PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Josh Carr admits the the depth of the current squad is making it difficult for talented players to crack into the selected side each week.

Even seasoned professionals like Tom Jonas, Ryan Burton and Orazio Fantasia have been spending stints in the SANFL, while new recruit Quinton Narkle’s performances for the Magpies has him also making a case for AFL selection.

Carr spoke to the Adelaide media on Monday about the talent-stacked side, tackling Geelong this Thursday night and defender Lachie Jones’s jaw injury.

Carr on Jones’s fractured jaw
“It’s obviously disappointing. (It was) probably his best game for the club off the back of a really solid month coming back into the team and he’s been playing a really important role for us and being confident in that role also. It’s disappointing to lose him while he's up and about but I think he'll have a lot of confidence now in preparing to come back and being ready for AFL again. After the game he seemed in good spirits (but) he'll be disappointed. He's a country boy (though so) he's pretty laid back and I'm sure he'll move on pretty quickly.”

Carr on Jones’s replacement in the side
“We'll have those discussions, we're not locked into anything right now. We’ve got Geelong so whatever the best match up is against them for the forwards. We'll make that decision later on in the week.”

Carr on Ryan Burton’s SANFL performance
“I thought he performed pretty well in that just over half of footy (in SANFL), which is positive for us to know that he's gone back with the right attitude, played some good football going back there, defended well and found the football. If he's the one that we pick, we'll be comfortable that he's going to come back and play an important role. (Only playing a half was) precautionary going into this week. Doesn’t necessarily mean we're going to automatically pick him but knowing that there's a shorter break, just making sure we have back up there.

“He took (being dropped from AFL) as any player would take it – that you need to go back and perform…admittedly he hasn’t been playing the football that he'd like to play. He's gone back and he's performed and if he does get picked, we’re confident he can perform and play the role.”

Carr on the depth of the playing group
“Our depth is obviously important. The pressure of performance underneath keeps everyone on their toes and makes sure that whoever comes in…we're confident that they're up for it and they're going to play an important role for us.”

Carr on Quinton Narkle’s form
“It's been pleasing. Quinton's showed at AFL level that he can play some really good football. He’s got himself fit and he's come back and fitted into our system and fitted in really well, so it's nice to have another player that's performing and putting more pressure on the players that are playing in the AFL team.

“Potentially, who knows (if he will be selected for AFL this week). He's playing well, he's playing good football and as I said, selection is later on in the week so we've got some decisions to make. In saying that, we're winning games of football so you don't see a lot of changes in winning teams.”

Carr on how Charlie Dixon’s first game back from injury
“He pulled up well. A really good performance from Charlie, kicked three goals in the first quarter but just the contest and making sure the ball came to ground, I think he's going alright.”

Carr on three six-day breaks in a row
“We've been through this, like all AFL teams, through the covid years where you've got short breaks – four day and five-day breaks. They're professional and look after themselves with their recovery. They get a longer break after this week. The players mentally prepare for it so they'll be fine. (This week of training) is light. The last couple of weeks have been light weeks so as far as their main training session there's a couple of drills in there and it's really just about getting out there and moving and being ready and prepared for Thursday night.”

Carr on Geelong this Thursday night
“They're the premiership team from last year, they've got some really solid senior players that don’t get too fussed about who they play. There have always been really tight games between us and Geelong so we're expecting their best and that's how we prepare.”