s 3-point win

With Jeremy Finlayson on the sidelines, the Power took a different approach to spelling Ivan Soldo in the ruck against Freo, and it might just be what their biggest asset up forward needs.

Matt Turner

@mattturner1986

4 min read

April 14, 2024 - 7:53AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 13: Charlie Dixon of the Power on the sideline during the 2024 AFL Round 05 match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Fremantle Dockers at Adelaide Oval on April 13, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

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Port Adelaide’s plan to keep spearhead Charlie Dixon fresher will include 187cm midfielder Ollie Wines continuing to take some back-up ruck duties until Jeremy Finlayson returns.

Wines contested four ball-ups against Fremantle on Saturday night in the absence of the suspended Finlayson, which protected Dixon from having to take every one when Ivan Soldo was off the ground.

Soldo shouldered the load for the Power, attending 77 ruck contests, while Dixon was at 17.

Dixon averaged 10.6 across the first four rounds.

That is well down on the 26.7 and 20.4 ruck contests he has attended over the past two seasons, both ranking elite in the AFL for key forwards.

He averaged far fewer – 3.8, 3.5, 19, nine, 6.6 and 10.8 – than his 2022 and 2023 numbers in all bar one of his six previous Power campaigns.

Wines made his return to the field on Saturday night. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Port Adelaide knows a sprightly Dixon late in the year would be a big boost to its September hopes.

He is 33 and has played just 26 of a possible 47 games over the past two seasons.

In each of the club’s past three finals series (2020, 2021, 2023), he has looked banged up.

That is the toll of a physical game style over 14 seasons, often getting double-teamed by robust defenders and a chequered injury history, particularly as a 200cm, 110kg giant.

So the Power is taking him out of the line of fire from other ruckmen where it can.

Wines told this masthead that he and perhaps even 188cm on-baller Willem Drew would probably pinch-hit to give Dixon a chop-out until Finlayson was back.

Finlayson still has two games to serve on a three-match ban for a homophobic slur.

“Charlie’s been a wrecking ball for us for his whole career and we understand that it does take a toll physically on his body,” Wines said.

“However we can get him through the season as fresh and injury-free as possible, we’re willing to do that.

“If that means other guys have got to play different roles to protect him, we’re happy to do that.

“We know how important he is.

“It’s not just about the goals he kicks, it’s what he does when he brings the ball to ground and doesn’t let that key defender intercept, and brings our smalls into the game.”

Dixon was hobbling around late in the game after landing awkwardly on his ankle.

He had been well beaten all night by Fremantle captain Alex Pearce but his huge contested mark and goal with four minutes left was instrumental to the Power’s three-point victory.

Asked about Wines taking some of the ruckwork, Hinkley, who had spoken in years past about struggling to hold Dixon back, said: “We know Charlie’s got a limited amount of minutes that we can expect to maximise out of him this year and I’m going to be really careful how we look after him.”

Dixon found it tough against an in-form Alex Pearce. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Wines found out about his cameo role when the Dockers did not name big man Sean Darcy.

“If Darcy was in, they wouldn’t have (Josh) Treacy doing second ruck, so we aimed that when he was in Soldo would get a rest,” he said.

“To his credit, Ivan was unreal tonight and did a mountain of work against a pretty extraordinary ruckman in Luke Jackson.”

Wines had not attended a ruck contest this season before Saturday night.

He averaged 0.5 in 2022 and 2023, attended just one in his Brownlow Medal year of 2021, as well as 2020 and 2019, but was at 37 in 2018.

That year, he contested a whopping 21 against GWS in round 18 when Paddy Ryder was sidelined with injury.

“I don’t mind it,” Wines said of having to ruck.

“As long as they don’t jump against me, I think I can put a bit of bodywork on them and hold my own.”

The Power monstered Fremantle in hit-outs 67-25, as Soldo had 54, Dixon registered 11 and Wines had two, but the visitors sharked a swag of them.

It ensured a 40-31 clearance advantage for the Dockers, who also won centre clearances 12-6.

Soldo has proven to be an inspired addition to the Power. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“It’s a game that probably on the stats sheet and in the middle of the ground we probably look like we lost,” Wines said.

“We got smashed in clearance, pre-clearance ground ball and metres from stoppage so as a midfield we’ll assess that, and see where we can improve.

“It was a little bit to do with our own doing.

“I could have surged the ball a lot more and probably looked for unnecessary handballs.”

Wines said he felt good on his return from a hamstring injury, aside from misjudging the speed of the play.

“In the first three games I felt I unlocked my power and ability to power out of the stoppage, whereas tonight I was a bit flat-footed and felt the pressure a little bit too much,” he said.

“When you miss a week, you notice how quickly you fall away from knowing the speed of football, so that’s something I’ll take from this game and be back to my best next week.”