PORT Adelaide made an imprint on night one of the AFL Draft with a shrewd trade for its opening selection, before nabbing two bargains in the second round and another couple of prospects with links to the club via the rookie intake. We recap the Power’s efforts.

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DRAFT HAUL

National Draft:

15. Joe Berry
33. Jack Whitlock
38. Christian Moraes

Rookie Draft:

13. Tom Cochrane
Cat B: Benny Barrett (NGA)

>> CLICK each player’s names for full profiles & highlights

Port Adelaide was proactive on night one of the draft having narrowed in on Joe Berry as its desired target. The Power’s selection of a crafty small forward, whose scoreboard impact was as good as any prospect this year, defied the prototype many believed to be in their sights – a key position player.

A future second round pick was handed over to West Coast in a trade which saw the Power jump one spot ahead of the Eagles to snap up Berry. It wasn’t necessarily a move which prevented West Coast from snaring their man, but rather to prevent others from trading into pick 15 for the same reason.

The move ended up being a masterstroke, as the tall forwards many had linked to the Power remained available all the way back at pick 33. Jack Whitlock was called out by Port, adding long-term depth to the front half which just lost Charlie Dixon, and faces uncertainty around its other tall options.

Whitlock, whose twin brother Matt was drafted by North Melbourne with pick 27, was a surprise slider out of the first round. The surplus and prioritisation of midfield talent, or small running utilities, meant talented talls were pushed out into deeper ranges. That made Whitlock ripe for the picking.

Port was again on the clock with pick 38 and got good value with Christian Moraes still on the board. The running machine became somewhat of a utility in 2024, capable of playing on either side of midfield while also impacting the scoreboard. He was considered a top 10 chance coming into the year.

Next Generation Academy graduate Benny Barrett slipped through the National Draft, meaning Port could pre-list him as a Category B rookie. The South Adelaide speedster is a midfielder-forward with terrific stoppage craft and smarts around goal. He gained Reserves experience late in the season.

Port also made one live selection in the Rookie Draft, taking powerful Central District midfielder-forward Tom Cochrane. He’s the son of Stuart, who played 54 games for the Power. Tom’s younger brother Dougie is considered one of the top draft prospects for 2026, too.

North Melbourne VFL captain and two-time reigning best and fairest Jack Watkins is training with the club to push his case during the supplementary selection period. The 23-year-old midfielder averaged 24.9 disposals per his 18 state league appearances this year.

Despite overlooking several club-tied prospects aside from Barrett, father-son hopefuls Rome Burgoyne (Peter) and Oliver Francou (Josh) have signed on to play with Port’s SANFL side next year. The Power will still have first dibs on the pair should they see fit in the 2025 draft.