AFL 2021: Gold Coast v Port Adelaide: Robbie Gray injury sours big Power win
Port Adelaide cruised to victory over Gold Coast, but the stats show beating up on lesser teams is something the Power is extremely good at.
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Doubters about Port Adelaide’s premiership credentials will not read too much into its 50-point win over a disappointing Gold Coast on Saturday.
Save for an off day in the one-point victory over Collingwood last month, the Power has had few problems against the teams outside the top eight in 2021.
Or last year for that matter.
The Power’s average winning margin against teams outside the top eight this season is now 41.75 points.
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Its last defeat to a side that did not make the major round was Round 22, 2019 against North Melbourne.
If you include the clubs sitting in ninth or lower right now, Saturday’s win is the Power’s 20th in a row versus non-finalists.
Beating the 16th-placed Suns was expected.
Perhaps the margin and ease that the Power did was not.
But that might reflect as much on a Gold Coast outfit with just one from its past six games.
How Port Adelaide performs against sixth-ranked Sydney at home on Saturday night will tell us more about the Power.
It heads into that match with a 1-4 record versus top-eight sides this year.
Power vice-captain Ollie Wines told The Advertiser was aware that to many football observers, it merely did what it had to against the Suns.
“Against the bottom-half teams we’re really good and we’re not quite up to the standard of top-four, top-six teams at the moment,” Wines said.
“We can’t deny that, the proof’s in the pudding.
“It’s one thing that at no point have we denied, we’ve owned up to that and know we’ve got plenty to work on.
“But we’ve got nine wins on the board and we think we’re improving every week.
“When it matters we want to beat those teams but at the moment we’re not up to that standard.”
So what on Saturday was a sign of the Power’s progress that could be taken into Saturday night’s clash with Sydney?
“I think how defensively sound we were today,” said Wines, who highlighted the efforts of backmen Aliir Aliir, Tom Jonas and Jarrod Lienert in his first game of the season.
“For a half we only gave up two goals, which is pretty terrific and I think defensively we’re pretty solid at the moment.”
Coach Ken Hinkley felt the Power was “starting to look and feel like a really good team, without getting the results we want (against the best sides)”.
Port Adelaide looks very good – and more dangerous ahead of the ball – when Connor Rozee is playing well.
His form over the past two weeks has been one of the biggest positives for the Power.
After kicking five goals in the 21-point loss to Geelong, Rozee registered three against the Suns, along with 19 disposals.
The 21-year-old had booted six goals and averaged 15 disposals from his first nine games, having being hindered by an early-season foot problem that required surgery.
On Saturday, it was his desperate chasing and full-length smother that caught the eye more than his majors.
Wines said Rozee’s defensive actions sparked his offensive game.
“Connor knows his best football offensively comes from that pressure and the amount of pressure he’s been putting on the last couple of weeks has often led to him kicking those goals and setting us up,” he said.
“To see him go about that the last couple of weeks and find that form we know he’s capable of is good.
“We still think he’s got plenty to give and grow as a footballer and he’ll continue to do that.”
Hinkley said Rozee was a bit like the team.
“He’s starting to build a bit better and become more consistent,” he said.
While Rozee can provide the X-factor, Wines is driving the Power’s finals tilt through what he does best – on-ball grunt work.
Saturday night tune 🎶#weareportadelaidepic.twitter.com/zIAJqtDTGt
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) June 19, 2021
He collected a personal-best 43 touches on Saturday – one fewer than the club’s AFL record, held by Peter Burgoyne (against North Melbourne in 2008).
Wines is now averaging 32 possessions per game and sits fourth in Brownlow Medal betting.
The 26-year-old said he did not look into statistics or rankings, his sole focus was winning a premiership.
He said he found plenty of the ball against the Suns but rued some of his disposals.
“I’m getting my hands on the footy is the main thing, if I could’ve had more of an impact inside the contest rather than outside today, is something I’d like to tidy up,” he said.
“I’m enjoying my football at the moment and loving playing with these boys, like I have my whole career.
“This group is so special to me and everyone a part of it is pretty unique and we want to achieve something great as a group.
“I’ve got a lot of belief we can do something pretty special.”
For the Power to win a flag this year, it will need to conquer the top sides.
Saturday night against Sydney is the Power’s next chance to do that.
Port Adelaide has been saying all games are important and none are bigger than the others.
While that is technically true because every match is worth four points and a loss to Gold Coast can hurt a premiership push as much as one to Geelong, teams like the Suns will not be standing in the Power’s way in September.
“Saturday night footy against a top-eight team is going to be big,” Wines said.
“We’ll go out with the same mindset as every game this year – compete hard and try to win the game of footy.”
The result could help or increase some of those big-game doubts about the Power.
EXTENT OF GRAY INJURY REVEALED IN PORT ROUT
Port Adelaide star Robbie Gray is expected to miss at least the next month after sustaining a knee injury that marred celebrations for his 250th game.
Gray was suspected to have strained his left medial ligament in a contest about 15 minutes into the second quarter of the Power-Gold Coast game at Metricon Stadium on Saturday and was substituted off at halftime.
