PORT ADELAIDE football boss Chris Davies has given an overview on a number of key moves for the club at the start of the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period.
Gold Coast’s Jack Lukosius and Collingwood’s Joe Richards have each requested to be traded to Port Adelaide as the club looks to bolster its forward line, while defender Dan Houston and ruck Ivan Soldo have each asked to be traded to Victoria.
Speaking to the media on the first day of the trade period, General Manager – Football, Davies reaffirmed the club’s position that the in-contract Houston and Soldo would only be traded if satisfactory deals can be agreed.
He was also asked what Richards might bring to the club should he be traded in, whether the club will offer a future first-round pick for Lukosius, and whether Houston has a preferred destination.
Chris Davies on Joe Richard’s request to be traded to Port Adelaide and what he’ll offer to the club:
“If he's able to get to us then it'll be another small forward who has some class that we think can add to a group that was very workman like in 2024 but we'd like to add some things in 2025.”
Chris Davies on whether any Victorian club is ahead of any other in the chase for Dan Houston:
“I think there's a balance in that that would suggest that Dan's got to want to go somewhere that has the ability to actually satisfy us. So there needs to be some commonality in order toallow everyone to get what they need out of any potential deal.
“I don't think there's any point talking about leaders right now. It's more about where the deal ultimately gets to. I've heard that Collingwood are confident, maybe, that they are the leader right now. I'm not sure that there's any point in me suggesting anyone's (in front) until a deal actually happens.”
Chris Davies on whether Dan Houston has a preferred club to be traded to:
“That ultimately is a question for Dan, but we've spent a fair bit of time trying to make sure that Dan's aware that the deal needs to be right for us before he's thinking about where ultimately he wants to go. And I think I spoke to Dan at our Best and Fairest the other night, and I think he's understanding that if we're to let him go, that the deal is going to be right for us.
“He hasn't ruled anyone out, and nor have we asked him to rule anyone out yet. I know you guys are desperate to work out where things are going to land on day one of the trade period, but my perspective is to wait until the end of it to see where it all ends because, you know, what I have seen in the last two or three days is the clubs who are getting more and more interested in Dan and who are then ultimately more likely to be able to give us what we want.”
Chris Davies on whether the club will seek any other defensive reinforcement to replace Dan Houston should he be traded, after not securing Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming from GWS:
“Our priority throughout the entire back half of the year was to look at what we could bring in in the front half. Dan’s situation obviously necessitated us to have a look at what we could offer, but ultimately, we were never going to get caught up in having to offer too much for the players that you mentioned there, and ultimately that may have been the reason why we missed out on them in the end. Our priority here is Jack Lukosius and Joe Richards, and if the right deal can be done for Dan to go, then we'll look at that. But ultimately, we want to be better in 2025 and we think with Jack and Joe, we'll have the potential to be better. But I’m not itching to move Dan out.”
Chris Davies on the club’s expectations for any deal to trade Dan Houston out:
“I understand that the narrative here is to set expectations on things. I'm sure you would all appreciate that pick two or three is different to pick 12 and 13, and so, you know, the way that we want to go about it is we'll wait and see who's got the best deal on the table, and ultimately, if we're willing to do it, then the deal will get done. I'm sure you know, as we discussed at the start, that things will be linked. And ultimately, you know, the clubs involved will all try and get what they want, and that's okay. I mean, we don't have to win every deal. I'd far rather leave the end of the trade period looking and saying that we achieved our outcomes, rather than getting too caught up in what we're going to get back for Dan, or what we're going to give up for Joe, or where Ivan wants to go. We'll wait till the end of the trade period and see what shakes out.”
Chris Davies on why he thinks Ivan Soldo has asked for a trade back to Melbourne after one season:
“Ivan’s season was, unfortunately, hampered through injury. We didn't bring two rucks in last year to want to tip one of them out straight away, even though, Jordon Sweet looked in the second half of the year every bit an AFL ruckman. So that's obviously a tick and gives us a little bit of flexibility around Ivan. But, again, the deal is going to have to be right for Ivan to go. We understand that, or I think the understanding around the place is that St Kilda are the ones who are most interested in Ivan.
“I just don't think he settled in Adelaide as maybe well as he would have liked. I'm sure that he also came to us with a with a view of being the number one ruck. And right now, I'm not sure we would be willing to commit to that so early. Now that's not to say that he couldn't be if injury and form during the off-season ends that way, but I think, in fairness to Ivan, he probably just hadn’t quite settled in Adelaide.”
Chris Davies on whether he thinks a future first round pick would get Jack Lukosius to Port Adelaide:
“If we're to entertain the future first round pick, firstly, we'd have to get some approval from the AFL to do that, and we haven't gone to them about that yet. Again, that's probably more for (Gold Coast list manager) Craig (Cameron) and Gold Coast to have that. We've got an idea of what we think can get the deal done. But ultimately, until people get started, I don't particularly want to volunteer anything right now.”
Chris Davies on whether it was a coup to have Jack Lukosius seek a trade to Port Adelaide instead of the Crows:
“I wasn't so fussed at beating Adelaide as I was making sure that Jack came into the club. So for us, having Charlie Dixon go, who has been such a big part of our forward line for a long period of time, to have a guy who we think can play in a key position in a forward line with (Todd) Marshall and George (Mitch Georgiades) and potentially Joe (Richards) and Willie Rioli and Pep (Sam Powell-Pepper) coming back next year certainly gives us, you know, a couple more angles for us to attack with next year, which I think is going to be important, because that probably was the area of the ground that we were trying to piece together throughout the year.”
