Port Adelaide’s clash with GWS is vital to its finals chances with the Giants a serious top-8 rival
AFTER looking a certainty for a top-four AFL finals spot a fortnight ago, the Power is suddenly looking down the barrel of missing the finals if it doesn’t beat the Giants at home today.
Chris McDermott
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FROM chocolates to boiled lollies — it can happen in the blink of an eye.
Such is the precarious nature of the 2018 season for Port Adelaide, with six matches left in the minor round.
Not long ago the Power was considered a near-certainty for the top four.
With a slice of good fortune a top-two finish was not out of the equation.
Suddenly, after a disappointing and costly loss to Fremantle in Perth last weekend, the Port players find themselves in the fight of their lives just to finish in the top eight. It’s a fight that could well be against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.
On disclosed form and with some tough games ahead, one looks likely to miss out.
Winning at Adelaide Oval could well be the decider.
The Power’s games are all winnable — but just as easily loseable. All except the clash against the Western Bulldogs are against teams chasing a top-eight finish.
It is a difficult end to the season and one that will either have the Power cherry ripe for a crack at the premiership or once again leave Port to wonder how it all went wrong.
The Giants have three games they should win, another two they could win and a 50/50 clash against the Swans at home.
Don’t be surprised if, for a rare time, 14 wins is the magic number for a top-eight finish.
That could be 14 wins and a decent percentage, and at the moment Port’s percentage is not good enough.
Wins are needed but so is a percentage-boosting effort.
In a tumultuous season in so many ways for so many clubs, the race for a place in this year’s finals series might just save the game from a season of disappointment.
The Power’s five-match winning streak from rounds 12 to 16 seems like an eternity ago and it must find a way to win against GWS on tonight, or its race to September may be all over bar the shouting.
That shouting will be of disappointment, and perhaps disbelief, that a season of such great promise has fallen flat.
As always, in Ken they trust. They must also trust their assistant coaches, their support staff and, of course, their players.
Each and every one of them must be at their best to secure the victory.
Any mistake will be costly and with Paddy Ryder and Tom Jonas on the sidelines — and even if Robbie Gray can make his presence felt just seven days after his concussion — more than one hero must be found.
Hinkley has rolled the dice again and chosen to use Justin Westhoff and Charlie Dixon in ruck instead of drawing on untried youth from Port’s SANFL side.
Billy Frampton and Peter Ladhams were deemed to have not done enough to warrant selection, so duties fall to those Hinkley knows he can trust.
The beauty for the Power is the Giants have their own problems in the big-man department with Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron both absent.
Rory Lobb will be their go-to man in attack, with Dawson Simpson doing most of the tap work.
It is an area of weakness for GWS.
A good, old-fashioned midfield war looks likely.
Can the wiser, older heads of the Power prevail over the Giants’ stars of the future?
The Power have not beaten the Giants since their round 20 clash at Adelaide Oval in 2015.
That day, Ryder dominated hit outs, the Power was strong at stoppages and Jonas was resolute in defence.
Two of those factors will be missing on Sunday.
As the saying goes, when two soldiers go down the next two step up.
Port Adelaide needs 22 men to step up.
THE RUN HOME
PORT ADELAIDE
(currently on 11 wins)
GWS (home)
Western Bulldogs (away)
Adelaide (home)
West Coast (home)
Collingwood (away)
Essendon (home)
GWS
(currently on 9½ wins)
Port (away)
St Kilda (home)
Carlton (away)
Adelaide (away)
Swans (home)
Melbourne (away)
Second chances rarely pay off for AFL coaches
History suggests strongly that if you miss out on a premiership at your first try as a coach, you should not get another chance — unless you’re Mick Malthouse or Malcolm Blight, writes Chris McDermott.
When two tribes go to war
It was the game that stopped a state — the first Showdown between the Crows and Power on April 20, 1997. Chris McDermott shares his memories for Part 1 of The Greatest Showdowns series.