PAFC 2026

[The Bedge]

Any news on how the 4x train on players are tracking? Obviously more interested in O'Brien and Oudshoorn-Bennier.. but curious how they're going.

[mighty_tiger_79]

Need a new womens coach.

[beef]

Any news on how the 4x train on players are tracking? Obviously more interested in O'Brien and Oudshoorn-Bennier.. but curious how they're going.

Oudshoorn-Bennier looked really fit running around at Para Hills oval at the start of the month
Heard he is unlikely to make the final list

[The Bedge]

Oudshoorn-Bennier looked really fit running around at Para Hills oval at the start of the month
Heard he is unlikely to make the final list

Shame, love for a club to give him a crack - plenty of teams that could do worse than have a player like him and his ball use.

[wenchbarwer]

Oudshoorn-Bennier looked really fit running around at Para Hills oval at the start of the month
Heard he is unlikely to make the final list

Shame, love for a club to give him a crack - plenty of teams that could do worse than have a player like him and his ball use.

Going by the footage of Carlton training, they could do with some ball skills

[Booney]

Need a new womens coach.

Strange in some ways yet understandable.

In August last year she extended for 1 more season, she had her baby back in January last year so now she's 1 and the next season is a few months away the break over Xmas gave her time to see what's most important, good for her because being a parent is the best job in the world.

[Dutchy]

Any news on how the 4x train on players are tracking? Obviously more interested in O'Brien and Oudshoorn-Bennier.. but curious how they're going.

Oudshoorn-Bennier looked really fit running around at Para Hills oval at the start of the month
Heard he is unlikely to make the final list

North Adelaide midfielder Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier, who had been part of the supplemental selection period train-on group, was cut.

[Brodlach]

I thought also Chad was on mornings so he could coach

[DOC]

He was but has moved to afternoons after they punted Rucci.

Didn’t hold back regarding Ports captain.

Says they are wasting* Butters by not having him as Captain.

[DOC]

Should have said, the Afternnons show will go to a 2.30 to 4.30 time slot which will allow for his coaching commitments.

[wenchbarwer]

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2026/01/28/ ... sp-signing

Looks like Kane & Chad will be trying to one up each other this year

[Booney]

Market pending currently, see if he makes it onto the track in the next week.

I hope he plays.

Market please?

[Dutchy]

Relax I read the article

[carey]

Round 6- Hawks v Port @Marvel 3.45pm

Weekend frenzy sale on Jetstar cheap as faaaaark tickets 4 tickets return $486 Tickets over, mine was only $39 the other 3 were $48 that's crazy.....
Thursday 16th April 5.30pm return Sunday 19th April 9.35am

2 Bedroom suite at the Victoria Hotel $780 for 3 nights.

I've saved so much money on the above, I can now drink more......

[Booney]

Round 6- Hawks v Port @Marvel 3.45pm

Weekend frenzy sale on Jetstar cheap as faaaaark tickets 4 tickets return $486 Tickets over, mine was only $39 the other 3 were $48 that's crazy.....
Thursday 16th April 5.30pm return Sunday 19th April 9.35am

2 Bedroom suite at the Victoria Hotel $780 for 3 nights.

I've saved so much money on the above, I can now drink more......

If people don't read this and think "Avalon" then they don't know SA Footy.

[Dutchy]

Not going Round 1?

[carey]

Not going Round 1?

I leave the 'Easy Wins' alone.......

[carey]

Round 6- Hawks v Port @Marvel 3.45pm

Weekend frenzy sale on Jetstar cheap as faaaaark tickets 4 tickets return $486 Tickets over, mine was only $39 the other 3 were $48 that's crazy.....
Thursday 16th April 5.30pm return Sunday 19th April 9.35am

2 Bedroom suite at the Victoria Hotel $780 for 3 nights.

I've saved so much money on the above, I can now drink more......

If people don't read this and think "Avalon" then they don't know SA Footy.

