Port Adelaide has finalised its playing list for the season, signing local Cheltenham product Josh Lai ahead of the Supplemental Selection Period deadline.
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The Power have reward Lai with a list spot after impressing throughout the pre-season, in what is an astronomical rise for the versatile midfielder.
Lai starred in Cheltenham’s Southern Football League premiership last year, catching the eye of AFL recruiters before earning a spot to train with the Alberton-based club over the summer.
Speaking via a club statement on Tuesday morning, the 19-year-old was ecstatic at the reward of joining an AFL list.
“I’m really stoked to join Port Adelaide,” Lai said.
“Things have happened so fast, I can’t quite believe it. I’m so grateful for the chance to be on an AFL list. I feel like I’ve put my best foot forward but I certainly wasn’t expecting this.
“Since I’ve been at the club, I’ve learned so much about professionalism and the right way to go about things. It’s pretty cool to be able to play football for a career.
“The players, coaches and staff have made me feel so welcome so I couldn’t be happier.”
Lai grew up in Singapore before moving to China during his childhood, and grew up with a soccer background.
“We have been impressed with his approach to training, the way he learns and applies feedback, and how quickly he has adapted to the intensity needed at AFL level,” Power list manager Jason Cripps added.
“Josh has some strong AFL traits, and since he’s arrived at Alberton, he’s shown how coachable and hard working he is.
“It’s clear he has significant upside and we know he is in the right environment to grow as an AFL player.”
Elsewhere, another injury setback for a Melbourne forward has opened the door of opportunity to a pair of SSP hopefuls, while Fremantle finalised its list with an SSP addition of its own.
Demons goalsneak Shane McAdam, who hasn’t had a proper run at it since crossing over from Adelaide at the end of 2023, has again succumbed to injury and is expected to undergo surgery for an Achilles tendon rupture.
The Sturt product suffered the ailment during Melbourne’s match simulation on Friday.
“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process,” Melbourne footy boss Alan Richardson said in a club statement on Saturday.
“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season.
“Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like.”
And while it is a cruel outcome for the 29-year-old McAdam, a likely place on the Dees’ long-term injury list means an SSP opportunity beckons for somebody else.
Midfielder Jai Culley, who was delisted by the West Coast Eagles at the end of last season, signed with Casey in the VFL in an attempt to eventually earn his way back onto an AFL list — and that opportunity could arise sooner than expected.
According to Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph, the 12-gamer was ‘sensational’ in Friday’s match-play and could now be rewarded with an elevation to the senior list.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old Culley was picked first overall by West Coast in the 2022 mid-season draft.
Seven’s Mitch Cleary also said Culley was a likely beneficiary but added Roy George — the uncle of Kysaiah Pickett — would also be among the SSP considerations.
The 22-year-old George, who played five VFL games for Casey last year, has trained with the Demons over the pre-season.
Out west, the Dockers added South Australian livewire Isaiah Dudley ahead of the February 21 SSP deadline.
The 21-year-old had been training at Fremantle across the summer in hopes of achieving his dream of joining a senior-level list, with his new club announcing his one-year deal on Friday afternoon.
Hailing from Central Districts in Adelaide, Dudley has 38 games’ worth of SANFL experience after debuting at the level in 2022, particularly excelling last season to place third in his club’s best-and-fairest.
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An opening for Dudley came after ruck Odin Jones was placed on the club’s long-term injury list following spinal surgery in December for a fractured vertebra.
“Dudley was a very talented junior footballer and had a few injuries and things didn’t go his way, but we have kept an eye on him at Central Districts,” Fremantle player personnel boss David Walls said in a club statement.
“He had high score assists in the SANFL and hits the scoreboard himself. He jumped at the chance to come across and train and has handled himself really well.
“He’s worked really hard and obviously still has work to do, but we are always looking to add talent in our front half.”
Dudley joins former Port Adelaide and Geelong x-factor Quinton Narkle in joining Fremantle this off-season during the SSP period.
Fremantle’s first pre-season hit out for 2025 is scheduled for Saturday night against the Indigenous All Stars at Optus Stadium, before its first home-and-away match on March 15 against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
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