How will Port Adelaide cope if Charlie Dixon is restricted by injury in the early stages of 2022?
The key forward underwent ankle surgery this week after tearing ligaments at training in January and as a result faces a disrupted start to the season.
Dixon has been an attacking pillar over the past few years, leading the way in both goals and contested marks in 2020 and 2021.
Going by his numbers, it would be fair to suggest that the Power have an over-reliance on him inside attacking 50.
His presence and value to Ken Hinkley’s side is evident when he is up and running, but what does it look like without him there?
David King and Kane Cornes discussed Dixon on SEN Breakfast and what any length of absence means for the Power.
King posed the following to Cornes: “Charlie Dixon is requiring surgery now and that will be a significant setback at the wrong end of pre-season.
“Do you accept that he’s going to miss the first month of the season proper, or do you race him to be half-fit or 80 per cent fit for round one?
“But what happens if you do that and he has a down year? What impact does that have on where you think Port Adelaide will finish in 2022?”
Power champion Cornes suggests it would be wiser of the club to have Dixon fully fit give his injury history.
“He looked frustrated last year. Each morning of game day, there were about five or six occasions where I thought they were going to withdraw Charlie,” he said.
“He’s got a niggle, he’s got another niggle, he looked frustrated, he’s got four defenders hanging off him each week and he looked an angry player.
“He wasn’t a disaster. He kicked 48 goals and held down the spot, but he wasn’t at his best.
“I prefer the first part of your suggestion that they get him absolutely right and get him back. He’s had leg and ankle injuries before.”
The Power have the likes of Todd Marshall, Mitch Georgiades and off-season recruit Jeremy Finlayson as tall forward options aside from Dixon.
Having various targets in attack, if the 31-year-old does happen to miss any time, could help that trio take on more responsibility.
“I saw him (Dixon) at my niece’s first birthday last weekend and he was in really good spirits, but his foot was blown up. You could see it through the sock,” Cornes added.
“He said, ‘You know what, I reckon it’s going to be a good thing. Georgiades, Todd Marshall, Finlayson, we need those guys to step up a little bit more and it can’t just be with one target inside 50 like it’s been, and that’s why I was a bit frustrated’.
“They’re actually thinking it may be an ok thing.
“My view on it is they can’t win the premiership without him. Todd Marshall is a third or fourth option, Georgiades is in his third year so you can’t ask much of him and Finlayson hasn’t been able to hold down a spot at the Giants.
“Unfortunately for Charlie, it’s going to be all on him this year.”
King added further: “48 goals and 59 contested marks last year.
“I don’t care how good Todd Marshall is, he’s not getting to that level, he’s just not.
“That’s just how that sits.”
Despite the surgery, the club is expecting Dixon to be in contention for the Round 1 clash with Brisbane in March.
The former Sun has kicked 200 goals in 112 matches for the Power, finishing top three in the goalkicking in five of his six seasons at Alberton to date.