Three players have been added to Port Adelaide’s extended roster for their Round 9 matchup with Hawthorn this Sunday.
Lily Johnson, Hannah Ewings, and Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap have been added to the extended bench; three emergencies will be chosen from this group.
The Hawks will be looking to bounce back from a setback to Richmond, while the Power are coming off a draw with Gold Coast.
The Hawks won their previous meeting between the two teams in Round 7 of last year, when the game would take place at Frankston, the same venue.
In negotiations with the Power for Esava Ratugolea, Geelong is rumored to have focused on promising Port Adelaide forward Ollie Lord. The Cats rejected the South Australian club’s offer of their first selection in exchange for the wanted defender.
Ratugolea has told Geelong that he wants to go to Port Adelaide during the off-season, but the Kardinia Park club has put a high price on him. The 25-year-old was under contract when he made a similar request the previous year.
Having played 16 games under Chris Scott this season—four times as many as he made at the AFL level in 2022—the forward-turned-defender has impressed this season with his shift down back.
The Power are negotiating with many other teams to finalize agreements for more trade targets; they also have Richmond’s Ivan Soldo, Bulldog Jordon Sweet, and Essendon’s Brandon Zerk-Thatcher in their sights.
As of right now, Port Adelaide owns Picks 24, 40, 48, and 75 in the current draft; their first pick is reportedly being offered to the Cats in exchange for Ratugolea.
Geelong has rejected the Power’s offer of a second-round selection, according to AFL.com.au, putting Port Adelaide in a precarious situation.
Wingman Xavier Duursma of Port Adelaide is now a possible addition to a trade that would see both players switch clubs, according to their discussions with the Bombers on a transfer for Zerk-Thatcher.
