Greg Bentley, Adam Cockshell, Fabian Deluca, Nathan Lonie, Damon White and Ryan Williams will not be offered new contracts with the Power, while Daniel Boyle, Gavin Grose and Ryan Willits won’t be retained on the club’s rookie list.
General Manager of Football Operations Peter Rohde thanked each of the players for their contribution to the Port Adelaide Football Club, acknowledged their efforts and commitment and wished them all the best for the future.
“In particular we recognise and appreciate the efforts and persistence of Damon White, who, after battling serious injury early in his career, played 55 AFL games for the Port Adelaide Football Club across seven seasons,” he said.
“Damon’s persistence in the face of adversity was admired by all within the football club.
“This is one of the hardest times of the football year but we also understand the opportunity exists to take advantage of what is considered by many to be one of the deepest drafts of recent times.
“Our National Recruiting Manager, Blair Hartley has been working very hard to identify the best talent and we see this as a real opportunity to inject even more quality youth into an already young and developing squad.
“This is, after all the last uncompromised draft for some time.”
Bentley, 21, played 21 AFL games for Port Adelaide after being drafted from the Dandenong Stingrays in 2006. He made his debut in Round 19, 2006 against the Western Bulldogs and was promoted from the rookie list to the senior list at the end of that season.
Cockshell, 22, was drafted from Norwood with pick 4 in the 2007 pre-season draft and played two games for the Power. He debuted in Round 1, 2007 against Fremantle.
Deluca, 21, played 11 AFL games for Port Adelaide after being drafted from the Eastern Ranges with pick 35 in the 2004 national draft. He made his debut against Collingwood in Round 5, 2006.
Lonie, 25, leaves Port Adelaide having played 40 games for the Power after being traded from Hawthorn in 2005. He played 104 AFL games in total, and reached the 100 game milestone against North Melbourne in Round 15 this year.
White, 25, played 55 AFL games for Port Adelaide after being drafted from Perth with pick 62 in the 2001 national draft. He kicked 47 goals after making his debut against the Kangaroos in Round 8, 2004.
Williams, 20, was drafted from the Geelong Falcons with pick 83 at the 2006 national draft and played two games for the Power. He debuted against Carlton in Round 19 this year.
Former rookie listed players Grose and Boyle did not play an AFL game for Port Adelaide while Ryan Willits played three games in 2006 while on the Power’s senior list.
Port Adelaide has now made nine changes to the 2008 primary list. Other players no longer with the Power are Michael Wilson and Hugh Minson (both retired) while Adam Thomson was traded to Richmond for pick 42 at the national draft.
“We have carefully managed our list in such a way that Michael Wilson aside we aren’t losing vast amounts of experience this time. This draft gives us the opportunity to strengthen the balance in the squad between youth and experience,” Rohde said.
