Port Adelaide reportedly remains eager to lure out-of-contract Geelong defender Esava Ratugolea to Alberton this off-season, assuming he does not re-commit at Kardinia Park by the conclusion of this season.
The Power is said to have made a play for Ratugolea during last year's trade period, however, no such deal eventuated, as the Cats are said to have valued the 24-year-old's services, according to The Age's Peter Ryan.
Ratugolea has been a revelation in defence for Chris Scott after struggling to maintain consistency as a key forward during the early stages of his 70-game career.
As Ratugolea has not served enough AFL seasons to qualify for free agency, even if Port Adelaide was to convince the defender to want to make a switch, Power officials would likely need to strike a trade agreement with the Cats, unless they felt confident in letting the big-bodied stopper walk to the pre-season draft.
If the Cats were to lose Ratugolea, whom they drafted with Pick 43 in 2016, they may look to Carlton's Tom de Koning, brother of Geelong defender Sam, who is also out of contract and has not rushed to make a call on his playing future.
It was also noted by Ryan that Port Adelaide is monitoring the situation of restricted North Melbourne free agent Ben McKay, who presents as another key-position defender for the Power to consider at the end of the year.
Currently, Aliir Aliir and Trent McKenzie represent the Power's first-team key-defender contingent, with Tom Jonas unable to find his way back into Ken Hinkley's best 23.
Ratugolea, whose Cats prepare to face Port Adelaide on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval, won't be available for this week's contest as he recovers from a hamstring ailment suffered against the GWS Giants a couple of weeks back.
