“We’re the Department of Youth, ah ah ah ah ah, we’ve got the power”- Alice Cooper 1977

 As we move into the pointy end of the AFL Finals I can’t help but think that there is a group of 4 x youngsters who may well be the difference in bringing Port Adelaide’s second premiership home to Alberton.

Not since the “Baby Bombers” of 1993 have we seen a more skilled and ferocious bunch of “under 50 x game” players. The similarities between this latest crop at Port and the ’93 Essendon side are undeniable. The stand outs at Essendon that year were Misiti, Fletcher, Hird, Wanganeen and Mercuri. All of these players had stellar careers, with 3 x of them, Hird, Fletcher and Wanganeen becoming legends.

There is no definitive recipe for premiership success. You can buy one like Carlton did in 1987, assemble a posse of committed, hard workers to support a giant forward like a 90’s North Melbourne, or simply put together the meanest, physically powerful team like Brisbane in the early 2000’s.

Carlton’s 1995 team was a mature one and were driven by Coach Parkin’s decision to empower his players to form their own strategies. The Sydney Swans of 2005 were again a mature team who bought into a ‘Bloods” values-based culture that still thrives today.

There have been some first and second year players who have played in premierships but nothing to the scale of the 1993 Bombers. Even when youngsters have been selected, they rarely are “walk up starts”, meaning if they are returning from injury for instance, their form is treated with extreme caution and the selectors must be convinced via an extended stay in the “seconds”.

This isn’t the case with the “Department of Youth” at Port Adelaide. These 4 are first picked and whenever I see Coach Hinkley asked about the likely return of any of these young men over the past 2 x years, his eyes light up and without hesitation there is a sense of urgency in his tone.

He understands their value and it’s easy to see why. They are “excitement machines” and as a former player who at the same age could barely scratch his backside, it’s hard to fathom how extraordinarily talented these guys are when you consider their experience:

Xavier Dursma – 21YO, 18th Pick in the 2018 draft, 39 Games. – Has had injury problems this year but was thrown straight back into the fold post recovery. Fearless and deadly around goals.

Conner Rozee – 21YO, 5th Pick in the 2018 draft, 52 Games – Plays in a manner not dissimilar to club legend Wanganeen. Has a “rubbery” “elastic” body that is hard to tackle and is seriously quick.

Mitch Georgiades – 19YO, 18th Pick in the 2019 draft, 22 Games – Coach Hinkley is keen to get him in for the Preliminary Final after an injury spell. Multiple nominations for the Rising Star, he is a gifted tall forward already busting packs apart.

Zac Butters – 20YO, 12th Pick in the 2018 draft, 41 games. Not since Joel Selwood arrived in 2007, have I seen a more gifted and composed player who incidentally looks about 15 years old! 🙂 Deceptively strong and a brilliant decision maker, he along with his mate Rozee, play with a sense of Indigenous-like perpetual motion and freedom that reminds you of why you love this game.

Obviously there’s a long way to go in the finals but I’m sensing a Melbourne v Port Grand Final. To beat Melbourne you need to lessen the output of Oliver and Petracca. The combination between these 2 x midfield guns often ignites the chains that have made Melbourne so good this year.

Whilst another young gun Willem Drew is likely to get first “dibs” at tagging duties, will Coach Hinkley be bold enough to have Rozee and Butters run with them? Can the Port duo stem the possession tide of Oliver and Petracca and furthermore challenge the Melbourne boys to restrict their own brilliant offensive play? It’s a match up for the ages.

Port’s champions such as Gray and Boak aren’t getting any younger, just like Watson and Thompson at Essendon in 1993. I firmly believe the Department of Youth will be the difference, just as The Baby Bombers did in almost 30 x years ago.