AFL 2023: Keep up with the latest news ahead of round two
The Power have pulled a shock move on star Travis Boak ahead of their clash with the Pies, while the Crows have dropped one of their best backmen for the game against Richmond.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Adelaide has dropped Jordon Butts while Travis Boak is in line to return for Port Adelaide as a tactical sub.
Butts has been the Crows No. 1 key defensive option for the last two seasons but has been omitted for their clash against Richmond at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Shane McAdam won’t play after his three-match ban for his bump on GWS’ Jacob Wehr was upheld at the tribunal and, on Friday, Wayne Milera withdrew from the selected side with adductor tightness.
Former Collingwood father-son Tyler Brown, who was the tactical sub, has also been omitted.
Lachie Sholl will taste his first AFL minutes since Round 10 last year after a strong performance in the Crows SANFL trial against Glenelg, while Patrick Parnell and Lachie Murphy return.
Small forward Ned McHenry has been added to Adelaide’s emergencies.
Butts is in line to be named as the tactical substitute for the Crows, after he was named as an emergency along with Lachie Murphy, Riley Thilthorpe and Patrick Parnell.
Power star Boak could return to AFL action on Saturday against Collingwood at the MCG, but it would be as the tactical substitute after he was named as an emergency for the Pies clash.
Boak missed out on the Power’s dominant Round 1 win over Brisbane because of a rib fracture he suffered in pre-season.
Trent McKenzie suffered a high ankle sprain in the win over the Lions and will miss this week.
Jase Burgoyne comes into the side to take on the Pies, with Tom Clurey overlooked.
It means Ryan Burton will have to play taller if required with the Power going in with captain Tom Jonas and Aliir Aliir as key defenders.
Boak and Clurey have been named on an emergency list along with Brynn Teakle and Riley Bonner.
Francis Evans, who made his debut for the Power after coming on as the tactical sub against the Lions, has been dropped.
COLLINGWOOD v PORT ADELAIDE
Saturday March 25, 1:45pm at the MCG
MAGPIES
B: Quaynor, Frampton, Maynard
HB: Hoskin-Elliott, Moore, Pendlebury
C: Noble, Adams, J.Daicos
HF: Sidebottom, Mihocek, Hill
F: Elliott, Cameron, N.Daicos
FOLL: McStay, De Goey, Crisp
I/C: Mitchell, Murphy, McCreery, Cox
EMG: Bianco, Ruscoe, McInnes, Carmichael
IN: Frampton
OUT: Howe (injured), McInnes (sub)
POWER
B: Burton, Jonas, Burgoyne
HB: Byrne-Jones, Aliir, Houston
C: Bergman, Drew, Duursma
HF: Georgiades, Marshall, Rozee
F: Butters, Dixon, Powell-Pepper
FOLL: Lycett, Wines, Horne-Francis
I/C: Farrell, Fantasia, Rioli, Jones
EMG: Boak, Clurey, Bonner, Teakle
IN: Burgoyne
OUT: McKenzie (injured), Evans (omitted)
ADELAIDE CROWS v RICHMOND
Saturday March 25, 4:35pm at Adelaide Oval
CROWS
B: Doedee, Murray, Michalanney
HB: Smith, Dawson, Hinge
C: Soligo, Laird, Sholl
HF: Rachele, Pedlar, Keays
F: Walker, Fogarty, Rankine
FOLL: O’Brien, Sloane, Berry
I/C: Himmelberg, Schoenberg, Murphy, Parnell
EMG: Butts, Murphy, Thilthorpe, McHenry
IN: Murphy, Sholl, Parnell
OUT: McAdam (suspended), Milera (injured), Butts, Brown (both omitted)
TIGERS
B: Balta, Vlastuin, Grimes
HB: Broad, Baker, D.Rioli
C: McIntosh, Prestia, Pickett
HF: Rioli, Graham, Bolton
F: Ryan, Martin, Lynch
FOLL: Nankervis, Taranto, Hopper
I/C: Riewoldt, Short, Cotchin, Young
EMG: Miller, Mansell, Clarke, Ralphsmith
IN: Ryan, Young
OUT: Miller, Mansell, Ross (all omitted)
THE EPIC SPRAY THAT LAUNCHED BRUTAL POWER SMACKDOWN
-- Lauren Wood
Ollie Wines knew it was coming the moment he raised his hand.
When he looked across and saw the look in Ken Hinkley’s eye, it was confirmed.
The bake.
Not a cookie, or pasta.
But an old-fashioned dressing down from a coach Wines likens to a parental figure.
Two goals down to Brisbane in the opening game last Saturday, Wines – who admitted he hadn’t copped many in his 204 games at Port Adelaide – reckons it was “a pretty good spray”.
