AFL pre-season 2023: All the news, action and training standouts from the Crows and Power
Jason Horne-Francis had surgery on both his knees in October. But on Friday, he ticked off a major milestone in his recovery as two other Port youngsters go under the knife.
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A pair of Port Adelaide players have had surgery ahead of the Christmas break.
Forward Mitch Georgiades has undergone a minor ankle procedure, while defender Jase Burgoyne has had a knee operation.
Georgiades had some irritation during the Power’s pre-season camp on the Sunshine Coast this week.
He is expected to be back running within a fortnight.
Burgoyne landed awkwardly at training in Queensland on Wednesday, flew back to Adelaide the next day to have his right knee assessed, then had surgery on Friday.
He is expected to be back running in early January.
Former No. 1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis has begun running again for Port Adelaide following his off-season surgery.
Horne-Francis had a procedure to decompress the arteries behind his knees in October after his highly publicised move to the Power from North Melbourne.
The leg pain, which the Power said was at times debilitating pain in both calves and feet, impacted Horne-Francis during his first season at the Kangaroos.
The surgery had meant that the 19-year-old was off-legs for the start of the Power’s pre-season.
But on the final day of the club’s camp on the Sunshine Coast, Horne-Francis was running ahead of the Christmas break.
Port Adelaide forward Todd Marshall said it was great to see.
“It was tough for him, he had surgery as soon as he got to the club,” he said.
“But he was out there running on the track, it will be a slow build in terms of him building himself up but we can’t wait to have him in our team.
“There is a reason that he wanted to come back and we are excited to have him.”
The milestone for Horne-Francis in his recovery comes as former coach David Noble, who was sacked by the Kangaroos, said he was confident the issues that the SA young gun had at North Melbourne won’t impact his career too much.
The Power now break for Christmas after the gruelling camp on the Sunshine Coast.
Things you love to see: JHF on the track running post-surgery 👠pic.twitter.com/iGcetpZU2o
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) December 16, 2022
Marshall said he felt it would set them up for a bounce-back in 2023.
“It was a massive week for us, it is probably our biggest training load for a fair while,” he said.
“The humidity plays a massive factor, I think that is part of coming up here and testing ourselves in those conditions.
“It is hard but it is fun along the way.
“I think so (they got everything they wanted out of it), when we got here we had a meeting on the Sunday and spoke about the things we wanted to get out of it.
“And that was education around our game style, build our connection as a group and work hard on the track and in the gym.
“Over these six days it has been really hard work but I feel like we have built on our connection and worked on our game style to set ourselves up for 2023. I think it has been a really positive week.”
While it was a disappointing season for the Power, it was a breakout one for Marshall who kicked 45 goals.
He said he was confident of repeating it.
“I sort of want to be that consistent forward, I don’t want it to be a one-off year,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve set myself up well.”
Recruit’s eye-catching performance
– Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Adelaide is ramping up its pre-season training as it heads into the Christmas break.
Midfielder Ben Keays fronted a press conference after the Crows’ session at West Lakes on Wednesday.
This was what News Corp observed from the sidelines and what Keays had to say:
CLASSY SMALL FORWARDS
Boom recruit Izak Rankine’s class is standing out – not simply because he is wearing a fluoro hat to indicate he is to avoid contact.
The former Gold Coast Sun, who had a shoulder operation post-season, took a nice mark in one drill, then linked up brilliantly in another with Josh Rachele and Taylor Walker.
In match simulation, Rankine sliced through his opponents, shrugging off Brayden Cook on the boundary before hitting a leading Walker on his chest.
“He’s going to be pretty phenomenal,” Keays said.
Rachele was also wearing a fluoro hat and was just as brilliant during a five-on-five handball drill, constantly evading defenders while seeming to be in two places at once.
ON THE SIDELINES
The Crows’ rehabilitation group featured Keays (recovering from shoulder surgery), Rory Sloane (returning from knee), Tom Doedee (AC joint repair in off-season), Mitch Hinge (groin management), Shane McAdam (building up fitness) and Tariek Newchurch (soreness).
Keays was in a sling for a month post-season and also battled a groin issue from midway through last campaign.
“I’ve gone through the years and heard players talk about rehab and how tough it is but have never really had to experience it,” he said.
