Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has leapt to the defence of Ollie Wines and Tom Jonas after the star gamers’ sluggish begins to the AFL season.
Wines will battle by way of a calf problem however captain Jonas has been neglected of Saturday evening’s crunch conflict with the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval.
The 207-game veteran has been listed as “managed”, with Ryan Burton again from suspension as defensive cowl in opposition to a tall Bulldogs ahead line.
“Tom wasn’t dropped, he’s been managed. He’s had a bit of a grumbly knee,” Hinkley informed reporters on Friday.
“At this stage of his career, that’s probably not an unusual thing that’s going to happen.
“It’s clear that he hasn’t been completely in his finest type however he is our captain and we respect that.
“He would never use (the knee issue) as an excuse but we need to sometimes protect him from himself because he’s such a great person for our footy club.”
Hinkley revealed Wines has been battling a proper calf problem, placing to mattress issues round ongoing points with the 2021 Brownlow Medal winner’s troublesome left knee, which required surgical procedure on the finish of final season.
Wines will likely be vital within the midfield battle in opposition to the Dogs, who’ve misplaced famous person Bailey Smith to a calf harm this week.
The 28-year-old is averaging 22.5 disposals a recreation this season; a notable drop from 28.4 final 12 months and a career-best 32.4 throughout his Brownlow-winning marketing campaign.
But Hinkley bristled at ideas the skilled on-baller is “just going”.
“If you’re looking at pure numbers on the stats sheet, maybe it suggests that he’s not getting 35 and 40 (disposals),” Hinkley stated.
“But he’s still playing a role that’s pretty significant to us that allows other people around him to play at a level that’s really important to us.
“So I feel ‘simply going’ might be a bit of unfair.”
Tickets have sold out for the contest, which serves as the main event in a double-header after the Essendon-Melbourne curtain-raiser.
Hinkley noted an energy had developed in and around Adelaide as part of the AFL’s inaugural Gather Round but is keeping his mind on the task at hand.
“I get that Gather Round is a very thrilling week and it has been implausible for our state,” Hinkley stated.
“We all take pleasure in that and embrace that chance however each spherical is massive.
“Every round has got the same consequence on it for us; four points that are really important.
“We’re taking part in the Bulldogs, we’re each combating and determined for a win, we have nice historical past in opposition to one another and it is going to be a tricky, onerous recreation that can go proper to the wire.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
