PORT Adelaide has shut down speculation key ruckman Matthew Lobbe won’t be with the club in 2016.
With the Power pursuing a trade to secure Gold Coast big man Charlie Dixon next year, outsiders have speculated about the structure of the Power’s ruck and forward lines.
While commentators have suggested Lobbe has been targeted by other clubs, Port Adelaide’s general manager of football Chris Davies dismissed the idea, saying the Power isn’t entertaining the thought of letting Lobbe go.
Rather, they’re looking at the competition for spots between potentially five tall forwards as healthy for the playing list.
“He’s the vice-captain of our club, contracted to the end of 2019,””Davies told AFL Trade Radio.
"From our perspective, we’re not entertaining Matthew Lobbe not being at our footy club in 2016, let alone beyond that.
“At the end of the day, competition for spots is not a bad thing. No one should have a walk-in automatic start. If we’re able to get Charlie Dixon in, that’s what we’ll have on our hands.”
Lobbe’s manager Michael Dowedy also shot down speculation earlier in the week, saying the ruckman was not seeking a trade.
Davies provided greater insight into the a number of other AFL players linked to the Power in his interview on AFL Trade Radio.
On Charlie Dixon...
“We’ve been on the record publically as saying that it’s going to take us our first round pick – that’s where we’re at right now.
“We’ll continue to work with the Gold Coast to make sure that there’s a fair and reasonable deal done for all parties.”
PRIORITIES: Wines, Wingard, Dixon high on the Power’s list
On Jimmy Toumpas…
“Every South Australian who ends up on an AFL list, and I’m sure Adelaide do the same thing, we keep tabs on where they’re at.
“If someone like Jimmy suggested he wanted to come home, we’d be derelict in our duties if we didn’t actually look at what the opportunity was.
“Our priority is to make sure we get the Dixon deal done, and from there it’s seeing what shapes out.”
On Andrew Moore…
“With Moorey, who is uncontracted, we’d like to go through this next period of time and see what is available for him.”
“I heard Paul Connors say on Monday morning that there might be some suitors out there for him, and if that was the case for Andrew, if he wanted greater opportunity, then I understand that.”
On Aaron Young…
“Youngy is contracted to us for next year and we think that Youngy can play footy.”
“He probably hasn’t got the opportunities he has wanted… at this particular point with players who are wanting opportunity, you help where you can and we’ll certainly do that.”
On John Butcher…
“John will remain with our club for 2016. We think towards the end of this year he did some pretty significant things, for a guy most people would have suggested was unlikely to remain at the AFL level.”
“The club is willing to continue on with John – he played some really good footy at the end of the year.”
