AFL Round 16 teams: All the ins and outs from Port Adelaide and the Crows

Port Adelaide will be without one of their most dynamic forwards for their clash with Essendon, and with question marks lingering across the 23, could their skipper make a return?

Junior Rioli will miss Port Adelaide’s Saturday night clash against Essendon because of personal reasons.

The Power announced on Friday afternoon that Rioli did not travel to Melbourne with the team for the MCG blockbuster.

Former first round draft pick Josh Sinn comes into the Power’s 26.

Rioli trained at Alberton on Friday at the Power’s captains run and Port senior coach Ken Hinkley spoke of his excitement at getting the West Coast premiership player back for the clash with the Bombers.

It could mean there is a reprieve for mid-season draftee Quinton Narkle.

Narkle made his debut in the Power’s win over Geelong, his former club, before their mid-season bye and could have considered himself unlucky to have been omitted for Rioli – who he was a last minute inclusion for against the Cats.

Quinton Narkle could be the beneficiary of Rioli’s absence. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Narkle travelled to Melbourne with the Power squad on Friday.

Also travelling with the Power to Melbourne was Port captain Tom Jonas after Hinkley revealed that there were some question marks over the players he named to take on the Bombers.

Hinkley said while the Power were coming off the bye he wasn’t entirely sure of his side to take on the Bombers yet.

“We have a bit to shuffle through at the moment,” he said.

“Even though we have had the bye we have a couple of things going on.”

Jonas hasn’t played at AFL level since Round 10 and has been in the SANFL in recent weeks trying to find form.

Tom Jonas hasn’t played at AFL level since round 10. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Hinkley said it was unlikely Jonas would be the Power’s tactical sub.

“We will look at all options it is probably not our first choice for him to be the sub,” Hinkley said.

“But I think the thing with TJ is that we know that he is in really god form in the SANFL and he is capable of coming and playing a role really quickly if we need him to.”

The Power will be looking to break a trend of sides losing after their bye, with Richmond the latest to go down after its break with the Tigers thrashed by Brisbane on Thursday night.

Hinkley said it was a thing, but he wasn’t too surprised by it.

“I think the mature thing is to acknowledge it and just talk about it and be honest enough to know that it is somewhat real,” he said.

“But there are lots of different reasons for why and I think most teams who have come off the bye have started pretty well but they haven’t been able to maintain it for four quarters.

“But I think if we purely looked back at the results and asked if many of those results surprised us I’m not sure that there were a terribly high amount of those that actually surprised us.”

Teams: Port, Crows make tough selection calls

Junior Rioli will return for Port Adelaide when it takes on Essendon, while Adelaide will make just one change off the back of a loss to Collingwood.

Rioli was a late withdrawal from the Power’s last game through illness.

He and Riley Bonner are the two additions for Ken Hinkley as the Power look to keep their winning streak going against the Bombers on Saturday night at the MCG.

Junior Rioli is back for the Power. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

For the Crows, Ned McHenry comes into their 22 after he was the sub against Collingwood.

He comes into the 22 to take on North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday in place of Lachie Sholl.

Crows Head of Football Adam Kelly said McHenry deserved an opportunity to play a full game.

“Ned has been in good form in 2023, which includes having regularly impacted games positively as the sub throughout the season,” Kelly said.

“His impact last week against Collingwood, once injected into the game at half-time, was significant.

“As a result, he has forced his way into our starting 22 for the game against the Kangaroos.”

Despite suffering a corked hamstring in the loss to the Pies Nick Murray has been named by the Crows.

Murray was subbed out of the Crows’ loss to Collingwood. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Rioli comes into the Power side to take on the Bombers at the expense of mid-season draftee Quinton Narkle, who made his Port debut against his former club Geelong in round 14.

Former first round pick Josh Sinn also comes out of the Power’s 22.

Narkle is in line to be the Power’s tactical sub after he was named as an emergency along with captain Tom Jonas, defender Jase Burgoyne and young tall Dante Visentini.

Jonas hasn’t played an AFL game since Round 10 and has been in the SANFL in recent weeks as he tries to find form.

ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE

Saturday July 1, 1:45pm at Adelaide Oval

CROWS

B: B.Smith, J.Butts, N.Murray

HB: M.Hinge, M.Michalanney, W.Milera

C: C.Jones, J.Dawson – C, N.McHenry

HF: J.Rachele, D.Fogarty, L.Pedlar

F: L.Murphy, T.Walker, I.Rankine

FOLL: R.O’Brien, R.Laird, B.Keays

I/C: J.Worrell, J.Soligo, R.Thilthorpe, R.Sloane

EMG: H.Schoenberg, L.Sholl, E.Himmelberg, L.Gollant

In: None

Out: L.Sholl (Omitted)

KANGAROOS

B: A.Corr, G.Logue, B.McKay

HB: M.Bergman, D.Tucker, L.McDonald

C: E.Ford, L.Davies-Uniacke, B.Scott

HF: J.Simpkin – C, C.Coleman-Jones, J.Stephenson

F: C.Zurhaar, N.Larkey, T.Thomas

FOLL: T.Goldstein, H.Sheezel, G.Wardlaw

I/C: L.Shiels, P.Curtis, W.Phillips, J.Ziebell

EMG: P.Spicer, H.Greenwood, C.Harvey, F.Perez

In: D.Tucker, L.Davies-Uniacke

Out: P.Spicer (Omitted), T.Powell (Injured), H.Greenwood (Omitted)

ESSENDON v PORT ADELAIDE

Saturday July 1, 7:25pm at the MCG

BOMBERS

B: A.McGrath, B.Zerk-Thatcher, J.Laverde

HB: M.Redman, J.Ridley, K.Langford

C: N.Martin, Z.Merrett – C, D.Heppell

HF: S.Durham, S.Weideman, J.Caldwell

F: M.Guelfi, P.Wright, J.Stringer

FOLL: A.Phillips, D.Parish, A.Perkins

I/C: B.Hobbs, W.Snelling, J.Kelly, J.Menzie

EMG: D.Shiel, N.Cox, N.Hind, N.Bryan

In: None

Out: N.Bryan (Omitted)

POWER

B: R.Bonner, T.McKenzie, D.Houston

HB: K.Farrell, A.Aliir, D.Williams

C: M.Bergman, J.Horne-Francis, W.Drew

HF: Z.Butters, T.Marshall, T.Boak

F: D.Byrne-Jones, C.Dixon, S.Powell-Pepper

FOLL: S.Lycett, O.Wines – C, C.Rozee

I/C: J.McEntee, J.Finlayson, R.Burton, J.Rioli

EMG: T.Jonas, Q.Narkle, D.Visentini, J.Burgoyne

In: J.Rioli

Out: J.Sinn (Omitted), Q.Narkle (Omitted)