Port Adelaide, Crows best 23s for 2025: Who makes the cut and what are the biggest selection dilemmas?
Neal-Bullen. Cumming. Peatling. Pick 4. Matthew Nicks has plenty of new toys with come Round 1 next season. How does he make the most of them to inspire a charge up the ladder?
The Crows and Port Adelaide have refreshed their squads after adding three new players each during the trade period.
GWS duo Isaac Cumming and James Peatling join Melbourne half-forward Alex Neal Bullen at West Lakes, while the Power has recruited Gold Coast pair Jack Lukosius and Rory Atkins, along with Collingwood goalsneak Joe Richards.
The two SA clubs have made several other list changes.
Adelaide lost free agent forward Elliott Himmelberg to the Suns and axed four players: Ned McHenry, Will Hamill, Lachie Gollant and Paddy Parnell.
At the Power, dual All-Australian Dan Houston was traded to Collingwood, spearhead Charlie Dixon and veteran defender Trent McKenzie hung up their boots, while second-year backman Tom McCallum was cut.
So where does that leave both South Australian clubs?
We predicted their best line-ups for 2025 and raised four key questions heading for next season.
MATT TURNER’S ADELAIDE PREDICTED BEST 23
F Walker Thilthorpe Rankine
HF Neal-Bullen Fogarty Keays
C Sholl Peatling Hinge
HB Milera Murray Cumming
B Worrell Keane Michalanney
R O’Brien Dawson Soligo
I/C Rachele Berry Laird Nankervis Crouch
Closest: Bond, Butts, Curtin, Murphy
KEY QUESTIONS
■ Where do the recruits fit?
Neal-Bullen, Cumming and Peatling are all first-choice players who improve a Crows team coming off a disappointing 15th-placed finish.
The arrival of Neal-Bullen may spell the end of Lachie Murphy’s time as an AFL regular.
Murphy has been a long-time workhorse in attack and is coming off a 17-game campaign, but Neal-Bullen, Ben Keays, Izak Rankine, Josh Rachele and a rotating midfielder can fill the smaller forward roles.
An attack featuring Taylor Walker, Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty, Neal-Bullen, Rankine, Keays and Josh Rachele looks very dangerous.
Crows fans will love Neal-Bullen’s workrate and tackling pressure.
Cumming will slot in at either halfback or a wing.
If it is the former, it may prompt the Crows to move Mitch Hinge from defence to further up the ground.
They can interchange between those roles, while Lachie Sholl remains on the opposite wing after his standout season.
What the inclusion of Peatling does to Adelaide’s midfield mix will be fascinating.
It might mean a season playing mostly at halfback or half-forward for Rory Laird, who did not attend a centre bounce in three of the Crows’ last four games this year.
Peatling’s speed and agility will complement an on-ball group that has needed more players with those qualities.
■ What will the defence look like?
Jordon Butts has been a soldier for the Crows during their rebuild, rising from the rookie list to become a reliable key defender.
But there may be no room for him when Mark Keane, Nick Murray and Josh Worrell are all available.
Hinge and Max Michalanney can play taller if needed.
Michalanney again proved how highly rated he was at West Lakes by placing fourth in the best-and-fairest in his second season.
Adelaide has plenty of halfback depth despite delisting Will Hamill and Paddy Parnell.
Wayne Milera, Luke Nankervis, Dan Curtin, Hugh Bond and Oscar Ryan will all contend for spots there.
Milera is virtually a recruit after playing just three games this past season.
The leadership group member is still only 27 and is a walk-up start to feature at AFL level if he is healthy, such is his class.
His return ensures a squeeze for positions in the backline – a good thing given the Crows’ lack of depth has been exposed in recent seasons.
Curtin, last year’s No.8 pick, should take another step over summer and could become a regular after featuring seven times in 2024.
Versatility is a strength for the left-footer, who can play at halfback but may get more opportunities in the midfield or attack next season.
