PORT ADELAIDE’s General Manager of Football Chris Davies has given a wide-ranging press conference, addressing a number of potential trade targets, the time being given to Travis Boak to decide whether he plays on in 2025, and his own future at the club.
Taking questions for more than 30 minutes, Davies also went into detail about the energy and commitment senior coach Ken Hinkley has for leading the group next season in the face of the significant pressures that AFL coaches face.
Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s press conference.
Chris Davies on the club’s interest in Harry Perryman from GWS:
“That's an interesting one. Yeah, that still to play out. I'm not necessarily sure that we're at the front of the queue there. It's not to say that we haven't tried with both (Perryman and Cumming), but you know, we're happy to put ourselves out there and give it a crack, if, if we end up at the front of the queue, then great. Harry's a good player. But equally, we get a few of our guys back that we didn't have at the end of the last year. We think that we've got a group there who can go into 2025 anyway.”
Chris Davies on Dan Houston’s trade request:
“I don't think we've ever necessarily come out in the media and suggested what we think we're going to need. There are so many different permutations that can happen that for any player who's leaving. I know the narrative is around two first round picks and that type of thing. I think we just wait during the trade period to see ultimately what we get offered. Dan's made it clear to us that his preference is to be in Victoria. He's also said that if that can't work in a fair manner that he's happy to stay. So, we just have to wait and see how that transpires.
“We believe that Dan enjoys being at the Port Adelaide Footy Club. It's just that Port Adelaide is not where his family is from. Ultimately, he's Victorian. We have to deal with this every year where players may be thinking about going. Ultimately, it's only at the end of season where they make those decisions as to whether they want to go or not. Dan has said that that's his preference. Equally, you know, he said that he's happy to stay if it can't work. And maybe with some of those other decisions that have happened or may happen over the next period of time, it might be harder for him to go.”
Chris Davies on Jack Lukosius:
“Jack has said to us that that he wants to get to Port Adelaide in the trade period. The challenge now is to work with the Gold Coast in order to make that potentially happen. I mean, we haven't engaged overly much with the Gold Coast as to what they might want, but you know, there's still a week and a half to go before the trade period, and we'll get a better sense of that over that point in time. But yeah, we are ultimately pleased that Jack wants to land here. He's a good player who we've obviously been tracking for a decent period of time, and if we can get him to our club, I'm sure that we'll look at our list and feel like we'll be better again in 2025.
“I think Jack's a forward, so for him to come into our club, I think that's what we're thinking. But there's a fair bit of water still to go under the bridge to make that deal happen.”
Chris Davies on whether the club is targeting picks in the first round of the draft in 2024:
“We would always like to be in the first round of the draft, whether that can happen or not, I guess is another thing. We've typically been happy to explore all parts of the process of getting new players onto our list. You know, the draft this year, I guess we think has some depth. Whether it's getting up the top end of the first round or not, we would like to be able to replenish our list this year with some draft picks, yes.”
Chris Davies on Ivan Soldo’s desire to return to Victoria:
“Ivan understands that the deal has to be right for the club if he was to go out. He's certainly suggested to us that he would like to get back to Victoria. But whether that can happen or not, and what the deal is worth - as I say, I don't want to over commit to something right now that when there's just so much of a trade period to play out. And ultimately, even though the Soldo deal may be us and just one other club, they're all so linked that it would be premature for me to talk about what we're looking for there.”
Chris Davies on Ken Hinkley’s future as the club’s senior coach:
“I can only reiterate the position that I'm seeing through the exit period, and that is that Ken is absolutely committed to this group getting better for 2025 so I guess that would be ultimately a question for Ken. But from my standpoint, I'm not seeing anything here that would suggest that he's not as equally enthused on the potential for next year than what he was this time last year. We've come from three days worth of exit meetings. We've come from the start of what our coaching review looks like and there is nothing right now that's suggesting to me that Ken doesn't have the energy for the 2025 season.
“I think it takes a toll on every coach. The 18 AFL senior coaches have a have a tough job. They bear the brunt of people feeling like they're on top of the world, if they're at the top of the ladder, or equally, that they're the problem when their team is down the bottom, whether that be Ken or the other coaches around the competition. I think Ken is a remarkably resilient person who has shown over time that he is able to get a fair bit out of this group. You don't perform the way that we do without having a coach who can drive and motivate both his playing group and also the staff around him.
“We obviously would like him to feel the support of our entire club, but equally, we also know that everyone is entitled to an opinion as well on that. Ken's been around long enough to know that the ultimate part of what he can deliver for the club is our win-loss record. We've spoken enough about the fact that we haven't got to a grand final through this period where we have had pretty good levels of performance through the minor round and in some finals, we're not going to be able to stop that, probably until this time next year again, but Ken does a good job, and I think any suggestion that he's not doing a good job, or that our squad hasn't achieved something this year is entirely wrong.”
Chris Davies on his own future and reports other clubs are interested in his services:
“This is an important time for us all to recalibrate where the next part of our club actually goes. Now, from my perspective, I never want to be in the situation where I'm sitting here guaranteeing my own future into the future. The club has its own right, and I've said this so many times that at the end of each season, I never want to be in a situation where I'm guaranteeing the future to myself. The Port Adelaide Football Club is an institution. It's been a place that I have admired, even though I supported a different club growing up. I've admired (the club) from the minute that I could think about a future in football. If Port Adelaide didn't think that I was the right person into the future from a footy management perspective, to take it forward, then I'd be the first one to put my hand up and say, ‘okay, I'll look for what's next’.
