Ken Hinkley content with Power’s health as they seek scalp of flag rival
Having guaranteed a finals spot, Port Adelaide is seeking to extend its lead at the top against Geelong on Friday night.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is one of several coaches pleasantly surprised by how well players have coped physically with the rigours of the football frenzy over the past three weeks.
The top-placed Power is chasing a fourth win in succession when it tackles fellow premiership contender Geelong on the Gold Coast on Friday night.
Heading into the fast-tracked phase, there were major concerns as to how players would handle the stresses of playing at such a frequency with limited recovery time.
Some clubs have had to rise before dawn to fly interstate for matches before returning home in the early hours of the following day.
Others have swapped hubs and dealt with differing quarantine requirements from state to state.
But all have been able to manage their lists while largely avoiding the predicted injury carnage during the compressed fixture of four rounds which ends on Monday night.
“We weren’t sure how it was going to pan out and we weren’t sure how our players were going to recover,” Hinkley said.
“But what we have found all the way through is that the condition of our players (was good) and … what our conditioning staff has done with them has put them in a really healthy position.
“We have had a couple of injuries but, outside of that, we have been able to recover and feel like we are ready to play, whether that was four days, five days or, in this week, six days.”
There are a couple of exceptions. St Kilda lost veteran Dan Hannebery last month and Jade Gresham could miss the rest of the season with a back problem.
Impressive Demon Luke Jackson, the No 3 draft pick last season, has hurt a hamstring and will miss three weeks, while captain Max Gawn is battling a knee injury.
The Power has used only 30 players this season, the least of any side, which has been a factor in their consistent excellence.
Of the teams in the eight, Collingwood is by far the outlier, having used 37 during a period where they have been stricken with injuries to star players.
That is level with the Swans and Crows, sides which occupy the bottom two rungs on the ladder.
Hinkley said there was not necessarily any science behind the relatively healthy list the Power has at the moment.
“I think in footy seasons, collision injuries, soft-tissue injuries, they happen every year, the longer the season goes,” he said.
“I know we are only at round 12, but we are in August and these blokes have been training since November, so injuries happen for a number of reasons — wear and tear, collisions — and they are unavoidable.
“You just hope you get a good run, as best you can.”
The healthy list has allowed the Power to give Brad Ebert an additional week’s rest to properly recover from a recent concussion.
Sam Mayes returns from suspension and Steven Motlop from injury to face his old side, in place of Jarrod Lienert and Cam Sutcliffe, who were both omitted.
The Cats, who have had two fewer days’ rest than Port heading into the clash, have opted to manage the workload of Jack Steven and Brad Close, with the pair replaced by Lachie Fogarty and Sam Simpson.
Geelong coach Chris Scott believes the third-placed Cats, several of whom were reunited with their families after finishing quarantine on Thursday, have adjusted well to the challenges of 2020.
“I thought we were well prepared last week, and the week before, off short breaks, so we will go in with no excuses and well prepared for the circumstances,” he said.
The competition is bracing for another phase of fixture compression later this month as it seeks to ensure the season is completed while reducing the amount of time clubs are away. The AFL website reports the league is considering scheduling matches on 17 out of 18 days in the next phase.
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