The 33-year-old will have scans to confirm the extent of the injury.
Renowned sports medico Dr Peter Larkins told News Corp players usually missed between six and eight due to medial strains.
After Port Adelaide beat the Suns by 50 points, Gray led his side off the field, dressed in a tracksuit and wearing a large leg brace.
“He’s got to have a scan on his knee and it’s probably a medial,” Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said post-match. “We’ll wait and see.”
Softly-spoken, media-shy Gray was the centre of attention all week at Alberton, where videos of his career, his influence on the club and the need to honour him were highlighted to the squad.
The four-time All-Australian had a chance to boot Saturday’s opening goal — from a similar angle to his matchwinners against Carlton last year and Richmond this season — but kicked the ball out on the full.
Aside from that moment, he started strongly, producing typically slick moments, such as a one-hand pick-up and spin out of traffic.
Gray had nine disposals when he was substituted from the match, replaced by Hamish Hartlett.
The Power led 7.5 to 2.1 at the time.
Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown said Gray’s injury was a shame.
“We were really enjoying watching him play,” Brown said during the coverage.
“Early on he looked dangerous … and the boys were looking for him.”
Power vice-captain Ollie Wines told News Corp it would have been nice to carry Gray off the field.
“We made a big statement about this game with it being Robbie’s 250th and we wanted to come out and reward a great player for our club,” Wines said.
“He’s as up and about (after the injury) as you could be.
“It’s disappointing but we’ll wrap our arms around him and get him right.”
First-year Power player Lachie Jones is also set for scans after injuring his left hamstring during the third quarter.
Jones had a hamstring issue to start the season then missed rounds 6 to 9 with ankle syndesmosis.
“We’ll see how it looks when he gets a scan,” Hinkley said.
“He was running pretty fast — (Oleg) Markov’s pretty quick and not many people catch him.
“I wanted him to go another two metres because I reckon Lachie had him but unfortunately his hamstring didn’t like it.”
UNDER PRESSURE DEW KNOWS THE HEAT IS COMING
Gold Coast senior coach Stuart Dew admits he is “under the pump” after Port Adelaide pummelled the insipid Suns by 50 points at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The Gold Coast face North Melbourne in Hobart this Saturday afternoon in what amounts to a must-win for the Suns who entered 2021 with lofty expectations only to have disappointingly fizzled to a 4-9 record after back-to-back losses at the hands of Fremantle and Port since the bye.
For all intents and purposes, it looks like Groundhog Day at the Suns. Another year of dwelling in the AFL cellar after glimpses of brighter days proved to be false dawns.
Dew said the Suns failed to handle the early pressure from the Power and lacked courage to stick to the gameplan in a contest that resembled “men v boys” with Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines bullying his way to a career-high 44 disposals.
The only sour note for the Power was a suspected medial ligament injury to Robbie Gray in his 250th senior appearance.
Dew said the “spark” and “heartbeat” shown in the fourth term meant little after the first three terms were so “frustrating” as the Power kicked seven unanswered goals across the first and second terms and went on with the job after the main break to have a 58-point buffer at the last change.
Dew said the buck always stopped with him.
“If the club’s under the pump, then of course I’m under the pump. But to be fair, that’s every week,’’ he said.
“People ask if you’re under pressure, yeah, every day because you’ve got to make hundreds of decisions. We’re looking after 50 lads, there’s staff. As a club, we take it really seriously.
“We’re really confident in our group of people … we’re on the right track, we’re working really hard. You never get asked that after a win. The pressure’s the same each week personally.
“I don’t think it fluctuates as much as it does externally. For me it’s at a healthy level.”
He said the response from the Suns after the loss to the Dockers was “disappointing” and the Gold Coast needed to lift appreciably to beat the Kangaroos.
“We’ve got to go down with the attitude of look how they played against GWS, in front all day,’’ Dew said.
“I know a couple of people at that footy club, and they really feel like they’re on the verge of getting over the hump.
“It’s a great challenge for us, we’ll have both skippers out but we’re looking for others to step up, step in.
“Teams will put you under that pressure and ask the question whether you’re capable of playing to that intensity.
“It’s not going to go anywhere. We’ve got nine games and it’s not about where teams are on the ladder.
“When a team starts like that, it dents your confidence, but we’ve got to make sure it’s not fatal or final.”
Co-captain David Swallow (concussion) was subbed out of the game in the first half while Lachie Weller suffered a hamstring injury. Port’s Lachie Jones also did a hamstring and will go for scans along with Gray.
Port senior coach Ken Hinkley said Wines’ outstanding effort was in line with his 2021 season.
“He had a great day. He’s had a great year, it’s not just a great day, a great year,’’ he said.
“He’s been able to rack up big numbers. His job is to get in and under and get it for us and he does it as well as anyone in the competition.’’
Hinkley said it was a clinical victory and another building block towards the side that Port wants to be.
“We’re building, we’ve been playing OK. We just haven’t been playing great, but we are getting better,’’ he said.
