Xavier Duursma is one of a number of young Port Adelaide players who have missed a chunk of the 2021 AFL campaign through injury, and is one of three to return this evening for the game against Collingwood. In their absence Port Adelaide has drifted out of premiership calculations with a string of unimpressive performances, but a loss to Brisbane last week sees them back in the top four and with a chance to prove that they belong there. Their surge over the past year or two came with the advent of tyros like Duursma, and perhaps that's the key to their flag hopes.
Xavier Duursma is one of a number of young Port Adelaide players who have missed a chunk of the 2021 AFL campaign through injury, and is one of three to return this evening for the game against Collingwood. In their absence Port Adelaide has drifted out of premiership calculations with a string of unimpressive performances, but a loss to Brisbane last week sees them back in the top four and with a chance to prove that they belong there. Their surge over the past year or two came with the advent of tyros like Duursma, and perhaps that's the key to their flag hopes.
Duursma vacuums up the footy
While he may not have got the hype of fellow 2018 draftee Connor Rozee, the debut season of Xavier Duursma in the big league may have been more impressive and sustained, including his highest fantasy score of the year in round 23. Occupying the wing vacated by Jared Polec, his stat line was roughly similar with about 80% of volume, save for a significant shortfall in metres gained. He was on a modified program before Christmas managing a niggle. As a wingman whose main attribute is run on the outside, Duursma will hopefully be immune from the sort of second-year syndrome that affects kids who are asked in the off season to put bulk on their frames to survive in contests with fully-grown men. His endurance to put in a full year at the top level was an excellent sign. Assuming he gets past those reportedly minor problems in preseason and presents for round 1 at full fitness, he's worth a late pick with decent upside.
Xavier Duursma has played outside midfield at a relatively young age in a decent team, putting some startable scores together and rewarding faith put in him by fantasy coaches in salary cap competitions. He arrives at the Showdown with a lot of goodwill from his owners, but this week could very well see his numbers plummet as they often do for receivers in one of the most contested games of the year. Port as a team has struggled in recent Showdowns and their engine room is undermanned, making Duursma a questionable start.
Door open for Duursma
Flanks, wing, coalface, goalface: Xavier Duursma showed strong form in every part of the ground over his junior career. His game shifted from space to the contest more as his body developed, though he is still skinny by AFL standards. He averaged a fantasy ton in TAC Cup action, dropping to 62 at the Championships where he impressed off half back in a Vic Country team that was frequently under the pump. Duursma is one of those natural talents with a complete toolset of skills coming off his draft year - it's just a matter of waiting for his body to catch up. He will be best suited to a wing in his first season at the top level, and early reports suggest he is a strong chance to debut there in round 1. He will be highly popular in salary cap formats, but his draft value is limited by a low ceiling from the step up in physical demands.