“It’s new for me and a struggle.
“I just want to get out there but have got to be patient and will get into it post-Christmas.”
Defender Josh Worrell was jogging laps after injuring his hamstring last week and was expected to be back in full training when the players returned early next year.
Midfielder Sam Berry came off early with a tight calf but was fine.
MATCH SIMULATION
Hard nut Luke Pedlar was with the As and small forward Ned McHenry with the Bs in the most noteworthy team selections during match simulation.
All three draftees – Max Michalanney, Billy Dowling and Hugh Bond – were also in the seconds side, which was beaten convincingly.
Former rower Bond’s running, namely his ability to push through the pain barrier, is said to have impressed the Crows’ coaches.
Dowling being able to find space and Michalanney’s long reach caught the eye.
HAMILL RECOVERY
Helmet-wearing defender Will Hamill trained well on Wednesday, four months on from sustaining the sixth concussion of his career during his 38th AFL match.
Keays said the 22-year-old’s attitude and work ethic made him a popular member of the group.
“It seems like he’s training fine,” he said.
“He’s obviously got the wheels (speed) and when he gets the ball in his hands, he breaks the lines so you do notice him from the sidelines.
“You sort of forget what he’s been through … because he seems to get back up and keep going, like he never left.
“It’s been amazing for him to bounce back from that.”
STAYING PUT?
Keays expects Sloane to remain Adelaide’s captain in 2023.
The 32-year-old has been sole skipper since 2020 but is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, prompting some outside the club to suggest a change may be coming.
Keays was in the leadership group with Sloane, Doedee, Brodie Smith and Reilly O’Brien last season, along with newcomer Jordan Dawson.
“Sloaney’s our skipper and is doing a fantastic job,” he said.
“Seeing his work ethic over the off-season, it’s amazing what he’s come back from.
“He’s going to be like a new recruit.
“We’re all trying to grow as leaders and there’s no better player to play under than Sloaney.
HOPEFUL FOR RETURN
Keays is hopeful swingman Fischer McAsey will be back from personal leave after Christmas.
McAsey, whose most recent AFL game was in 2020, took time away from the club last month.
Keays said he had not yet reached out to his teammate.
“We’re letting Fisch have some personal time and time away from the club,” he said.
“The club will keep supporting him … and let him sort out what he needs to.”
BACK FROM DOHA
Keays was in SA for a large chunk of the off-season but headed to Qatar to support Australia at the World Cup for a week in late November.
He credited Crows high-performance coach Darren Burgess, who had been the fitness boss at Arsenal, Liverpool and with the Socceroos, for quickly approving the trip.
“It was incredible being there,” Keays said.
“I think Burgo was pretty jealous.”
WHY ‘SMARTER’ THILTHORPE CAN’T WAIT FOR 2023
- Matt Turner
Riley Thilthorpe is “flying on the track” during his third summer at the Crows, buoyed by a smarter off-season and more confidence training.
A noticeably bigger Thilthorpe added 3kg in his break, focusing on shorter sprints rather than endurance running as he aims to improve his explosiveness.
So far the 20-year-old forward/ruck has not missed a training session and his body is feeling good.
He finished second to Chayce Jones in Adelaide’s 4x1km time-trial.
“The body’s in a much better place than last year,” said Thilthorpe, who played 25 AFL games across his first two campaigns.
“I was smarter with how I planned the off-season.
“I didn’t work myself into the ground as much and now I’m flying on the track, so I’m really happy with where I’m at.
“I can’t wait for games to come around again.”
A self-belief course outside the club is also fuelling Thilthorpe’s positivity.
In August, the West Adelaide product revealed to News Corp that he was undertaking daily activities and Zoom chats with Melbourne-based Rob Walker, crediting them for his improved form.
Thilthorpe said he did not feel pressure because he was the Crows’ highest ever draft pick, at No.2 in 2020, but he had needed to improve his confidence.
“Even coming to the track this year, I feel like I’m in a much better headspace physically and mentally to attack training,” Thilthorpe said on Tuesday.
“Being more confident, chest out, walking on my toes a bit more, trying to be a bit more of the man, backing myself in, flying at footies, backing my skills in.
“It hopefully helps my shine throughout next year.”