#dickinass

[Booney]

Season 2025 came to an early end and with it the end of an era, on several fronts.

On field we saw the retirement of club legend Travis Boak after 387 games in 19 seasons. Superlatives don’t cover the impact that man has had on our club and an enduring legacy of on field professionalism and off field behaviour will live on through generations of players to come. Off field Ken Hinkley’s time as senior coach came to an end after 13 seasons and 282 games he too leaves a legacy at our club. Chris Davies after 11 years as our GM of Football decided the time was right to seek a fresh start. These three men guided us on and off field for over a decade and while they didn’t deliver us the ultimate nobody can question their efforts in trying to do so.

With that a new era begins at Alberton.

Off field Josh Carr in the hot seat with a raft of new coaches and the front row of the coaches box has some familiar faces. Andy Collins, Stuart Dew, Luke Webster and Darren Reeves take up key roles, Hamish Hartlett, Matt Lobbe and Cam Sutcliffe remain, Mitch Clisby and John Corbett join the group with Jacob Surjan set to lead the Magpies in the SANFL, Ben Rutten now overseeing the whole show as the new GM of Football. With Dew and Rutten having AFL Senior Coaching experience, Reeves and Collins with State League Premierships to their names as coaches the team the club has quietly assembled in the off season around Senior Coach Josh Carr is elite, it’s talented, experienced and has come together to lead the Port Adelaide Football Club into a new era.

On the back of an injury riddled season the club has also seen fit ( no pun ) to beef up ( ok, two puns ) the strength, conditioning and rehabilitation team. Tim Parham has been appointed to the newly created position of Director of Athletic Performance. Make no mistake, Parham has been highly regarded Darren Burgess right hand man for years working under him at Arsenal and on the wrong side of Port Road in recent years where he was Head of Player Health and Performance Rehabilitation. Welcome to the right side, Tim. There’s no doubt the club has given Josh Carr everything a first year coach could desire. Let’s get behind them.

On field changes were many but none of them were at the draft table, the first club to take nobody at a national draft in a multi layered approach saw the club trade players in, farewell some through retirement and in the cut throat world of AFL football some delisting. We wish them all well in their futures, playing or otherwise.
IN
Will Brodie (trade, Fremantle), Corey Durdin (trade, Carlton), Jack Watkins (Rookie Draft), Jacob Wehr (free agent, Greater Western Sydney)
OUT
Rory Atkins (retired), Travis Boak (retired), Ryan Burton (delisted), Lachlan Charleson (delisted), Jeremy Finlayson (delisted), Hugh Jackson (delisted), Jed McEntee (delisted), Willie Rioli jnr (retired), Dylan Williams (delisted)

The club is gearing up for Next Generation Academy and Father Son picks in the coming years with Cochrane, Salopek, Rodan and Pilot the names to watch. Some elite talent is on offer and as far back as the Houston trade the club has had an eye on the now and the next with our list management strategy so season 2026 is just the start but an important start nonetheless.

Year on year clubs are looking for improvement and this year the club has backed in natural development and, with a stroke of luck, an empty physio room. Last season injury ruined the season of ( deep breath ) Lukosius, Marshall, Ratugolea, Horne-Francis, Powell-Pepper, Zerk-Thatcher, Cochrane and impacted Bergman, Aliir, Rozee, Butters, Jones, Farrell, Lord and Sinn. Arguably all of them are in our best 23. That’s cursed.

Development wise we can expect to see growth from players such as Lord, Moraes, Sinn, Berry, Visentini, Whitlock, Lorenz and Evans who have all tasted AFL football and none looked out of place.

Development comes in varying degrees for players and some will come along faster than others but there’s little doubt those mentioned have the ability and the time is now for them to take the next step.

We’ve heard of some positional changes already this summer, most notably Todd Marshall being used in defence which gives us an insight into what the forward structure may look like.

I’ll look at the front half first.

