More AFL coaches are speaking to the media at this time of the year and they often provide the biggest insights into form, injury status or role changes, so we’ve collated the key latest info.
UPDATES
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has declared Ollie Wines is ready to forget his 2023 and get back to his best in 2024, noting an injury interrupted pre-season last year. Hinkley told AFL.com.au: “He’s pretty ready, that’s what I have seen. Ollie’s always been a determined young person and he didn’t enjoy last year’s performance himself. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me saying that.
“The reality was he had so many things go against him at the start of the year that made it pretty impossible for him to get to where he wanted to go, but what I love about him was he tried his guts out and got through the whole season and gave what he had. What I’ve seen this pre-season [is] Ollie’s back, so we hope that leads to performance.”
Hinkley also said Jason Horne-Francis was better positioned for a more consistent 2024. He said: “First and foremost he’s had a summer. That would be a critical piece. He came to us and had these two massive scars on the back of his legs and he basically didn’t train until February. Then he had to play an AFL season with an incredible amount of scrutiny on him.”
Dogs fourth-year player Buku Khamis is set for a role change down back in 2024 and teammate Bailey Dale has liked what he’s seen so far. He said: “Buks down back has been great – he’s played there previously but for him to come back and take those intercept marks that we saw him do down forward, he’s been helping us defend really well.”
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Matthew Flynn (AF $646k SC $491k RUC) looks set to lead West Coast’s ruck in 2024, with Bailey Williams to play back-up with more forward time. Eagles coach Adam Simpson told AFL.com.au: “Flynn is ready to go. He has a really good footy brain, has already connected to our players really well and allows Bailey (Williams) to play forward a little bit or we actually have options.”
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir noted some interesting new roles for young guns Neil Erasmus and Matthew Johnson. He told SEN WA: “We’ve been playing Neil mainly as an insider with a little bit of forward, and Johnno’s a winger with a little bit of inside time. They’ve both been training really well and are really pushing for a spot in that midfield.”
Nic Newman was one of the AFL’s form players in the second half of 2023 and Carlton assistant coach Aaron Hamill praised his pre-season. He said: “We know he can defend on the line for us as well, but when we’ve got him higher up the ground where there’s more chaos, he’s able to solve a lot of problems for us: he’s had another really good block of work and he just wants to keep getting that continuity. He’s educating others and he’s hungry for success.”
Carlton coach Michael Voss spoke to AFL.com.au and flagged Ollie Hollands for inside mid time in 2024, while he praised his brother Elijah Hollands’ strong pre-season since his switch from Gold Coast.
Gold Coast assistant coach Brad Miller noted Jack Lukosius will stay forward to start 2024.
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