Esava Ratugolea’s intercept marking has been outstanding in 2023.Credit:AFL Photos
It means he will not play for Geelong as they take on Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in the match of the round on Thursday night.
Sources familiar with the situation,who chose to remain anonymous because they were not authorised to speak publicly,said Ratugolea remained on Port’s radar,with the top-four contender also monitoring the performance of North Melbourne free agent Ben McKay.
Ratugolea attempted to secure a trade to Port Adelaide while under contract at the end of last season,but the Cats were keen to retain him and did not come to terms with Port. In the end Port Adelaide could only offer pick 33 for the emerging tall.
Ratugolea returned to the Cats without issue and has obtained the opportunities he was seeking when he made the trade request to join Port.
Loading
However,he has been in no rush to recommit with the Cats as he looked to establish himself in the team as a key defender. The Cats also have back-line depth,with premiership defenders Sam De Koning and Jack Henry returning to defence in Ratugolea’s absence as Geelong defeated the Western Bulldogs in round 12.
The Cats have also been linked to Carlton hybrid tall Tom De Koning,who could also play in defence or as a forward/ruck.
Geelong coach Chris Scott has made it no secret that he is a fan of Ratugolea and will be keen to retain him as the club has developed him since using selection 43 in the 2016 national draft to add him to the Cats’ list.
Ratugolea has played 70 games,mainly as a ruck/forward,before his switch to defence and is a popular and respected member of the group.
Port Adelaide’s key defenders against the Western Bulldogs in round 13 were former Sydney Swan Aliir Aliir and former Gold Coast Sun Trent McKenzie.
The skipper,Tom Jonas,has not been able to force his way back into the line-up. Miles Bergman has been playing well in defence too for Port Adelaide but remains unsigned beyond the end of 2023,with several Victorian clubs interested in the 21-year-old who was a first-round pick in 2019.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.