Dear Members and Supporters,

We’re bitterly disappointed with the way we’ve ended the 2023 AFL season.

The Port Adelaide Football Club hates losing, and especially finals.  

We did a lot right in 2023 finishing third at the end of the minor round, but ultimately couldn’t get it done when it counted most.

We own that and there are no excuses.

The AFL season is a marathon not a sprint but the way our season ended certainly felt sudden and raw, and I know we are all feeling the hurt from that.

It’s been the same immediate reaction I’ve also had from several of our players since Saturday night. The finality is stark.

Since 7am Monday morning, our coaches and football management team have been locked in player exit meetings.

That will shift in the next few days to all aspects of the football program to ensure we have a clear understanding of what’s working and where we need to improve.

Our list management group will continue their focus on improving our playing talent.

We have an outstanding team leading this who are already well advanced.

There will be much speculation so keep a close eye on our website for the official updates from the club.

We have strong interest from players wanting to come to Port Adelaide, which is an endorsement of the people, program and culture we have worked hard to build.  

This time of the year is difficult as we have to say farewell and good luck to some of our players.  

We thank Riley Bonner, Trent Dumont, Brynn Teakle and Nathan Barkla for their contributions to the Port Adelaide Football Club.

They are all great young men who’ve been valued members of our playing group and club.

I’d like to acknowledge our AFLW team who had a terrific away win against St Kilda on Sunday.

I loved the ‘sealer’ in the last quarter from Erin Phillips (her first for Port Adelaide) and Hannah Ewings’ stunner from the pocket just a few minutes earlier, wow!

We’d love to see you at Alberton Oval this Saturday for our Round 4 game versus Geelong (12:35pm start).

There’s a lot to do and we’ll keep you informed as we progress in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your support of the club and our players this year.

Cheers
Matthew