“We are getting a bit more consistent … it hasn’t been perfect for us. I reckon we are starting to look and feel like a really good team without getting the results that we want.
“Good teams are able to do what we’ve been able to do at the moment which is not play perfect but win.
“It was a really, really strong performance playing against a team that is probably struggling, to be fair but we were able to come up and perform the way we wanted to perform.
“We knew there would be some risks with them early because they were coming off a poor performance, but I think we were pretty good early and started the game the way we liked it and got the scoreboard under control pretty quickly.”
CRUEL GRAY SETBACK, ROTTEN SUNS TAINT PORT’S ROUT
A knee injury to Power star and milestone man Robbie Gray was the only sour note for a rampant Port Adelaide who put an insipid Gold Coast to the sword with an Ollie Wines-powered 50-point victory at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
In his 250th senior appearance, Gray hobbled off the ground in the second term and went straight into Port’s rooms with a medial strain to his left knee which forced him to be subbed out of the game.
The Power had the four premiership points wrapped-up by halftime when they enjoyed a 34-point in a contest that looked every bit fifth on the ladder against 15th as Wines grabbed a career-high 44 disposals.
His 44 touches — that included 17 contested possessions, five clearances and six inside 50s — fell one short of the 45 disposals from Peter Burgoyne against North Melbourne in 2008.
Port kicked seven unanswered goals either side of quarter-time to ice the game as the Suns offered little resistance with the Power racing to a 58-point buffer by the last change.
The Gold Coast slump further to a 4-9 record in a year that they needed to show some improvement.
The gaggle of young guns will not stick around forever and questions may soon be asked about senior coach Stuart Dew if this rot continues.
To kick just four goals in perfect conditions for football was unacceptable.
The Suns only passed their lowest ever total when Ben King kicked truly midway through the final term.
The Gold Coast’s defensive pressure was almost non-existence as the Power had the time and space to do as they pleased.
The Suns’ disposal efficiency was appalling as they consistently kicked the ball straight down the throat of Port defenders.
There was no intent, no vigour, and no direction as another Suns season fizzled into irrelevance, yet again.
The halftime margin could have been even more significant given the Power had a free kick reversed when they had a close-range shot at goal and gave away a 50m penalty that led to the home side’s opening major.
The Suns lost David Swallow to concussion in the first half when the match was already all but over.
Touk Miller was the best for the Suns with 31 disposals, 15 contested possessions, seven clearances and nine tackles but got little help from too many.
Port never needed to get out of second gear and had winners all over the ground with Aliir Aliir an impassable rock in defence with a glut of intercept marks while Steven Motlop was busy early and looked dangerous with every touch.
Connor Rozee also continued his purple patch with three goals as the Port powered to their ninth win of 2021.
ROWELL WARMING UP
Matt Rowell burst onto the AFL scene at the start of last year with nine Brownlow Medal votes with three best-on-grounds in five matches.
His comeback from a knee injury has not been so dynamic but it is building. After a quiet day against Fremantle last weekend, Rowell accumulated 21 touches and 13 contested possessions with seven clearances.
CHARLIE MATCH-UP NIGHTMARE
Suns key defender Sam Collins out could not have picked a worse time to have an ankle injury linger.
Collins was a late out for the home side meaning Caleb Graham was handed the task of matching up with Port man mountain Charlie Dixon.
Dixon manhandled Graham twice in the first half to take marks close to goal before converting during the Power’s seven-goal blitz.
Dixon should have kicked another but sprayed the set shot after dominating Graham in the air again.
SUNS ARE POWER BUNNIES
The Power have now won 12-straight matches against the Suns.
The Gold Coast enjoyed their first-ever win in 2011 against the Power when they finished over the top of Port in Adelaide.
It’s been all black, white and teal since then with a dozen consecutive victories for the Power.
Maybe they have never forgiven themselves for letting the Suns break their duck?
ROZEE FUTURE
The sky is the limit for Port’s Connor Rozee.
Apart from his three goals, the Power young gun sparked another major with a terrific tackle on Noah Anderson while he also produced a brilliant smother on Oleg Markov.
He finished with 19 touches in a classy all-round display that complemented the outstanding bullocking midfield work of Wines.
SCOREBOARD
SUNS: 1.0. 2.1. 2.4 4.7 (31)
POWER: 3.3. 7.5 11.8. 12.9 (81)
GOALS
Suns: King 2, Sexton, Bowes
Power: Rozee 3, Motlop 2, Dixon 2, Georgiades 2, Lienert, Amon, Lycett
Greg Davis’ best:
BEST
Suns: Miller, Anderson, Greenwood, Powell
Power: Wines, Aliir, Rozee, Motlop, Boak, Houston, Amon, Georgiades
INJURIES
Suns: Swallow (concussion)
Power: Gray (knee), Jones (hamstring)
VENUE
Metricon Stadium
CROWD
7117
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Greg Davis’ votes:
3: Ollie Wines
2: Aliir Aliir
1: Connor Rozee
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