Port Adelaide forward Mitch Georgiades said it was an honour to be selected to represent his native Western Australia ahead of the AFL Origin match in Perth in February. 

Georgiades will line up against housemate and good friend Zak Butters at Optus Stadium in a few weeks’ time, with the 24-year-old thrilled to be part of the historic fixture.  

Speaking with the Adelaide media on Tuesday, Georgiades discussed what representing WA means to him, how the Power’s forward line is shaping up for 2026, and which young talent fans should be keeping an eye on. 

Georgiades on how he’s feeling after the break 
“Yeah, body’s feeling good. Had a lovely Chrissie break back home in Perth and have come back feeling really fresh, and excited for the year to come.” 

Georgiades on his AFL Origin selection for WA 
“It's super exciting obviously, to go back and be part of that game will be really, really cool. And I'm looking forward to it. I mean, some of the players that I played state 18s with and throughout my grades, Jordan Clark, Trent Rivers, Luke Jackson, so it’ll be very cool to go back and play with those boys that I grew up playing with, and then obviously some of the best in the business as well that I grew up idolising. 

“(Agreeing to play) was a no-brainer. It’s an honour to be a part of that and to play alongside some of the best players and to represent the state, it’s certainly something I didn’t hesitate to play for.” 

Georgiades on what he expects from the AFL Origin match 
“I definitely think it will be tough and physical. It's a great first hit out for probably everyone for the start of the year. And I mean, there's a lot of pride on the line as well for the state. In terms of communication with the players and stuff, there hasn't been a huge amount yet, but I think probably over the next couple of weeks, that will definitely build. 

“I think you want to be feeling as good as you can, as soon as you can. And I think that same weekend, we have an internal trial at Alberton. So no matter whether I was playing here or over in Perth for that game, I’d like my body to be in the best possible shape it can be going into the start of the season.” 

Georgiades on the differences between Josh Carr and Ken Hinkley 
“It’s obviously different, they’re different personalities, and the way they go about things. Obviously, we love Ken and what he brought. The freshness of Josh and the new staff, we're still obviously gelling, and the excitement of the whole pre-season is to learn and meet everyone. So the way it's going, there are certainly different changes with training and the way the schedule happens, but it's really exciting as well.” 

Georgiades on forwards coach Darren Reeves  
“Reeva is good. Obviously, he’s slightly different to Chad (who we had) last year. And he brings, obviously, a wealth of knowledge from Glenelg last year. And there's a lot of emphasis on building some connection as a forward line group. Again, we're all pretty new as a group together, so certainly, a lot of excitement there.” 

Georgiades on sharing the forward load in 2026 
“I think as a group after obviously losing a fair few boys last year to injury, we'll have some players back this year, fingers crossed. Both Jacks (Lukosius and Whitlock), Lordy as well. And some of the smaller boys, as well. So there's no individual that's going to carry the forward line. I think this year, the emphasis is on everyone carrying their load and sharing it as much as possible, which is certainly going to put us in the best stead to perform as a team.” 

Georgiades on Jaidyn Stephenson 
“He's super talented. I mean, some of the stuff he does out there, it looks like he hasn't missed a beat, really. Very exciting. So we'll just see how that turns out.” 

Georgiades on his 2025 season 
“Proud of my season, obviously. Like I said, losing a lot of the boys last year to injury, a fair few of us had to step up and to be able to play some consistent football was something that I was most proud of. Limiting the highs and lows as much as possible. So I’ll definitely try to build again this year and to take that to the next level.” 

Georgiades on the small forward battle 
“It's exciting. I mean, we've got, I think probably five or six boys that can play small forward in round one, and they're all battling out there now. There's a lot of youth. You look at Joe Berry, and then Durdin coming in, obviously Darcy (Byrne-Jones) and Joe (Richards) are there as well. So there's a fair crew that could play, which is, I mean, competition is healthy and it's going to make us a better side.”

Georgiades on Zak Butters’ future 
“I've had three housemates in the last three years so hopefully he puts a residency down there for a little bit. But yeah, it's a long season. We'll see how everything plays out. All we can do as a club is to make it enjoyable as possible, and I'll try and make it as enjoyable as possible around the house as well. So yeah, he's good fun to live with. 

“There's still 12 months for that all to play out. And I think both of us are competitive and we just want to win football this year and we enjoy playing together as well. I don't expect him to tell me anything. I mean, it's his decision. It's a big decision for himself. I'm sure he'll work with the people close around and probably like to think I’m maybe one of those at some stage. But yeah, it’s certainly his decision and he can take as long as he wants but I’ll be there for him.” 

Georgiades on Butters being one of The Advertiser’s most eligible bachelors 
“I haven’t seen that! Wow. That’s going to make its way around now! Actually, I've never seen anyone sleep so much in my life. He gets home, it's just nap after nap. I can't imagine he’d be the greatest bachelor, you’ve got to be awake to start! I probably just threw him under the bus, sorry Zak.” 

Georgiades on the forward line makeup 
“We haven't done a whole lot of match play yet, so I think probably as the next couple of weeks progress, we'll see a bit more of that. We know that Lordy is a competitive beast, and hopefully he can get a bit more continuity this year with his football. Jack (Whitlock), on the back of last year was playing some really strong football, it's a good battle for him. Like I said before, the competition's healthy, and it'll make us better. (Whitlock) is very athletic, I think he's probably one of the faster boys in the two km time trial. And his willingness to learn every week and try to get better. He's trying to put some weight on. He's probably a slighter frame at the moment, but he knows he needs to get bigger, and that's what he's doing. So he's very talented, that’s for sure.” 

Georgiades on Harry Ramm 
“He's also another extremely athletic bloke. We were doing running yesterday and he was just toasting everyone. He's 20 metres ahead. I mean, his strides are double the length of everyone. So definitely looking forward to battling against him, actually, not really, but it'll be good fun. He's also one that's really exciting in the group, a young player who's definitely building.” 

Georgiades on the game style changes“Yeah, we're still learning. I mean, we've only been back four weeks, so we're still building our game plan and what it's going to look like. Obviously, there'll be different aspects to the game plan. Our defence will probably change a little bit to complement our offence a bit more as but at the end of the day, I think the football should take care of itself. So we'll wait and see. We’re excited to see what it builds into.”