Port Adelaide loses star forward Charlie Dixon for Round 1, but debut beckons for high-flying draftee Mitch Georgiades

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says key forward Charlie Dixon’s untimely absence due to injury will make the team “a little bit different”, but creates a great opportunity for teenage debutant Mitch Georgiades.

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After a summer spent planning a forward line around ace tall Charlie Dixon, Port Adelaide will look to spread the load in attack for Saturday’s premiership season opener against Gold Coast.

In disappointingly ruling No. 1 target Dixon out of the Metricon Stadium clash after he failed to recover from a strained adductor suffered in the Marsh Community Series, coach Ken Hinkley said the Power would revert to “a mixture of the group’’, like it did last year when Dixon played only nine AFL games because of injury.

“The focal point will be a mixture of the group,’’ Hinkley said, while handing a round one debut to exciting first-year forward Mitch Georgiades.

“That’s what it has to be and that’s what we did for much of last year without Charlie.

“We are starting the year in a similar position, albeit we have a much more positive outcome for Charlie, which is great.

“It (Dixon’s absence) does change things because Charlie is a big key forward, everyone has been talking him up and you get optimistic about that.

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Charlie Dixon will not line-up in Round 1 due to injury. Picture: Matt Turner/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Although he’s only got a small injury it’s still disappointing not having him there because we had some success with him there in the pre-season.

“But it opens up opportunities for Mitch to play, for Todd (Marshall) to play, for ‘Westy’ (Justin Westhoff) to help us out in that area and for Brad (Ebert) to come in and play a role.

“It’s going to make us a little bit different, we get that, but we can’t do much about it.’’

Dixon played just nine games, kicking 13 goals, last season as he recovered from badly broken leg.

But he promised to be a difference maker this season after what he had described as the best pre-season of his career.

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Hinkley said Port would have to use the ball efficiently going into attack – its number one focus in the off-season – to beat a Gold Coast side that won both Marsh Community Series matches against Geelong and Adelaide and started last season well.

“A lot of our talk has been around our efficiency going forward,’’ said Hinkley, whose side last season led the league in time in forward half and inside 50 differential but couldn’t kick enough winning scores.

“That’s some stuff we’ve worked at over summer.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to get it absolutely perfect, but our team’s been really strong and I was really happy what we were able to do against two quality sides (Brisbane and the Bulldogs in pre-season games).

But draftee Mitch Georgiades will get his opportunity. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/Getty Images

“We come up against a side this week that we think is in as good a form as us on their home deck, so we’re going to have to be really smart with our efficiency going forward, otherwise their pressure will put us under pressure.’’

Hinkley said the Port players were “up and about’’ with starting the season, despite the coronavirus pandemic, and wanted to put smiles on peoples faces again.

He said not one Power player had told him they were uncomfortable playing.

“Our players are trusting the people in charge of the medical situation we are facing at the moment,’’ Hinkley said.

The Power squad will catch a charter flight to Gold Coast on Friday and be quarantined while in their hotel.

Hinkley said Port was venturing into the unknown playing in front of no crowd and wasn’t certain whether that could be an advantage for a road team..

“We’re about to find out, no-one’s ever experienced this before so it is a little bit of the unknown,’’ he said.

“What we have had is great preparation because we’ve basically had three sessions a week for the past four months where we’ve trained by ourselves.

“So that’s a great preparation for what it looks like, a training session but with a stronger desperation to make sure we are in front at the end of the day.’’

Originally published as Port Adelaide loses star forward Charlie Dixon for Round 1, but debut beckons for high-flying draftee Mitch Georgiades