Port Adelaide AFL list changes: See who is coming and going at the Power this off-season/draft period
Port Adelaide has big plans for Orazio Fantasia, should he request a trade to Alberton. Find out exactly where the latest trade talks are at and how his addition could free up some young gun forwards.
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Port Adelaide will “absolutely be in the market” for Orazio Fantasia as soon as he tells Essendon he wants to return to South Australia, Power general manager of football Chris Davies says.
And Davies said he would back the club’s medical department to get the Essendon livewire fit should he seek a trade to the Power, while Fantasia’s arrival at Alberton would help some Port young guns make the move to the midfield.
Fantasia is yet to officially request a trade back to Adelaide but new Bombers president Paul Brasher has told fans in a video that Fantasia wanted to leave.
Adelaide is also interested in the former Norwood product but the Crows feel that Port Adelaide has secured a march in the race for Fantasia - a year after he was heavily linked with a move to Alberton.
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Davies said the Power had spoken to Fantasia’s manager ahead of any declaration that he wanted to return to Adelaide.
“If he tells Essendon he wants to go and come back to South Australia then we will absolutely be in the market for him but there is a significant moment that he needs to take first and that is telling Essendon he wants out,” he said.
“We’ve spoken to his manager absolutely and as (these) things work it is absolutely important to know how the market is going to move.
“We’ve let his manager know that if he lets Essendon know that he wants out then we would like to be in that conversation.”
Fantasia’s camp has commissioned independent medical testing to show Adelaide and Port that his injury troubles of the past years won’t be a deal-breaker regarding any move back to SA.
Davies said it would be a factor but he would back in Port’s medical department.
“We are confident in our medical staff, if we take Orazio’s specific situation away I think over the last 10 years I think our injury rate is the best in the competition,” he said.
“So if anyone is able to get someone fit I would be backing our medical team.”
If Fantasia, who still has a year on his contract at the Bombers, comes to Port then it would allow the Power’s exciting young trio of Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma to play more in the midfield.
“It is exactly our thinking,” Davies said.
“Rozee in his under 16 year was crowned the best under 16 player in Australia as a midfielder.
“Butters is the closest at the moment to providing what we need in there.
“Duursma is courageous enough to go on the ball.”
Outside of the potential addition of Fantasia, Davies said the Power would look to improve their list across the board.
And while he said they would like another key defender, he wouldn’t be drawn into whether Port had made an offer to Sydney’s Aliir Aliir.
“If there is another guy that we can turn into the next Trent McKenzie then we will be interested,” he said.
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Port Adelaide could make as many as 10 changes to its list to make way for last year’s stockpile of emerging draftees while all but confirming it will go all-in to secure highly-rated SANFL defender Lachie Jones.
The Power will hold exit interviews on Monday and Tuesday this week before its best-and-fairest on October 29 after it was eliminated from the premiership race by Richmond in Friday night’s preliminary final.
With Justin Westhoff, Brad Ebert and Jack Watts retiring, Riley Grundy, Joe Atley, Tobin Cox and Wylie Buzza already delisted, Port could make three further cuts with Jake Patmore, Martin Fredericks and Cameron Sutcliffe’s futures decided by list sizes for next year.
But football manager Chris Davies told ABC Grandstand on the weekend that the only player it expects to lose from the 22 who played Richmond on Friday was Ebert.
After challenging ruckman/forward Peter Ladhams to show he is committed to playing at the level and the professional standards after his mid-year COVID breach, he will not be on the trade table.
And Port is expected to match rival bids for Jones who is a Next Generation academy prospect and played in Sunday’s SANFL grand final for Woodville-West Torrens.
Jones is expected to attract a first-round bid from a rival club, possibly as high as top-10, and given the Power does not have a first-round pick this year after trading it to Brisbane, it will need to package up to four later picks to get their man.
“From (Friday) night’s team the reality is we will only lose one player and that’s Brad (Ebert),” Davies told ABC Grandstand.
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“Westy’s impact has been on and off for the year so despite the fact that he’s retiring and leaving our club, it probably won’t impact our best 22 for next year.
“We have three or four first round draft picks from last year who haven’t been able to play at AFL level yet, but we think have significant futures.
“You saw some of (Mitch) Georgiades, but we didn’t see (Miles) Bergman, (Dylan) Williams, (Jackson) Mead who we have high hopes for.
“We have got the opportunity to match any bids for Lachie Jones this year who most people are suggesting is a first-round pick.
“You would expect Duursma, Butters, Rozee would take further steps next year and maybe Rob (Gray) and Trav (Boak) are getting older so might tail off, but we hope those younger guys who are getting better are able to cover whatever gaps are there.
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“We should be looking at taking some steps forward next year and I think we have the building blocks in place, a good foundation with the current group in order for them to get better and hopefully take us another couple of steps further next year.”
Defender Ryan Burton did his quad in the second quarter on Friday night and while he played out the game in the goalsquare at the other end, he was clearly hampered by the injury which was the latest in a string of soft-tissue issues this season.
Burton only played eight games this year in between hamstring and quad injuries, which Davies conceded would need to be addressed in the off-season.
“Disappointing for Ryan to have that issue come up again and we’re obviously going to have to look at the way we rehab him and train him into the future because it’s the second or third time he’s done it this year,” Davies said.
“It’s something we’re going to have to be mindful of.”
While senior coach Ken Hinkley is expected to receive a contract extension beyond 2021, some of his assistants including Nathan Bassett are yet to re-sign for next year while Michael Voss should be North Melbourne’s No. 1 target if Rhyce Shaw does not return to the top job according to leading football analyst Mick McGuane on the weekend.
Voss has been at Alberton for six years including as midfield coach and senior assistant and has played a vital part in driving the Power’s off-field connection and strategy in the past two seasons.
He has made no secret of his desire to be a senior coach again after five years at the Lions and interviewed for the Carlton job last year which went to interim coach David Teague.
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Originally published as Port Adelaide AFL list changes: See who is coming and going at the Power this off-season/draft period