Port Adelaide can be expected to challenge for the premiership again next year after failing to fire come the 2023 finals series that followed their dominant home and away campaign.
2024 will be a year of optimism at Alberton following a strong season for the Power, with the off-season seeing the club's backline bolstered while their young midfield core will continue on an exciting trajectory.
Ken Hinkley's front third will also be buoyed by its prominent stock of tall forwards, particularly with emerging attacker Mitch Georgiades looking to return from an ACL injury that riddled his 2023 campaign.
Port Adelaide added two rucks to their roster through the trade period, with both talls set to compete for the first-string role.
With a suite of changes through the off-season, here's how Port Adelaide could line-up in 2024...
BEST 23s: ADELAIDE, BRISBANE, CARLTON, COLLINGWOOD, ESSENDON, FREMANTLE, GEELONG, GOLD COAST, GWS, HAWTHORN, MELBOURNE, NORTH MELBOURNE
1. Defenders
Trade recruits Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will both be expected to be instant starters in the Power's rearguard, with the retirement of Tom Jonas and uncertainty surrounding Trent McKenzie and Tom Clurey bringing the new talls to the front of the selection queue alongside Aliir Aliir.
The trio are set to share the role of combatting the game's best key forwards, which has been a weakness for the club over an albeit strong four-year period for the South Australians.
Trent McKenzie and Tom Clurey provide some experience as reinforcements, while Kyle Marshall and Tom McCallum are waiting in the wings as developing tall defenders.
The Power aren't short on medium/smaller-sized backmen either, with All-Australian Dan Houston set to offer plenty of attacking nous from the back half while sharing his workload with the midfield group.
Dashing defender Miles Bergman added further strings to his bow in 2023 as a capable lockdown and intercept option for Hinkley to call-on, while Ryan Burton, Kane Farrell and Lachie Jones can also offer some run out of the backline.
Jase Burgoyne has shown glimpses across his two years at Alberton, while Dylan Williams and Darcy Byrne-Jones are others who will spend some time across half-back as viable utility players.
