Mitch Georgiades is prepared to step up at the heart of a remodelled Port Adelaide forward line if Charlie Dixon misses the start of the AFL season.
No.1 target Dixon had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left ankle last week, ruling him out for at least the bulk of remaining pre-season training.
Small forward Orazio Fantasia is also managing knee soreness and is on a limited fitness program ahead of the Power's round-one meeting with Brisbane on March 19.
Georgiades enjoyed a breakout season with 32 goals last year - second at the club only to Dixon, who kicked 48 - but missed the finals through injury.
The 20-year-old knows the weight on his shoulders will only get heavier in Dixon's absence if the veteran is still sidelined next month.
But he is excited by the prospect of sharing that load with Todd Marshall and new recruit Jeremy Finlayson, who was traded in from GWS over the off-season.
"Charlie's obviously such a big part of our team - he's been there for years and he's so strong at what he does - but we do have to step up whether he's playing or not," Georgiades said.
"We want to kick more goals, be better players and keep improving every year.
"Whether it's myself, Jez, Toddy - all of us need to step up.
"We all have the ability to play together.
"We all have such different talents and ability to get up and down the ground between Todd, Jez and myself, and we know what Charlie brings, so it's all about trying to get that to work together."
Dixon's absence from pre-season training has allowed Georgiades more time to test himself against All-Australian teammate Aliir Aliir in preparation for more battles with some of the competition's strongest defenders.
"Down here at Alberton we've got some great defenders and whether that's Aliir or Tom Jonas, it's really good to get some practice under those boys who usually go to Charlie," Georgiades said.
"It's a really great learning curve."
The Power initially feared Dixon, the club's leading goalkicker for three of the past five seasons, would miss a large chunk of the premiership season after hurting his left ankle in a training mishap.
The veteran was sent interstate for his procedure because of South Australia's temporary ban on elective surgery, designed to ease pressure on the state's hospital system amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"He's in a high spirits and he's recovering well, and hopefully pushing to get his body back into a good spot to be eligible for round one," Georgiades said.
"It's just about getting back to that stage. It's good to have him back at the club and hopefully he's back (in action) as soon as possible."