Thilthorpe described his 2022 campaign as very up and down.
During the previous off-season, he had tried so hard to impress, he pushed himself too hard and it set him back.
Then, after its round 1 loss to Fremantle, Adelaide dropped him.
He was out of the AFL side for nine weeks.
“At the time it was really difficult, but looking back I learnt so much about myself, my body and my footy,” he said.
“I learnt a lot about body management, managing little niggles and just taking the coaches’ feedback on board and putting it to work.”
Thilthorpe’s form improved late in the season.
He particularly impressed at home against preliminary finalist Collingwood in round 18, when he had 17 disposals, a career-high five inside-50s, three clearances and 12 contested possessions.
Although he hopes to play a little higher up the field to get more of the ball, he expected to have a similar role in 2023.
That means primarily being part of a forward line headlined by the likes of Taylor Walker, Josh Rachele, Gold Coast recruit Izak Rankine, Darcy Fogarty and Shane McAdam.
“Hopefully we can scare a few teams,” he said.
The late pick following in Sloane’s footsteps
- Simeon Thomas-Wilson
There’s only days left of the first part of pre-season but are the Crows giving away some positional changes for 2023?
Adelaide had plenty of match-sim at West Lakes on a blustery Monday morning.
Captain Rory Sloane was involved in some of it early on but the skipper took a back-seat when the action got intense as he recovers from his ACL injury.
Here’s what we saw at West Lakes on Monday.
Who’s where
Izak Rankine was around the ball throughout the match-sim, playing a midfield/very high-half forward role.
The former Gold Coast Sun, who is still wearing a non-contact hat, did show that his recently operated shoulder is in good nick when applied a good bump on Sam Berry.
Rankine also had Harry Schoenberg on him at times as he floated a lot higher than he did during his time at the Suns.
Luke Pedlar was used mainly as a half-forward during the match-sim session.
He kicked a nice goal and looked impressive in the role ahead of what should be a big season for the former No. 11 draft pick, who has only played the five games for the Crows.
In the deep end
The Crows new draftees were also in the thick of the action.
Father-son selection Max Michalanney had some good moments in defence, impressing with his intercept marking.
No. 43 pick Billy Dowling played in the midfield along with Hugh Bond, who also spent some time at half-back.
Bond, pick 50 in the national draft, ended up running with reigning Club Champion Rory Laird in what was a big task for the youngster.
Poor kicking is poor footy
The wind was a factor but the Crows kicking left a lot to be desired.
Even before the match-sim the Crows were struggling to hit targets, and there were plenty of turnovers in the main part of the session.
Players usually solid by foot such as Jordan Dawson and Brodie Smith were guilty of some poor kicks that either went out of bounds or were easily intercepted.
It is still early days in the pre-season, and, as mentioned before, the wind was a factor at West Lakes.
But after the Crows’ skills came under so much scrutiny in 2022, Matthew Nicks will be hoping this doesn’t continue in 2023.
Dawson’s tackle
Dawson might have had some not so good moments with his kicking on Monday, but he did provide one of the highlights of the training session.
Reilly O’Brien had Taylor Walker purring when he fended off fellow ruckman Kieran Strachan and took off, getting the ball to Schoenberg.
Schoenberg looked odds on to kick a goal before Dawson emerged and laid a fantastic chase-down tackle to stop the young midfielder in his tracks.
It’s why Dawson has become such a key player for the Crows since he moved from Sydney and is now being spoken about as a potential next captain of the club.
Tex is still kicking
Walker’s late-career revival looks set to continue in 2023 with the Crows talisman looking in fine form this summer.
He took some impressive contested marks in match-sim, and still looks to be one of, if not the, most important Crows forward.
After the match-sim was done, Adelaide players who hadn’t done 1km time trials split off into two groups, one running around the oval and one running from one goal set to another on the surface.
Walker looked the strongest out of the latter group on every occasion in their reps.
Fog hurt but not wounded
His partner in crime up forward Darcy Fogarty has also looked strong, especially with the way he is moving across the ground.
But there was a mild scare when he looked to be limping after a tackle towards the end of match-sim.
However, luckily for the Crows, Fogarty looked to be fine and was doing extras after the match-sim had finished.
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