AFL Trade Period: Port Adelaide needed to address ruck, defence issues to keep premiership hopes alive

In a similar fashion to last year, Port Adelaide gave up a lot during the trade period. So, will it all be worth it? Matt Turner takes a closer look.

Ruckman Jordon Sweet (left) arrives at Port Adelaide from the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

These were the moves Port Adelaide had to make to keep its 2024 premiership hopes alive.

The evidence this year clearly showed the Power could not go back to the well with Trent McKenzie and Tom Clurey as its main key defenders to partner Aliir Aliir or with Scott Lycett as its first-choice ruckman and be able to win a flag.

You could have drawn a line through Port’s premiership chances if it did not boost its backline and big man stocks during the off-season.

McKenzie, Clurey and Lycett had battled hard these past few years, but the Power had been exposed in those areas when the whips were cracking.

Coming off a straight-sets exit, Port needed fresh options to have any chance of success next season, even if it had to cough up a bunch of draft picks and a best-22 player to seal the deals.

So bringing in tall defenders Esava Ratugolea (Geelong) and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Essendon), along with ruckmen Ivan Soldo (Richmond) and Jordon Sweet (Western Bulldogs), give the Power a facelift in two sections of the ground that needed it most.

Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea is one of Port’s four new recruits. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The total price to secure all four players, as well as selection 73 and two future fourth-rounders, was trading wingman Xavier Duursma, who went to the Bombers, a 2024 first-round selection, picks 41 and 49, and a future fourth-rounder.

It leaves Port without a pick until 73 this year and no 2024 first-round selection.

Port’s inclusions address needs but none of the quartet are stars.

Between them, they have played 184 games across a combined 27 seasons on AFL lists.

None have finished in the top 10 of a best-and-fairest.

Some of that is about opportunity, but it also offers an insight into how they have performed to date.

As good as Ratugolea’s intercepting and switch to defence has been, his kicking is a weakness.

Zerk-Thatcher showed significant improvement this year, playing every game, but was monstered by some of the game’s premier key forwards.

Soldo is a premiership ruckman, though one who has had limited exposure as a lead AFL ruckman.

He has played alongside Tigers co-captain Toby Nankervis in 30 of his 57 games.

Sweet is largely untried at the top level, playing just 11 matches in five seasons while being stuck behind Tim English.

But the Power does not need them to become stars.

It already has plenty of top-end talent.

Essendon defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher boosts an area of need for Port. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Plus, there have been countless players who have gone from good to great by switching teams.

The Power’s best defender, Aliir Aliir, is one, having earnt his first All-Australian selection in his debut season at Alberton after crossing from Sydney.

Zerk-Thatcher (195cm, 91kg) should benefit from being the third tall alongside Ratugolea (197cm, 108kg) and Aliir (194cm, 96kg) as opposed to having to man bigger opponents.

The Power just needs the four recruits to fix some obvious list holes.

That includes helping its age profile by bridging the gap between veterans such as Ollie Wines, Charlie Dixon and Travis Boak, and young guns like Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis.

Soldo is 27, while Sweet, Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher are all 25.

“That 25, 26-year-old key defender is not something we really have on our list,” Power football boss Chris Davies told this masthead on Wednesday night.

“We’ve got some high hopes for Kyle Marshall and Tom McCallum, but for what we need right now in 2024, getting a couple of extra options into that position, we thought was important – and certainly was highlighted towards the back end of the season.

“(In ruck) we persisted with what we’ve had for a period of time and we just felt like we had to provide new options for both the coaches and … our young midfield will be pleased with having some change-up in there as well.”

Ivan Soldo (right) is keen to become a No. 1 ruckman. Picture: Michael Klein.

Port is unlikely to trade away any of its 2024 selections to move up the order in next month’s draft, given father-son prospect Rome Burgoyne is on the horizon next year.

It will be the second successive national draft the Power has not had a pick inside the top 35.

But with many of its best players still yet to hit their primes – six of its top 10 in this month’s best-and-fairest are 25 or under and four are 23 or younger – Port can afford to forego early selections to restock for another top-four tilt in 2024.

Duursma may end up becoming a star at Essendon.

But with Josh Sinn, Quinton Narkle and a potential positional switch for Kane Farrell, Port has wing options to replace him.

Whether this new quartet will improve the Power’s premiership chances is still to be determined.

But it had to roll the dice on these changes, rather than stick fat with some of their veterans.

“We felt like we had to make these moves in order to get better for next year, there’s no doubt about it,” Davies said.

Originally published as AFL Trade Period: Port Adelaide needed to address ruck, defence issues to keep premiership hopes alive