POTENTIAL No.1 pick Dougie Cochrane will have a delayed start to this season as he deals with knee tendinitis, as Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr hopes his club's access to Academy and father-sons can help the Power sidestep Tasmania's entrance to the AFL.
In December, the AFL confirmed that Cochrane had been ruled eligible to be in the Power's Next Generation Academy, granting the club first access to him at this year's draft due to his Indigenous background.
The son of former Power and North Melbourne's Stuart, and brother of current Port forward Tom, Cochrane is seen as one of the leading two players heading into this year's draft along with Carlton father-son Cody Walker.
Carr said the 194cm utility, who was named the best player of the under-16s championships in 2024, would cautiously go through his recovery from his knee injury.
"Obviously we're super excited about having Dougie a part of our program and what the future looks like with Dougie. He's had a few challenges with his body that we're helping him get through," Carr told AFL.com.au.
"Last year was a hamstring and he's got pretty bad knee tendinitis at the moment. So the great part about what we can do now is we've got him there, he's with our medical team and we're slowly building him back up."
Cochrane has played all over the ground at junior level – as a tall forward, tall defender and around the ball – with his precise kicking and foot skills a key asset. Carr said he had hallmarks of former Carlton superstar and now Sydney spearhead Charlie Curnow.
"He's pretty unique. He had a really big game against North Adelaide in the under-18s and the next week played North Adelaide again. They shifted him back and in the last quarter he turned it on," the first-year Port coach said.
"There's definitely a bit of Charlie Curnow about the way he played, the way he flew into a pack. What his position looks like going forward I'm not sure. He's quite versatile and mobile and I know there's a bit of an itch for the midfield from his point of view."
The Power have access to Cochrane this year, and then next year have father-sons Louis Salopek (son of Steven) and Tevita Rodan (son of David) available, while Zemes Pilot is in their Next Generation Academy for next year, too.
Tasmania will dominate the drafts for the 2027-2029 intakes, with the Power working through how it can land all of its young targets to speed up its build whilst the Devils dominate the list management landscape.
"It's exciting for the footy club to at least be able to have a visual of what it could look like," Carr said. "You've got to get deals done and have the right picks to get it done, but at the same time it's exciting. We can plan for the future and the future is looking bright."
It shapes as a significant challenge to land all targets, though, as the AFL is changing its bidding system for this year, which will see clubs have to match bids with their first two picks and a tightening of the points system.
Carr said the club understood the need for tweaks but hoped the rules wouldn't be altered considerably.
"We're hopeful. We hope there's fairness in what that looks like. We understand it probably hasn't been quite right. But we just hope there's not an overcorrection with it all," Carr said.
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