The holes in every club's list ahead of the AFL Draft

Whether in key posts or through a lack of depth, each team still has rostering potholes to fill.

SUBSCRIBER | November 5, 2021 - 12:25pm

Despite being less than a month until the start of the AFL Draft, almost all of the league's 18 clubs will believe their starting line-ups are close to complete

But irrespective of this confidence, every roster still has holes.

Due to the nature of the league, it is almost impossible for two sides to be in exactly the same place, so some of these gaps may be chasmic, whilst others may be wafer-thin.

However, if left unattended, those of any magnitude could lead a side to ruin.

Although fixing an issue can often be more challenging than identifying it, with these holes in mind, every side now has a starting point for sealing ahead of next September.

Port Adelaide

For a side whose last pair of campaigns have ended at the penultimate hurdle, it appears on the surface that the Power aren't a million miles away from claiming their second flag.

While some may state that a 71-point preliminary final loss at home to a side that was blown out by 74-points in the grand final suggests Ken Hinkley's side are still outside of touching distance, a 33-10 record across 2020 and 2021 proves Port are also no slouches.

Still, thir consistent ability to beat bottom eight sides may be inarguable, but when this same form isn't transferrable to contests again finals calibre teams, serious questions need to be asked before yet another window eventually slams shut.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Peter Ladhams and Charlie Dixon of the Power look dejected after losing the AFL Second Preliminary Final match between Port Adelaide Power and Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on September 11, 2021 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Although it also remains a challenge to successfully debate down the quality across Port's roster, there is also a prevailing view that many of those on a good wicket at Alberton have proven unable to get the job done when the whips are cracking in late September.

With some willing to label the side that contains four All-Australians and a Brownlow Medallist as 'chokers' and 'pretenders', should these talking heads have a point, is Port's greatest weakness a mental fragility when it matters most?

On raw form, it's tough to argue a counterpoint, but given that it isn't my place to pry or make judgments on players' mental states, I'll respectfully opt out of coming to any uneducated verdicts.

However, as past athletes from several other clubs and disciplines have claimed that scaring took place when their goals were snuffed out just shy of the finish line, it's not outside the realms of possibility to suggest that soul searching has been on the agenda since September 11 of this year.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 23: Power head coach Ken Hinkley walks off at at three quarter time during the round one AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Port Adelaide Power at Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 23, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

While matters of the mind are often hard to quantify, so too can the size and span of a side's premiership windows.

Although Port's list still looks powerful on paper, the opportunity for those that are currently under Hinkley's reign to collectively claim a cup could be running out.

As first reported on by Matt Turner of The Advertiser, more than half of the club's starting side that took on the Bulldogs in the preliminary final are entering the last year of their contracts.

And when one considers that this collection of key talent is comprised of Butters, Rozee, Duursma, Boak, Gray, Amon, Burton, Houston, Drew, Marshall, and McKenzie, headaches regarding retention are almost certain to have arisen already.

Again, like other clubs, this may not be considered a current hole, but should another season end short of repeating the successes of 2004 and several names choose to ply their trade elsewhere in the aftermath, the history-rich club could be left looking at the last few years with pain rather than pride.