Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Power have expectations to deliver in 2018 AFL season
INAUGURAL Adelaide captain CHIRS McDERMOTT picks his Round 1 side for both the Crows and Power ahead of the season openers next weekend.
Chris McDermott
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EXPECT just the one debutant in the Crows 22 for their season opener against Essendon at Etihad Stadium this Friday night.
With skipper Taylor Walker all but certain to miss along with Brad Crouch, Riley Knight and Brodie Smith, opportunities have opened to introduce some new blood.
The Crows will resist the temptation.
Tom Doedee could have played, but will not. Lachlan Murphy has his admirers, but will also be over looked.
Coach Don Pyle will resist any temptation and go with what and who he knows, with one exception.
Darcy Fogarty.
His pre-season could not be ignored and unlike several others, he is physically ready to play.
Big name recruits Bryce Gibbs and Sam Gibson will also play their first games in Crows jumpers.
Both have done everything asked of them over the summer and bring great qualities and leadership.
Gibbs will play in the midfield but don’t be surprised if it is off a wing or even a back-flank instead of inside the hustle and bustle of the engine room led by Rory Sloane and Matt Crouch.
Gibson can play a multitude of roles but it is his ability to shut-down opposition mids that will be his greatest value to this team.
It will free Hugh Greenwood up to maximise his talents and allow Gibson to do what he does best.
It is a win-win for the Crows and a new string to their bow.
Not much else will change. Not much else needs to.
Season 2018 is about improving in centimetres , not in metres.
BONE’S ADELAIDE ROUND ONE TEAM
FF: Betts, Fogarty, Jenkins
HF: Lynch, McGovern, Douglas
C: Atkins, M Crouch, Gibbs
HB: Laird, Talia, Seedsman
FB: Brown, Hartigan, Kelly
1R: Jacobs, Gibson, Sloane
INT: Greenwood, Mackay, Hampton, Milera
EMG: Ellis-Yolman, Keath, Doedee
N/A: Walker, B Crouch, Knight, Smith
TIMES are a changing at Alberton and a new look Port Adelaide is set to take the field in 2018.
A new team and a slightly new game style , focussed on maximising opportunities, not wasting them.
Changes were few for the Crows but they are many for the Power and they have turned them quickly into a premiership contender.
On paper. Now its time to perform.
The Power’s premiership window is ajar. How far, is the unknown but they have a list capable of not only challenging but winning the 2018 flag.
A first up victory over a new-look and inform Fremantle at Adelaide Oval is a must. There can be no slow start. There can be no slow build up to the year.
The Power must hit the ground running.
There could be as many as five new faces in their first team of 2018.
Jack Watts and Steven Motlop are certainties. Tom Rockliff, Trent McKenzie and Dom Barry are strong chances after making their presence felt over the summer.
Jack Trengove will have to wait a little longer for his opportunity but it will come.
On face value this team has improved its firepower in attack , added some speed and quality to its midfield and increased its depth of quality significantly.
At full strength, this team has few if any weaknesses.
Dougal Howard looks set to be handed a key defensive post, while Jack Hombsch looks likely to have to earn his spot back but regardless, the Powers back six is strong and boy can they kick.
Their front half is just as impressive.
The height of Dixon, Watts and Westhoff combined with the creativity and genius of Wingard , Robbie and Sam Gray. No club in the game boasts a better attack.
They must now shape their game style to suit and making the most of their opportunities is a must. Ken Hinkley appears to have made it a priority and the signs over the preseason have been good.
Kicking 16 goals and only two behinds last week against the Crows in their final JLT match was a good indication of what this team is trying to do. It’s not quantity but quality.
Can they gel? Can they produce? Can they hold up when the pressure builds?
They are the questions. The answers will come soon.
BONE’S PORT ADELAIDE ROUND ONE TEAM
FF: Wingard, Watts, Westhoff
HF: Boak, Dixon, S Gray
C: Polec, Rockliff, Motlop
HB: Hartlett, Howard, McKenzie
FB: Jonas, Clurey, Byrne-Jones
1R: Ryder, Ebert, Wines
INT: Powell-Pepper, Barry, Hombsch, Amon
EMG: Neade, Trengove, Bonner
N/A: Pittard, Broadbent, R Gray (suspended)
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