After a lean trot in 2022, finding success towards the back-end of the year, Port Adelaide are at a pivotal point in their future, attempting to recapture the form experienced two seasons back.
With faith shown in Power head coach Ken Hinkley, to resume his role at the helm after question marks circled on his future, the club as a whole are confident in the direction it's heading, even after a minor setback last year.
This exercise throws normality out the window with the idea of putting on a list recruitment hat in deciphering where, in this case Port Adelaide, weaknesses lie, with four names placed in the ring as potential suitors, before a verdict is settled on.
List Needs
When scanning an eye over the list needs associated with Port Adelaide, a glaring area desperate for attention surrounds the bolstering of the ruck stocks at Alberton Oval.
Backed up by statistics, the Power side recorded the lowest number of hit-outs last year across the competition by a significant margin, with Jeremy Finlayson forced to take the brunt of the work.
Whilst on the odd occasion the undersized matchups benefited Ken Hinkley's men, with Finlayson acting as an extra midfielder, more often than not the gamble to play short rarely paid off.
The last line of defence has been an area Port have searched far and wide for in ensuring the talent on hand is sufficient enough to meet any challenge front on, with a group that compliments each other.
The list management team can hold their head high in that regard, securing the services of Aliir Aliir to join the experienced skipper in Tom Jonas in recent years as one notary example.
Further afield in the offensive half, the emergence of Connor Rozee and Zak Butters has grown tenfold in the last season or two, however with more midfield time expected for the pair a gap in the market emerges.
Additionally, the retirement of Robbie Gray adds another element that was patched up during the trade period, withย Junior Rioli joining Port's forward ranks.
In spite of this, taking on another small forward would create a healthy selection headache for the list management team, which both the club and Hinkley would welcome as depth is an important asset.
Lastly, the wing position has been a strong talking point in SA following the departure of Karl Amon from the Power setup, leaving a gaping hole on one side of the ground that needs filling.
Often described as the link in the chain position, connecting the back half to the forward half, the ability to target a specific running wingman will be on the horizon for the Power recruitment staff.
5. Verdict
Whilst adding spice to their forward third with Stengle wreaking havoc as a tempting offer,ย a sense of trust must be shown in the current young crop of smalls jostling for that crumbing ground-level position.
With news of the aforementioned Amon fleeing the nest at Alberton Oval, strong claims would've surrounded Hinkley to head in the direction of a replacement winger to fill the shoes of the outgoing 27-year-old.
But, with much of the narrative controlled around bolstering Ports ruck stocks in the form of some ready-made talent, the Power coach would be quick to jump at the opportunity to secure the services of Tim English.
The ruck spot demands the utmost attention in order to fast-track a return to finals, while the window of opportunity is still within reach as the by-product of a healthy balanced list of youth and experience.
English is one of the more exciting talents rising through the ranks amongst the competition's big men, and would fix the Achilles' heal issue that hampered Port Adelaide's 2022 campaign.
