Why Port Adelaide did the Houston deal, why they recruited Atkins and the latest on Soldo

Port Adelaide list boss Jason Cripps has explained the reasons why the club traded Dan Houston to Collingwood.

The two-time All-Australian’s move to the Magpies was made official on Tuesday afternoon in a three-way trade which also involved Gold Coast.

The Power lost Houston and gave up a future first-round draft pick, along with shedding Picks 39 and 58 in this year’s draft, while bringing in Picks 13, 29, 36 and 50, as well as Jack Lukoisus and Rory Atkins from the Suns and Joe Richards from the Pies.

There has been a fair bit of uproar from Port supporters as well as 300-game player Kane Cornes who described it as a “disastrous deal”.

Cripps went over why the Power were eventually content with letting Houston depart, highlighting the acquisition of Pick 13 in this year’s deep draft.

“Dan had intentions to get back to Victoria for family and personal reasons,” Cripps said on SEN SA Breakfast.

“We’re a club that in previous years gone by have brought in players for similar reasons, obviously in recent times with Jason Horne-Francis.

“The Connors Sports Management group were terrific in allowing us to explore what those options might look like in terms of clubs.

“Our members would expect us to flush out all those opportunities and to see what they look like. We wanted to see yesterday just explore those opportunities further and try to obtain the best deal that that we could for the club by taking a long-term view. We did that.

“Carlton had some interest in Dan and were sitting there with Picks 12 and 14, we had information that they were looking to trade up to Pick 3, which they eventually did, and stated their intentions of their value of Dan and any possible trade.

“So we just want to explore all options for Dan to get back to Victoria, we did that and we were able to obtain the best best deal that we possibly could that was available to us.”

What would Cripps say to Port fans who are crying out - “Why couldn’t we have just kept Houston?”

“Four of the last five years we’ve finished top four,” Cripps replied.

“We’ve been thereabouts and we’ve just come up short. A lot of decisions that we’ve made in recent times have had more of a short-term focus.

“We just felt that this was an opportunity to take a long-term view and to improve the list through some draft capital in what is considered a very good year.

“The reality is Dan turns 28 next year and we feel we’ve got significant depth in the role with talented and emerging players like Miles Bergman, Logan Evans, Josh Sinn and Jase Burgoyne, and established players like Kane Farrell and Ryan Burton.

“In the end we thought it was the best opportunity for the club to get some draft capital and take a long-term view.

“We haven’t had the opportunities for high-end draft picks and next year’s draft is set to be compromised due to seven Academy players and then you’ve got Tasmania coming in thereafter.

“We try to reset on the run, avoid going down the bottom of the ladder and they’re the challenges we’ve got in making decision for the best of the club.”

Port’s footy boss Chris Davies also spoke on the Housing trade, reiterating Cripps’ stance on the draft while referencing the interest from North Melbourne.

“Our recruiting group value this draft immensely,” Davies said on AFL Trade Radio.

“If Dan didn’t leave this year, then our chances of having some selections at the top end of this draft with Pick 13 and a couple of others inside 30 (were diminished).

“Without moving Dan the reality wasn’t going to be anywhere near where we want to be in this upcoming draft.

“It wasn’t Dan’s preference to go to North Melbourne as a starting point. The offer that North were able to table was not going to be compelling as the one we received.”

Davies also commented on the recruitment of Rory Atkins from Gold Coast.

The former Adelaide Crow played just three senior games for the Suns in 2024 and is seen by many as a player who will spend a lot of next season in the SANFL.

“Gold Coast were happy to move Rory,” he said of the 30-year-old.

“We think he can add depth to our squad overall. You know the issue we’ve got with senior players at SANFL level, we think he can definitely do a job for us there.

“Typically that type of player will get a decent number of games during the season from a depth standpoint. He’s a good character, a guy that we’re happy to try and regenerate his career at our club.”

Ruckman Ivan Soldo requested a trade to St Kilda but an organised medical did not go ahead as the Saints had cold feet over his past knee injuries.

Davies feels that Soldo would love his time again.

“It’s an interesting one because I don’t really know what happened to be honest from St Kilda’s perspective,” he said of the premiership Tiger.

“Where he comes in to an exit interview and asks to be traded and then hasn’t done whatever medical is required to get the other club on the hook.

“I’m sure if he had his time again he might have just kept his powder dry before suggesting he wanted out.

“Unless something happens today he comes back to our club and fights for a ruck spot.”

Davies insisted that Soldo did not avoid Port’s best and fairest night, saying that he was attending a close friend's wedding.

The 28-year-old is contracted for 2025 and will be forced to remain with the Power even if he hasn’t quite settled in Adelaide.

“I think that he’s been treated unfairly,” Davies added.

“I did see some suggestion that he had pulled the pin on coming to our best and fairest because he was asking to be traded. That wasn’t true. He was actually involved in a wedding in the actual wedding party on the same night. So that’s a non-event.

“I think Ivan hasn’t settled in Adelaide the way that he would have liked and maybe we’ve got a part to play in that as well.

“I’m ok with Ivan staying. Competition from Ivan for our number one ruck Jordon Sweet and the young, developing Dante Visentini won’t be a bad thing.

“I think he’s likely staying. It sounded like St Kilda was the option and when they didn’t quite like his knees maybe they pulled the pin there.”

Additionally, Soldo released a statement via his Instagram explaining his side of what he perceives to be a “ridiculous narrative”.