PORT ADELAIDE list manager Jason Cripps says he sees potential for the club’s latest recruit Jed McEntee to be a long-term player.
McEntee was taken by Port Adelaide with pick 13 in the AFL’s mid-year rookie draft on Wednesday night.
He was the club’s only selection at the draft and joins from Sturt, where he has played 22 games and kicked seven goals since debuting in Round 1, 2020.
Cripps explained that the recruiting staff had consulted with coaches around the needs they had identified for the playing list and McEntee fit the bill.
“We’re really happy with Jed,” Cripps said. “We think he’s got a skillset and attributes that complement our list and also our current small forwards.
“He has a bit of a different skillset to some of our other forwards with his speed and agility and he has a real desire to pressure and hunt the opposition, and close down time and space.
“He’s a physical player and quite combative. He’s been playing as a midfielder with Sturt but we think the skillset and capability to play in our front half as a pressure forward.”
There had been some commentary around Port Adelaide’s injury list and whether there would be a need to find a player to step in and make an immediate impact to cover those injuries.
Cripps said that was part of the discussion at the club, but not a key factor in the decision to draft McEntee.
“There’s no doubt some of the injuries we’ve had were part of that discussion but there were other reasons to take that pick,” he said.
“We identified wanting to bring in a player who had some growth, rather than taking someone who might be able to help in the short-term with the injuries we’ve had, but we did want someone who had the potential to be a long-term player with plenty of growth and upside.”
Cripps said the club had followed McEntee’s progress in recent years, especially since he was overlooked in his draft year in 2019.
A state teammate of Port Adelaide father-sons Jackson Mead and Taj Schofield, McEntee focussed on working hard and proving he was worth a chance.
Cripps said it was that work ethic and drive that appealed.
“We had some interest in the 2019 draft when he missed out,” he explained.
“It was about seeing his strengths and attributes come out at senior level in the SANFL and he has been playing league footy with Sturt.
“You want to see a player’s drive and work ethic. What we know of Jed is that he’s got a terrific attitude and he’s continued to work on his game to a point where he was able to play senior footy pretty quickly as a young player.”
McEntee is likely to join his new Port Adelaide teammates at training for the first time on Friday.
