Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has shared the latest on neglected skipper Tom Jonas, who has played a background role in the Alberton club's recent historic run.
The Power defeated Essendon on Saturday night at the MCG thanks to a heart-stopping after-the-siren Dan Houston goal, culminating in Port Adelaide's club-record 12th-straight victory, with the start of the current win streak dating back to Round 4.
Jonas, however, hasn't taken part in half of Port Adelaide's stellar 2023 campaign, having only played eight AFL games this season thus far.
2016 represents the last time the 32-year-old played less than 18 AFL games in a season, with the veteran key defender seemingly increasingly unlikely to reach that mark this year, considering there are just eight games remaining in the home and away season, with a further three to potentially be played if the Power can advance to the Grand Final.
Port Adelaide's Round 10 victory over Melbourne at Adelaide Oval was the most recent senior game Jonas has played, as he was relegated to the SANFL level following that fixture and has played in three SANFL contests since.
Speaking to the media post-game on Saturday night, Hinkley briefly addressed Jonas' situation.
"Tom's been a remarkable leader for us, he's the right person to be captain of our footy club," Hinkley stated.
"Sometimes his own position in the team hasn't been there for him, currently, but you wouldn't know that he's not the captain of our footy club with the way he's leading the whole club."
Hinkley's preferred medium-to-tall-sized defensive combination currently consists of All-Australian Aliir Aliir, veteran Trent McKenzie, the emerging Miles Bergman, and youngster Dylan Williams, with that mix producing impressive results for the Power's coaching staff.
Jonas is slated to enter unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of this season, meaning, theoretically, he could freely sign with another club at the end of the year if he so chose.
However, with age taken into consideration, retirement may be the most likely scenario if Jonas doesn't stay in Port Adelaide colours beyond 2023.
In any case, the towering backman's playing future in Alberton remains a cloudy mystery beyond this season.