“What I've never done is comment specifically on who might be interested in me, whether they are or not. So, I'm certainly not giving you a direct answer with regard to any other club, but first and foremostly, I don't want to be sat here and saying that ‘I'm the man for the next five years at Port Adelaide’ if Port Adelaide didn't think that.”
Chris Davies on the club’s interest in Collingwood forward Joe Richards:
“I think it's reasonable to say we have interest in Joe Richards. He's a player that fits a need for us that we'd like to add some depth in that front half, the small forward type crew is something that we would like to add something to. We've got a couple of young guys who are progressing, but equally, when we missed Sam Powell-Pepper this year, we felt like we lost a little bit there. So, Joe's a player that we have some interest in.”
Chris Davies on whether Travis Boak will play on in 2025:
“What we have both done, both the club and Travis is to keep that issue down the track. You know, we're not looking for Travis to make a decision in the next period of time. And equally, for Trav you know, we made sure that he was aware that we needed to look at what else was coming in from our list perspective. I think Travis should get a massive tick for the fact that he played better footy this year than what he did last year and so on that basis, we'll work with Travis over the next week or two to have a look what 2025 looks like, whether that be on field or what his options are away from the game.”
Chris Davies on whether coach Ken Hinkley has requested an extended break in the off-season:
“(He’ll be) back to pre-season as normal, getting enough time off. He's not the type of person who needs massive amounts of time to recharge normally so I don't expect Ken to not be here for the first part of pre-season. There's a number of our people who have got trips overseas, different professional development type work but right now, I expect Ken back late November.”
Chris Davies on how the forward line might be structured following Charlie Dixon’s retirement:
“If you look at last year, even with Jeremy (Finlayson) not hitting the heights that he did last year, missing Pep (Sam Powell-Pepper), Todd obviously in and out this year, I think we got 100 goals from those players last year, and I think it was about 30 this year. We've got some players who can help us. Ollie Lord through the preseason would have, no doubt, played round one now, and Jeremy would have missed and so it's a long time ago now, but I do remember in pre-season, Lord going pretty well, so the fact that he got an injury quite close to the season didn't help him, and certainly derailed a fair bit of his season, unfortunately for him, but look, he's played good AFL footy. He's good enough. We've got Jeremy there. I do think we're going to have to look at the way that we structure up. And the reality is, with Charlie gone, and I shouldn't stop here without mentioning, Charlie, who's been an absolute warhorse for us over time for him to put his hand up and pull the pin. You know, we're totally supportive of that decision and acknowledging the role that Charlie has played in our club over time, as well as Trent McKenzie. Both of those players came in and performed outstanding roles for us.”
Chris Davies on Todd Marshall’s recovery from his recent concussion:
“Todd has left this period of time absolutely committed to continuing to play. His symptoms are getting better very quickly. And on that basis, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be attacking 2025 with the same gusto that he has in previous years and that's exactly his feel as well. Now, you know there obviously is extra care on Todd through that, but that's only because he's been in that situation before. That's not because he's experiencing ongoing symptoms.
Right now, we're fully expecting Todd to continue to play for a long period of time. Todd has gone to different experts to try and make sure that we have a baseline here of testing that we can refer back to into the future. But Todd's really committed and a little bit disappointed in his season, but equally feeling like he has the potential to become a really good player for us.”
Chris Davies on Tom Clurey’s future:
“I think in fairness to Cluz, who's been a fantastic servant of ours, we would be open to Tom finding a new home. Again, not to suggest that he's not valued here, and if it doesn't work, then he'll provide a great experience to an SANFL team which really, really struggled this year. We're mindful of getting our depth to a point where that SANFL team is any worse than what it was, because, in fairness, it was pretty horrid at some points this year.”
Chris Davies on reports other clubs are interested in forward Ollie Lord:
“There was nothing in Ollie Lord's exit interview which would suggest that he's looking at playing his footy elsewhere next year. I would suggest that right now that Ollie is at our club, moving forward.”
“This idea that players are off limits and that sort of stuff. It doesn't I've never been the type of person who said that, but there's nothing to suggest right now that Ollie wants to leave our club. And there's nothing from our perspective, which would suggest that we want him to go. You know, his opportunities are well and truly going to be here where, you know, where Charlie's not going to be. We've got a forward line that we need to rethink the way that we do things into next year.”
Chris Davies on the club’s participation in the SANFL and need for a national reserves competition:
“Our position is not going to change in the sense that the club's view is the AFL have a responsibility to make sure that every team has the same opportunity in the second tier, so that being said, I think the SANFL and the AFL are still working towards making some changes with regard to the top up player rules at that level and at the very least, that needs to happen in the short term. As I say, it's not going stop us from still having a view that the AFL have a responsibility to all of us to make sure that that's something that they deal with. But the SANFL and the AFL need to come together to fix some of those rules into next year, and I think that that will help to make us better. It won't address everything, so we will have to wait and see.”
Chris Davies on long-time club doctor Mark Fisher stepping back from being Chief Medical Officer in 2025:
“Fish had always suggested to me that 2024 may be his last year as the Chief Medical Officer. We've been fortunate that fish has given us a decent sort of leading to think about who was going to replace him. We had committed to Jaeger Wylie a couple of years ago to say, mate, you know here's a potential opportunity for you. He's done everything that I could have asked, and so we'll give him the opportunity to be our Chief Medical Officer next yearand Fish will go back into that second doctor role with maybe someone else that we might consider bringing in and help to be a mentor to Jaeger into the future.”
Chris Davies on assistant coach Luke Kelly departing the club and the potential for any further changes to the coaching group:
“I don't think we'll lose any more assistant coaches. We'll just have to sit down through this review period and work out who we actually want to bring in from there.”
