Port Adelaide coach worries Origin matches will injure key players
Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr fears Origin players will get injured weeks before the AFL season starts.
Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr is worried about players being called up for South Australia against Western Australia in late February, just weeks before the AFL season starts. Captain Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis, Jase Burgoyne and Mitch Georgiades could all be picked.
Carr compared the situation to soccer managers losing control when players go on international duty. Georgiades was hurt at last year's Origin match.
Carlton star Jacob Weitering and Gold Coast's Matt Rowell also picked up injuries. Carr has been working with Rozee on his hamstring recovery after the captain missed most of 2026.
The league has committed to Origin until 2030 and is looking at changes like shorter quarters to cut injury risk.
- 4 players
- Port Adelaide players at risk
- Late February
- Origin match timing
- March 17
- AFL season start
- Until 2030
- Origin commitment
Why it mattersClubs have no say in whether players are called up, but injuries during state matches can derail their entire season.
AustraliaAustralian AFL teams face a new annual risk of losing players to injury during a pre-season state match they cannot control.
