Port Adelaide dynamo Ollie Wines is yet to re-sign with the club. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited
PORT Adelaide says it is "very confident'' it can secure rookie sensation Ollie Wines to a long-term contract, despite the powerhouse midfielder being the one big name it has failed to re-sign this week.
As the Power continues to roll out contract extensions for key players - captain Travis Boak's new deal will be revealed tomorrow - Wines has yet to put pen to paper.
And his management team, Elite Sports Properties, has told Port he is in no hurry to re-sign.
Clearance specialist Wines, 19, is out of contract at the end of next season and the Power has been trying to stitch him up to a new, long-term deal since midway through last season.
The longer he leaves it to ink a new deal the more rival clubs will be put on red alert.
But if Port is concerned, it is not showing it.
Football operations manager Peter Rohde said while he would have liked to have added Wines' name to the list of pre-Christmas re-signings, which already has included Jay Schulz, Hamish Hartlett and Jake Neade, he is convinced Wines is happy at Alberton.
And he is hopeful of a new deal being struck in the next few months.
"If it gets to August and we still haven't re-contracted Ollie then we'll have some issues,'' Rohde said.
"But right now we're very confident that he's happy here and will re-sign for us.
"ESP has said they'll get back to us when the time is right but we know that Ollie is happy here, his family is happy with the club and he had a great first year here, so why wouldn't you re-sign?
"Everyone gets a bit nervous when (big) names haven't re-signed but Ollie knows we want him and I'm sure he loves being here.
"But obviously we'd love to get him done sooner rather than later.''
The powerfully-built Wines, from Echuca, had a standout first season at Port after being selected at pick seven at the 2012 national draft.
He played all 24 games, including the club's two finals, and averaged an impressive 19 disposals, four tackles and three clearances.
Wines also finished third in the AFL Rising Star award behind Gold Coast's Jaeger O'Meara and Adelaide's Brad Crouch and won the Gavin Wanganeen Medal as the Power's best first-year player.
His mum, Jane, admitted during Port's finals campaign that the family initially felt Wines had been drafted to "football hell'' by being picked up by the Power but had ended up in "football heaven'', such was the transformation at the club under first-year coach Ken Hinkley.
Rohde said that while Port had been delighted to secure long-term deals for a host of players this week, the Wines' situation wasn't unique.
"We've had a lot of players in his position in the past few years, including Travis in 2012, and we've managed to secure all of them,'' Rohde said, adding Wines was this week moving into a new house with club champion Chad Wingard.
"We're confident that will be the case with Ollie too.''
Power confident Wines will sign
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Power confident Wines will sign
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