PORT Adelaide will be cautious with Jason Horne-Francis ahead of round one, with the star midfielder needing to get through the next month to prove his availability after an injury-hit pre-season.
Horne-Francis had foot surgery in November and has been on a modified training program and last week had a knock to his shoulder that’ll stop him being involved in the Power’s intra club this week.
Power coach Josh Carr told AFL.com.au that the former Kangaroo would play some game time in next week’s match simulation with Adelaide, but that he wasn’t yet locked in to face North Melbourne for their season-opener.
“There’s still a fair bit to play out before round one. He’ll play next week against Adelaide and hopefully play three quarters of that game,” Carr said.
“It’ll be a bit more forward early (in the season), I would have thought, and then easing him into it. I’m not going to throw him to the wolves and if he’s not ready we’re not going to throw him out there.
“We’re going to make sure we look after him, it’s about the long game. It’s about the whole year.”
Horne-Francis has yet to face the Roos, who he left after one season at the club, in Melbourne, with their round one clash this year set for Marvel Stadium.
He is one of only four players who are battling injuries at Port currently, with Sam Powell-Pepper (knee) due back late in the season, Tom Cochrane (hamstring) out for two months and Ivan Soldo this week ruled out for 2026 after an ACL tear.
It leaves Dante Visentini and Jordon Sweet in a two-man race for the starting ruck position, with Carr saying the Power would opt against playing two rucks despite the extra player on the interchange this year.
“I don’t think it’s the path we’ll take early. That’s more because we feel like we’ve got enough key forwards within the group. I think if you’re going to play three, even with that extra on the bench, they’ve still got to spend a bit of time forward,” he said.
“It’ll be interesting to see how clubs approach it and whether they go for the extra runner or the extra ruck, but at this stage it’ll be probably one ruck (for Port).”
Carr, in his first year as Port coach after last season’s succession plan with Ken Hinkley, faces other decisions with his troupe of talls heading into the year.
He has sent Todd Marshall to defence, where Aliir Aliir, Esava Ratugolea, Harrison Ramm and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher are already vying for tall defensive spots. Carr said the battle was on to secure the key posts, with Marshall returning from his snapped Achilles last year that ruled him out of the season.
“They [all] don’t fit, that’s the reality. And that’s probably no different than the forward line with (Jack) Lukosius, (Mitch) Georgiades, (Ollie) Lord and (Jack) Whitlock. It’s a great position to be in. Come round one we’ll pick the best team whether that’s two tall forwards, three tall forwards or two talls back, three talls back,” he said.
