Former Carlton and Adelaide midfielder Bryce Gibbs has broken down Port Adelaide’s fixture to get the season underway.
The Power will be desperate for a strong start in 2023, wanting to avoid a repeat of last year which saw an 0-5 start dash their finals hopes almost immediately.
Due to the current parity throughout the competition, Gibbs emphasised how important it is for Port Adelaide to get off on the right foot.
“We’ve already mentioned how even (the competition) is, getting off to a good start is going to be paramount,” he said on SEN’s Saturdays in SA.
“We all know they were a better side than they were on the ladder last year, obviously the 0-5 start makes it extremely hard to come back from.”
However, after looking at the fixture that the Power have ahead of them, Gibbs believes the club has been dealt a rough hand.
“Their draw isn’t as smooth sailing as they probably would like,” he said.
“Brisbane, Collingwood, Adelaide, Sydney, Bulldogs, you would think they would have to win at least three of those games to get the ball rolling at the start of the year.
“They play Brisbane at home, that’s a tough one.
“They travel to the MCG to play Collingwood who we know are up and about.
“They have the Showdown, home Showdown which can be pretty competitive most of the time, they did blow them out in the second Showdown last year but Adelaide will be up and about early in the season.
“They travel to Sydney at the SCG, Sydney are extremely hard to beat on their own deck.
“Then they come back home to play the Bulldogs.
“The Showdown could be winnable, the Bulldogs at home certainly winnable, then they’re going to have to win one of Sydney, Collingwood or Brisbane I think.
“It’s going to be intriguing to see how they start this season.”
While the Power certainly have their hands full, Gibbs is confident that Port Adelaide have assembled a dangerous squad.
“In terms of a playing list, they’ve kept everyone together, they’ve got great youth mixed with some experience when you’re talking about (Travis) Boak and (Ollie) Wines and (Charlie) Dixon and these guys, (Tom) Jonas their skipper,” he said.
“They were quite active in the trade period as we know and they actually didn’t give up anything.
“We thought to try and get some of these big deals across the line they might have had to give up a Mitch Georgiades or someone of that ilk, a Xavier Duursma to get a Jason Horne-Francis, Willie Rioli in but they actually, to their credit, didn’t have to do that.
“In terms of their list profile, they’re right in the hit zone, they’re ready to go.”
Port Adelaide will get a look at how their squad shapes up against the competition in their first pre-season match simulation, taking on West Coast on February 24.