Nankervis was chosen based on his form this year.
He played 20 games this past campaign, not missing any after coming into the side for round 4.
Bond, who played the final seven matches, was a difficult omission.
The 20-year-old barely put a foot wrong as a close-checking backman, but Adelaide now clearly had more depth after the trade period.
Veteran Brodie Smith probably has to settle for being a fringe player in his 15th season.
MATT TURNER’S PORT PREDICTED BEST 23
F Rioli Lord Georgiades
HF Byrne-Jones Lukosius Powell-Pepper
C Boak Horne-Francis Burgoyne
HB Farrell Aliir Evans
B Bergman Zerk-Thatcher Jones
R Sweet Butters Rozee
I/C Drew Wines Mead Marshall Sinn
Closest: Burton, Finlayson, Ratugolea, Richards
KEY QUESTIONS
■ Who replaces Houston at halfback?
The Power has several options, albeit none with the class of dual All-Australian Houston.
It will probably be a combination of Kane Farrell, Logan Evans, Josh Sinn, Ryan Burton and Jase Burgoyne that fill the void.
Like Houston, Farrell (hamstring) was sidelined for the major round.
His kicking prowess and dash from defence will become even more important with Houston gone.
Evans, Sinn and Burton featured in the preliminary final defeat to Sydney at the SCG.
Mid-season draftee Evans was a revelation who could take on a larger role next year.
Across his 13 games, he took 26 kick-ins and also showed an ability to pinpoint inboard targets to start chains through the corridor.
The Power would be hoping for an injury-free run from Sinn, who impressed in the semi-final victory over Hawthorn, in what was his fifth game for the season.
At 21, the left-footer is a bit of a wildcard in that he has barely been available, whereas Burton is the steady option as a 27-year-old with 11 games of finals experience.
Burgoyne was best-on-ground at halfback against the Hawks.
But after his breakout season on a wing, we predict the Power will let him build on that by leaving him there next year.
Atkins provides depth and seems unlikely to be more than a fringe player unless there are injuries.
Port ranked first in the AFL this year for scores from kick-ins and Houston played a key role in the Power’s transition from defence to attack.
He will not be easy to replace.
■ What will the forward line look like?
Port Adelaide has tried to address its forward line issues over the past three off-seasons.
The Power ranked fifth in the AFL this past campaign in expected scores, but 14th for goals per game and last for accuracy.
Lukosius and the return of heart-and-soul player Sam Powell-Pepper from an anterior cruciate ligament injury should help some of their problems.
Next year is Ollie Lord’s time to shine.
With Charlie Dixon retired, Lord should come in as the like-for-like, pack-crashing replacement.
It allows Lukosius and Todd Marshall to play their lead-up roles, and Mitch Georgiades to roam up the ground as a connector.
Lord, who kicked four goals in the 2023 qualifying final, would have been selected in round 1 this past season if not for a knee injury, which set him back.
He could not find consistent form in the SANFL and featured just six times at AFL level.
But the Power has high hopes for the 22-year-old.
Marshall has been chosen despite his concussion issues.
Football boss Chris Davies said last month that the 26-year-old was committed to playing on and did not see why he would not attack 2025 with the same gusto.
Fresh from a 44-goal season, Georgiades is now the face of Port’s forward line, although plenty of eyes will be on Lukosius.
Lukosius and Marshall’s football smarts should work well in tandem.
It was only last year that Lukosius booted 39 goals for a mediocre Suns side.
He should get plenty more opportunities inside 50 with the likes of great mate Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis delivering to him.
Jeremy Finlayson narrowly misses the cut, meaning Lord has to fill back-up ruck duties.
After finishing the year as a forward, Esava Ratugolea’s best chance to break into the team seems to be in defence.
Expect Richards to get games, but he may not start the season if Darcy Byrne-Jones, Rioli and Powell-Pepper are all available.
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