Fixin’ Dixon works a treat at Port
CHARLIE Dixon’s game-time and pressure acts are at a career high and the man who helped rebuild his once-fragile body says the Power forward deserves more credit for his start to the year.
Cairns product Dixon arrived at Alberton at the end of 2015 on a big contract and with big questions over his durability after averaging just 13 games in each of his five years at the Gold Coast.
But he played 18 in his first season at Port Adelaide last year and, despite off-season ankle surgery, hasn’t missed a beat in all five so far this year.
The more telling statistic, however, is the amount of time Dixon is spending on the ground and his workrate off the ball. Dixon is averaging 90 per cent time on ground in his two seasons with the Power, which is up from 82, 75, 81, 85 and 83 in his previous seasons at the Suns.
“He gets really unfairly maligned about his game outputs. If I showed you his GPS data from the games where he hasn’t kicked a goal and people have been saying ‘he doesn’t do much’, he does some unbelievably unselfish running,” Port Adelaide fitness boss Darren Burgess said.
“And in particular his workrate in terms of getting tackled and copping hits is up there with as good a power forward as I’ve ever seen.
“His outputs are outstanding. So for him to come back from all the surgeries that he’s had, even in the past with Gold Coast, is a credit to him because people know how hard that can be. To be at the level he’s at now is absolutely a credit to him.”
Dixon’s most recent surgery was in November to strengthen his ankles, which he hopes will help prolong his career and, with skipper Travis Boak, he gave up alcohol, over the Christmas holiday period while Port Adelaide broke up for pre-season training.
He played in Port’s internal trial and the JLT Series and has kicked a goal in every game this season, including four against Fremantle in round two to take his tally to 10.
But it’s what he’s doing off the ball that will be pleasing Dixon’s coaches.
Champion Data rates Dixon as elite for a key forward based on his tackling and forward-half pressure act numbers and above average for contested marks, marks, groundball-gets inside 50m and goals.
Burgess said Dixon, listed at 105kg, had dropped a bit of weight since arriving at Port and was extremely mobile for a man standing 200cm.
“I think that’s why he surprises a lot of defenders, because they think they’re probably in for a wrestling match but his speed is absolutely elite at any size, let alone 200cm,” Burgess said.