“It was at a midfield meeting at half-time, he nominates guys that didn’t do something well, and you put your hand up and you know it’s coming,” Wines told News Corp this week.
“We all get them every now and then and generally I like to think our team responds well to them.”
Wines does, too. Hinkley probably knows that, he said.
“He cares about his players and everything that he says is coming from a perspective of caring and wanting the best for us as a team,” Wines said.
“I gave about four free kicks away in the space of about 10 minutes in the second quarter, and that was one of the things that was really going against us – we were really shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit in giving so many free kicks away.
“Kenny knows me very well. He’s probably second to my parents in knowing me as well as anyone, so he knows how to push my buttons and get the most out of me. It’s just something that he does and it’s from a perspective of care. It’s not having a go at us, it’s wanting to get the best out of us.”
It’s old-school – Wines likes it that way.
The Brownlow medallist, who is also serving as a Foxtel ambassador, laughs that he’s “showing his age”.
“That style of coaching is probably going out of fashion, in a way, with new generations coming through that perhaps don’t take feedback as well at times,” he said.
“I’m separating myself from them, now, that’s showing my age.
“Younger players generally don’t take feedback as well these days, so it’s knowing when to do it and who takes feedback in what ways.”
The Power piled on 13 goals to Brisbane’s three in the second half, so there was method in Hinkley’s delivery.
This time last year, the team was coming off its first loss of what became a 0-5 start to the season, which turned up the heat on the coach – who is out of contract at the end of this season.
Wines said starting strongly this time around was as much for Hinkley as it was the players.
“Unfortunately the coach obviously carries the burden of the team’s performance, particularly when it’s not going the way we would like,” the Echuca local said.
“Kenny has been under pressure for a couple of years from external sources. Internally, we’ve always had faith in him.
“He goes above and beyond for our playing group in getting the most out of us and the coaches and everyone at the club.
“We sort of feel like we owe it to him to uphold our end of the bargain and get the most out of it.
“He’s quite relaxed at the moment – I think he sees the amount of work he’s put in to get us prepared and I think once you know you’ve got that preparation in, you can be as calm as you can be on game day.”
Collingwood awaits this weekend in another old-school prospect – a 1.45pm start on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
It could have been a very different prospect had the Power not prevailed last weekend, but Wines said there is an extra “pep in the step” with just what could be.
“Our preseason games didn’t go the way we would have liked, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were some worries going into Round 1,” he said.
“We probably never expected to have an eight or nine goal win over Brisbane – we always thought that it would be a close game, and if we were going to win, it would come down to the wire.
“But to show that resilience after half time and really fight back after half time in a game we felt we really should have been leading at half-time, to put so many goals on in the third quarter was really pleasing and it instils a lot of belief in us that our best footy is really capable of playing against those good teams.”
There’s some memories, too, for the childhood trips to then-Optus Oval for the traditional timeslot.
“We’re very excited,” Wines said.
“I think back even to junior footy and when I was playing seniors for Echuca – it was always a 2.15pm start, so in a way there’s a bit of nostalgia there for me, going back and thinking of the early days.”
Every game of every round during the 2023 AFL season is available in 4K Ultra HD on Foxtel for the first time.
POTENTIAL DEBUTANT IN MIX AS PORT EYES PIES TEST
Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Tom Clurey looms as the likely replacement for fellow defender Trent McKenzie, who will miss at least one game with an ankle injury.
McKenzie sprained his right ankle during the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Brisbane, but managed to play out the win over the Lions.
It has since been confirmed that he suffered a high-grade ankle sprain, which will rule him out of the Power’s round 2 clash against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
The Power have to wait for McKenzie’s swelling to come down this week to determine a timeline for the key defender to return.
Clurey is the likely player to take his place.
Fellow key defender Jake Pasini is pushing hard for a debut and had 20 disposals in Port’s SANFL trial match against North Adelaide on the weekend.
Jase Burgoyne has been in the AFL side during pre-season and could be an option, which would mean Ryan Burton plays as a tall.
But Burton was impressive in shutting down the Lions’ gun small forward Charlie Cameron at Adelaide Oval.
Travis Boak will be assessed after missing Round 1 because of a rib fracture but key in whether he can return will be if the pain he is suffering reduces.
Jeremy Finlayson played in the SANFL trial game, six weeks after surgery to repair a syndesmosis injury.
Power assistant coach Nathan Bassett hinted on Monday that Finlayson might need another week in the SANFL team to build fitness.
