The latest pre-season notes and news out of Port Adelaide in track watch
Two Port Adelaide stars were sent for surgery post-season and Matt Turner has the latest on their status, plus Connor Rozee’s positional switch and more in track watch.
Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters is on track to take part in match simulation before the Christmas break as he progresses well from post-season surgery.
Butters was involved in drills for the first time this week since having a procedure on his adductor in October.
The Power vice-captain spent most of Friday’s session at Alberton running in a group with swingman Todd Marshall and West Australian train-on player Mitch Zadow.
Butters is expected to join some match simulation over the next fortnight, ahead of the club’s last session for 2025 on December 17.
The midfielder will be back in full training in the new year.
Butters, 25, missed last season’s opening three matches because of a knee injury then played for the rest of the campaign, winning a third consecutive best-and-fairest award.
Marshall, who will switch from attack to defence this year, is being managed after a ruptured achilles sidelined him for 2025.
On-baller Jason Horne-Francis (foot) is expected to resume running before Christmas and be back in drills after the break.
Half-back Josh Sinn trained without contact due to a minor shoulder issue.
Key defender Harrison Ramm, who debuted in Port’s thrilling last-round win over Gold Coast, spent the session jogging along the sidelines as part of load management.
Next year’s potential No. 1 pick, Dougie Cochrane, was there, but not training as he continued to recover from a knee injury.
Cochrane, part of the Power’s Next Generation Academy, has been cleared to play for the club’s SANFL team next year.
Port spent the middle part of the session doing match simulation-like drills.
Defender Logan Evans and goalsneak Joe Richards were part of the midfield group, spending time on the wing, in another sign new coach Josh Carr might want his players to have more strings to their bow.
Captain Connor Rozee, who moved from the engine room to half-back this year and had trained in defence during pre-season, was on-ball, while Miles Bergman was with the backs.
Usual midfielder Jackson Mead and GWS recruit Jacob Wehr were also with the defenders.
One eye-catching moment from the session was Jack Lukosius’s 35m bullet pass from the wing inside 50 to ex-Carlton small forward Corey Durdin.
Kneecap, back and calf issues restricted Lukosius to seven games during his first campaign at Alberton after crossing from Gold Coast last off-season.
Port finished the more than two-hour session with heavy running blocks.
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Originally published as The latest pre-season notes and news out of Port Adelaide in track watch
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