Former Brisbane forward Sam Skinner has signed with Port Adelaide as a delisted free agent.
Skinner was delisted by the Lions at the end of last year following an injury-interrupted tenure in Queensland, having first moved north after being selected in the 2015 National Draft.
Battling three knee reconstructions in his time with Brisbane, the 24-year-old was limited to just the three appearances before parting ways with the Lions.
The versatile tall was given the opportunity to train with North Melbourne ahead of the 2021 season and eventually signed with SANFL side South Adelaide after being unable to retain a place in the AFL.
Skinner showed plenty of promise as a key position player at either end of the field for the Panthers, even collecting 11 intercept marks in South Adelaide's semi-final win over Norwood.
“It means everything to get this chance. My partner and I moved to Adelaide to play in the SANFL to try and get another crack at it,” Skinner said in a club statement.
“It was a big thing to pack our things up and move across after South Adelaide gave me a chance, so it means the world to both of us and my family to get that call today that Port Adelaide is willing to give me a chance.
“When I finished up at Brisbane, I felt like I still had a lot to give and I aspired to get back on an AFL list so to get an opportunity to do that, I’m just really keen to get cracking.”
Skinner's impressive campaign with the Panthers looks to have potentially gauged the interest of AFL clubs for a potential return to the top flight.
Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps stated his excitement to have Skinner joining the Power.
“We like Sam’s athleticism, aggression and competitiveness and while he has shown an ability to play at either end of the ground, we see him playing mostly in the backline, where he performed strongly with South Adelaide in the back half of the 2021 season,” Cripps said.
“Sam has shown great character and resilience to come back from three ACL injuries and we look forward to him taking his opportunity at the Port Adelaide Football Club.”
Skinner played 21 games for South Adelaide this season, averaging 13.5 disposals, 5.8 marks, two tackles per game while booting 16 goals in sharing his time in attack and defence.