Port Adelaide’s Mitch Georgiades shall be solid in a contemporary position when he makes his comeback from a year-long knee harm, coach Ken Hinkley says.
Georgiades will play towards Essendon at Adelaide Oval on Friday evening, his first AFL sport since March 25 final yr when he injured a knee and required reconstructive surgical procedure.
Mitch Georgiades in 2022.Credit score: Getty Pictures
The 49-gamer had been used primarily as a deep ahead, however Hinkley stated Georgiades can be deployed in a roaming position towards the Bombers.
“Mitch has just about been nearly the goal-square ahead, lead up on the ball,” Hinkley advised reporters on Thursday.
“Whereas now we expect he’s rising, he’s going to have the ability to play a extra half-forward flank place.
“You solely have to have a look at his historical past … (he) is fairly arduous work for the opposition to cease.
“He is a superb athlete, not only a nice aerial athlete, he’s an important athlete on the bottom too, so we’re actually hopeful that he provides to our pace on the bottom.
“He’s a younger participant … however he’s had time to get higher and give attention to sure areas of his sport that may assist him be simpler as an AFL participant.”
Hinkley confirmed on-baller Jason Horne-Francis will return from a two-game absence due to a hamstring harm.
Horne-Francis will change Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines, who will miss due to a minor hamstring pressure, whereas Francis Evans has been dropped.
“I’m assured it’s just one week (out),” Hinkley stated of Wines.
“He performed the second half of the sport with the identical subject final week.
“However as a result of we had some proof by way of scans, we now have simply obtained to be cautious.
“Honesty, if it was Sunday (sport) I believe he can be taking part in. I do know that sounds a bit ridiculous, however that’s truth.”
Port, in eighth spot after struggling a primary defeat of the season last-start towards Melbourne, have the identical two-one win-loss file because the ninth-placed Bombers.
Port final yr pipped Essendon twice, by 5 factors in spherical eight and by 4 factors in spherical 16, and Hinkley dismissed a supposed harder edge within the Bombers this season.
“We anticipate Essendon to play in the identical vogue that they’ve finished over the past couple of years,” he stated.
“They are going to be an actual problem they usually have been throughout this yr already for each staff that’s performed towards them.”
Will Setterfield has changed the injured Sam Durham within the Essendon line-up.
AAP