Leading goalkicker Mitch Georgiades, a fit Lukosius, the highly admired Joe Richards and Darcy Byrne-Jones all appear to be locked in. Now we get into the who has grabbed a spot. I think Lord shapes as the key target with Whitlock vying for that role, Whitlock didn’t look out of place other than perhaps being 10kg too light in his debut so I think he’ll have to bide his time and deal with more protein and lifting tin in the 12 months ahead. Corey Durdin is making a sound impression in his first pre season at the club and with a midfielder blessed with options to we see more of Horne-Francis up front to build on his 14 goals in 15 games last year? I get the feeling we do, he’s got the power to play that role and might just add some balance to a tall, small pressure group and if he’s more midfield than forward Joe Berry slots into this role. I’d like to see more JHF up front though.

FF Horne-Francis, Georgiades, Byrne-Jones
HF Richards, Lord, Lukosius

In the midfield there’s another battle looming which can only be good, competition for spots is what we want. Sweet was the incumbent before a run of poor form had him demoted to the SANFL with (my man) Dante Visentini taking the lead role before an ankle injury ended his season. That spot I believe is still up for grabs and while I think Sweet will start in that role Big Vis is making him earn it. Mainstays in the mid field like Wines, Drew and Butters will be there, we’ll see more of Bergman in the middle, does Will Brodie bring his big frame into the mix and will Manny Liddy or Will Lorenz grab a spot?
Burgoyne will take a wing but who goes to the “Boak side”? Mackinlay is making a case to have that spot, Moraes is a running machine who has a real future and new recruit Jacob Wehr could command a spot with his left foot being a point of difference. I think Mackinlay may get the nod ahead of Moraes but Wehr could be the surprise packet as he has elite ball use.

C Burgoyne, Wines, Mackinlay
R Sweet, Bergman, Butters

Defensively we’ll see some of the most noticeable change. With Aliir back to full fitness and Ratugolea making real head way with his role late in 2025 the question is do we start with Marshall as the third tall or does Zerk-Thatcher keep himself in the full back position? Given the noise around Marshall and his noticeable change to his physique I get the feeling he’ll get first crack as his ball use will be much desired coming from the back half which will allow the likes of Rozee, Farrell and Sinn the opportunity to be more attacking and creative from their roles across half back. Jones will still be the lock down mid/small but don’t be surprised if Mead or Harry Ramm ( who has grown nearly 6cm since the end of 2025 to now be around 207cm ) take one of those roles if given the opportunity.

HB Rozee, Aliir, Farrell,
FB Jones, Ratugolea, Marshall

Boons best 23 :
FF Horne-Francis, Georgiades, Byrne-Jones
HF Richards, Lord, Lukosius
C Burgoyne, Wines, Mackinlay
HB Rozee, Aliir, Farrell,
FB Jones, Ratugolea, Marshall
R Sweet, Bergman, Butters
Int Sinn, Berry, Durdin, Wehr, Brodie, Moraes etc etc.

What will be of interest is how clubs handle the addition of the fifth player on the bench, for me it will add another midfield / outside runner as clubs continue down the path of one ruck with support from key forwards and we saw Lord spend some time in the ruck at SANFL level last year honing that craft. Players like Wehr, Moraes and Berry look the most likely to be that player for us adding run and carry.

As always we’ll take things one game at a time but there is little doubt that the fixture has been very kind to Carr and Co in the first month. With North at Marvel followed by Essendon and West Coast at home before a trip to the G to tackle the Tigers even the club must have completed a little fist pump when they saw the first month and I’m not taking any of them for granted, you’re mad if you do but we most likely face 4 of the bottom 6 sides in the first 4 weeks. If we want some confidence in the program from top to bottom then the first month is going to paramount to building some belief in what we’ve done since that night we waved farewell to Travis Boak.

[whufc]

Is looking a very talented coaching group........provided everyone knows their place and is willing to play their role and not overstep the mark.