YOUNG Port Adelaide high flier Mitch Georgiades has set himself to replace Brad Ebert in the forward line in 2021.
Ebert retired at the end of 2020 after 260 AFL games. He played an important role as a high half forward who was able to get up the ground because of his elite aerobic capacity.
Georgiades got his first taste of AFL football in 2020 and says he has spent the off-season continuing to build his running base to take on that role.
“I went home over Christmas and made (running) my real focus point,” Georgiades said on Adelaide radio on Friday morning.
“I came back and beat my time trial time by 15 seconds so I was absolutely stoked with that.
“Being able to get up the ground further and then getting back towards goal and using my speed of legs to get back to goal and outrun my opponent.
“I’ve been working on my field kicking and my ground balls, making sure I’m on top of those things instead of just being part of aerial contests. I’ve also been working on my leading as well.”
The Port forward line functioned well in 2020, finishing as the second-highest scoring team.
Georgiades hinted that there could be some changes to the way the group is structured this season.
“We’re all working together really tightly. We’ve become a really tight-knit group with the talls and smalls, there’s quite a few of us,” he said.
“We’ve tried to explore a few different roles with some moving further up the ground and some staying deeper.
“We’re all taking turns to see who it suits most but it’s working well and we’re finding some success in training.”
Georgiades booted eight goals in seven games in his debut season and earned a rising star nomination.
The 19-year-old was so impressive that late in the year the club extended his contract until the end of 2023.
He lauded the club for the way it treats new players, saying it made players want to stay long-term.
“It’s the club as a whole, from the players up to the staff and the coaches,” he said.
“It’s such a tight-nit group and we all feel like we can come into training every day and know that we’ve got each other.
“For us interstate boys, not knowing too many people outside of the club, they’re the people we have here, our family.”
While Georgiades is certainly one to watch in 2021, the teenager was quick to shift the attention to two of the club’s other young guns when asked who he expected to impress supporters.
“Zak Butters again has been amazing in training so far. His competitiveness and speed brings a real spark and energy around the group,” he said.
“And then Lachie Jones has been onto it straight away. He’s a freak of an athlete and is making some good progress out on the track so those two will be good to watch.”