PORT PLAN TO STOP DAICOS AFTER ROUND 1 STUNNER
Port Adelaide will “look at all the options” to try and stop Collingwood young star Nick Daicos, Power defensive coach Nathan Bassett says.
The Power and Collingwood face each other at the MCG on Saturday in a tantalising clash of the two teams who arguably impressed the most in Round 1.
After his outstanding debut season in the AFL, in which he comfortably claimed the Rising Star, Daicos hit the ground running in the first game of his second year against Geelong with 35 disposals and over 500m gained.
Despite it being a pre-season game Hawthorn deployed a tag on the young star.
Bassett said the Power had been discussing how to quell Daicos’ influence on Saturday.
“We have just been having that discussion,” he said.
“Cause he is interesting in the way he plays, he certainly runs hard and hunts that footy.
“He is a super talented player and as good for his age as anyone in the competition.
“It will be a challenge.”
The Power have rarely gone with a tag from the outset in games but Bassett said that could be on the cards.
“I think we look at all the options, what is the best way to minimise his strengths and potentially expose his weaknesses.
“So we will look at all the options.
“If we think the positives will outweigh the negatives and we think we have someone to do it.”
The Power have used Willem Drew as a tagger in the past, while Lachie Jones might also be one to do a defensive job.
Like the Power, the Pies were extremely impressive in victory in Round 1 with the fast style of footy blowing the Cats away.
Bassett said they were a tough match-up, especially at the MCG.
“Their team defence is really interesting in terms of the way they defend,” he said.
“I think you can get scoring opportunities against them, it is more about how you can reduce their score.
“They are so aggressive through the corridor, they will handball chain and they have some really good talent in their side.
“They are a really interesting proposition as a team to watch, I’d expect an entertaining game this week.”
Travis Boak is a chance of returning for the huge clash after he missed Round 1 because of a slight crack in his rib sustained in the pre-season that ruled him out of the Power’s dominant 54-point win over Brisbane at Adelaide Oval.
“Trav is a chance, he has to prove that he is fit enough to play,” he said.
“But if Travis Boak is fit and ready I would be surprised if he doesn’t play.”
Jeremy Finlayson might need another week after he returned to action in a SANFL trial match following syndesmosis surgery but Bassett said he expected him to be in the AFL side quickly once he was fit.
Sore Boak in mix but which unlucky Port star misses?
Port Adelaide star Travis Boak could be a chance of returning for the Power’s Round 2 clash against Collingwood but could come at the expense of an unlucky teammate.
Boak missed the dominant 54-point win over Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after scans revealed a slight crack in his rib stemming from a collision in the Power’s practice match against West Coast in Perth.
The 34-year-old is still in pain from the incident, for which he was initially cleared of structural damage.
Whether Boak can face the Pies at the MCG on Saturday will depend on how much this reduces this week with the former Power captain determined to not spend another game on the sidelines.
If he can prove his fitness then a selection crunch is on with no obvious omission following Sunday’s even team performance across the board.
In his absence Lachie Jones played as a forward against the Lions and finished with three goals and 12 disposals.
Out of the Power’s midfield brigade Willem Drew had the least amount of disposals with 20 but as he usually does he provided Port with a defensive job on the ball.
Orazio Fantasia finished with three behinds before he was subbed out at three-quarter time.
Following the win over the Lions Power senior coach Ken Hinkley said that Fantasia was just being managed after his 2022 season in which he didn’t taste a minute of AFL action.
The Power also might have a decision to make in their forward line.
Jeremy Finlayson played out a SANFL trial game on Saturday after his recovery from syndesmosis surgery.
He finished with 1.4 against North Adelaide and Port’s SANFL coach Tyson Goldsack was pleased with how he went.
“Jez has had a fair lay off, we wanted to get some kilometres in the leg, he got the minutes he needed, had five shots on goal, not a bad return,” Goldsack told the Power’s website.
Todd Marshall had 4.1, Charlie Dixon 3.3 and Mitch Georgiades 1.3 against the Lions.
Georgiades had some issues with his goal-kicking accuracy in 2022 and the Power’s 2004 premiership captain Warren Tredrea said during the game this looked to have carried over into 2023.
“I don’t think Georgiades believes in himself at the moment,” he said on FIVEaa.
Riley Bonner also pushed his case for a senior spot with 27 disposals in the SANFL trial game.
More Coverage
Originally published as AFL 2023: Keep up with the latest news ahead of round two
Bruce! Footy fans all say the same thing
There was a beloved footy figure back on TV screens on Friday night and it left fans all making the same comments.
Brayshaw gutted after massive MMM shake-up
Radio station Triple M has undergone a major shake-up, with one of the moves devastating broadcaster James Brayshaw.