Port Adelaide loom as a "fascinating" watch in the AFL Draft space for the next 18 months amid uncertainty surrounding the AFL's bidding system and the Power's "great suite" of club-tied prospects coming through their pathways.
The AFL is yet to disclose the details of its imminent changes to the draft for 2026, which are likely to see clubs pay a higher premium for teenagers they have priority access to via Next Generation Academies, Northern Academies, and as father-son eligible prospects.
The Power could be one "victim" of the potential changes given their access to potential Pick 1 option Dougie Cochrane, who was granted approval to be a member of the club's NGA last November, therefore giving the Alberton club first access to the Central District young gun come draft night this year.
Port Adelaide opted to bolster their 2026 draft hand via last year's off-season, a move that resulted in the club not taking a single player at the national draft.
Speaking on this week's episode of Craft of the Draft, analyst Jonty Ralphsmith flagged that the league's incoming draft rule changes could hinder the Power's initial plans, which would be an untimely blow given Tasmania's pending arrival.
"Clubs that do want to get into the draft want to get in this year before it does get really compromised next year. Seven of the top 13 picks next year belong to Tassie. We know they do need to trade four of those picks," Ralphsmith said.
"It's going to be very, very hard for a club to try and rebuild if they're looking to go to the draft next year, and, of course, Tassie are going to have their hand in the draft following next year as well.
"So this year is really important for clubs that want to go to the draft, and I think the change in the draft rules, when it comes to matching bids for players in NGAs and father-sons, is going to have a big impact.
"Port Adelaide is probably going to be a club that's a victim of that. They had plans last year, they didn't take anyone in the national draft, and that was much talked about. Part of the reason for that is they've got some club-tied talent coming in the next couple of years.
"You'd hope the draft rules don't come at the expense of them being able to get that talent, as they certainly made decisions with the expectation that they'd be able to get a couple of talented kids through the door. Would they have made those decisions had they been aware of exactly what the rules would be?"
The 2027 AFL Draft, which is set to be Tasmania's first ahead of its inaugural AFL campaign, is in line to include several highly-touted prospects tied to the Power.
NGA talent Zemes Pilot and father-son duo Louis Salopek and Tevita Rodan are also on the Power's radar as they look to plan their list strategy for the future.
The combination of Tasmania's impact on next year's draft and the uncertainty surrounding the bidding system leaves the Power in a "fascinating" position.
"They are going to be one of the most fascinating watches over the next 18 months in terms of Tassie's arrival and the position they're in," Craft of the Draft's Mitch Keating said.
"Getting access to Dougie Cochrane is a great tick for them, but they're still waiting on these AFL rules and how the draft system is going to work out this year. Then when Tassie do arrive, the likes of Zemes Pilot, Tevita Rodan and Louis Salopek are at their disposal in a way, but we don't know what kind of access they're getting.
"Then on top of that, there's the Zak Butters situation and how that plays out and what draft picks they're left with for this year.
"There's so much uncertainty. When you're a club, you want to know exactly what you've got access to and what you need to pay, and currently it's very hard for Port Adelaide to do the latter, even though they could have a great suite of picks and club-tied prospects."
You can listen to this week's podcast of Craft of the Draft via the player below, or watch the episode on Zero Hanger's YouTube channel.
