Round 18 Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Power player ratings
A CHARACTER-building win for the Crows, a costly loss for the Power and a shocker for the umpires. Advertiser AFL expert Chris McDermott analyses each game and gives his player ratings.
A CHARACTER-building win for the Crows, a costly loss for the Power and a shocker for the umpires. Advertiser AFL expert Chris McDermott analyses each game and gives his player ratings.
Power fast five
1. I am reluctant to state the obvious but, the Power were always going to be under pressure in ruck without Ryder and they were beaten convincingly at the stoppages for much of the night losing 52-30. Where was the plan to rove to the opposition ruck or where was the desperation to stop the rot? The Giants kicked four goals on the trot as a result in the first quarter and it was game, set and match.
2. Jared Polec was the Power’s best player, gathering 29 disposals at 79 per cent. After a week of speculation on his playing future with the talk of as big money offer to lure him away from Alberton he did himself proud by not letting it affect his performance. It’s the sign of great maturity from the hard-running wingman and the reason he must not be lost from this football club.
3. Despite the loss the Power may have unearthed a very talented defender. First-gamer Jarrod Lienert held up well in a finals-like contest an proved his value gathering 20 disposals and using them at 90 per cent. The young man looked very composed and sure of himself in perhaps the hardest game he has ever played. The Power are well versed for mid to tall-sized defenders but I have no doubt this will not be his only game for the Power.
4. It is time to return Chad Wingard to the forward line and give him a licence to thrill. His move to the midfield has been a success but it plays into the opposition’s hands. Wingard getting 30 possessions in the midfield is nowhere near as dangerous or effective as his 15 disposals in attack and his two or even four goals. Players that can hit the scoreboard like Chad are rare. Dustin Martin is one. Patrick Dangerfield another. That is the class Chad should be in.
5. It was a costly loss. It may prove to be a very costly loss. The Power’s run home is difficult. The Bulldogs away next week is a game that must be won to keep their fading finals hopes alive. Strong decisions must be made at the selection table. This team can no longer go into a game without a recognised ruckman. The Giants played a 29-year-old with 36 games to his name in his nine-year career and he did OK! Billy Frampton where are you?
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Crows fast five
1. Finally Hugh Greenwood goes forward and he did not disappoint. He is a see-ball get-ball type of player and his performance against Brisbane showed it doesn’t matter if the ball is in the air or on the ground, he can get it. Strong overhead and mercurial at times on the ground he could be an answer up forward and another player with a good dose of x-factor. Seven shots on goal for 4.3 and one assist, in a 13-goal game. They’re good numbers in anyone’s language.
2. Two men down midway through the third quarter but the Crows somehow found a way to hang on. Doedee and Murphy out, both with concussion, and a couple of others well below their best. If nothing else it was a win full of character, spirit and of a team united after a season of controversy. Poor kicking from the Lions didn’t hurt but the Crows should be proud of every victory they have this year.
3. Mitch McGovern’s return was mixed to say the least but it was a return and his presence on the ground makes life better for the team and for those around him. He can never be underestimated by the opposition as they will have seen what he can do when he is needed most. Keeping him at West Lakes is now the challenge.
4. Brisbane’s number 1 draft pick Cam Rayner is going to be an absolute superstar. Can he play! In the air or on the ground, from long range or close to goal this young man is a class act. Watch him with interest, a star has arrived.
5. Something must be done about umpiring in our game. One umpire overruling another in general play must be addressed and corrected immediately. A Brisbane mark in the last quarter was not paid by the officiating umpire but the umpire closer to the middle of the ground than the goal square. It is wrong. What makes the over ruling umpire right? Rule changes are an issue and so is the state of the game but the state of umpiring must also be addressed. In a game of interpretation, surely the officiating umpire must be sole judge and jury.
Port player ratings
Boak
At his contested ball-winning best in this tight tussle and had a strong influence in this game from go to woah but couldn’t drag his team over the line. 6
Powell-Pepper
Struggled early for a rare time as the Giants appeared to close down his space to run and carry until he broke free for a moment or two in the third term. Held to just 11 touches and efficiency was also well down. 4
Ebert
Found himself in the unusual role in attack to start this one and got his night off to the perfect start with the first goal of the game. Had some good moments but still not enough from this man. 5
R. Gray
Got his hands to the ball in the first half but his creativity and goal sense appeared to be missing after last week’s heavy knock. Got his first goal deep in the third term and narrowed the margin to just under four goals, then got his second on the three-quarter time siren to set up a massive last quarter. 6
Rockliff
Thrived in this hard-fought battle and his strength was invaluable when the ball was in dispute. Led the physical stakes for the Power with 11 strong tackles but efficiency in this contest was down a little. 6
Wines
Error by foot early proved costly as the Giants pounced and goaled in the blink of an eye but made amends gathering 19 possessions in the first half. Stoppage numbers down a fraction but hard to criticise this man’s effort. 6
Clurey
Had a difficult challenge on Tim Taranto and conceded an early goal on athleticism alone. Marked well and used his body well on several occasions and arguably the best of the Power’s tall defenders. 7
Trengove
Came in to the 22 late as a replacement for Stevie Motlop and struggled to get into this game with just four touches in the first half. Tough game for the Power newcomer. 4
Wingard
Got an early touch but dropped out of it just as quickly and struggled to find his best after. Clearance work was excellent but he had few helpers in that department. Had a shot on goal from point-blank range late in the game to narrow the Giants’ lead to under a goal but his kick was touched. 6
Polec
Looked the most dominant of all the Power mids in the first half and exploded in the third term with more than 10 disposals as he constantly drove the Power into attack. The Giants were forced to send a tagger to him to nullify his influence but he still managed a team-high 29 possessions. 7
Dixon
Started in ruck and butchered his first set shot on goal, failing to score. Moved forward permanently as the Power struggled and again blew another easy shot before kicking his first and second goals just before three-quarter time. Kicked his third to start the final quarter and looked a serious threat to win this game off his own boot. 6.
Watts
Mixed bag again from the forward, after a strong start he dropped back into some poor old habits and went missing for a long time. Ended up with just 10 disposals in what finished as a disappointing game for the recruit. 4
Pittard
Started well in his return but kicking was a major problem with six clangers off his own boot by three-quarter time. Added something the Power has been missing in recent times but his errors were costly. 5
Howard
Rory Lobb proved too big and too strong in their first marking duel but missed from close range. Outstanding in the air as usual with 13 one percenters before thrown into ruck to try and stop the bleeding. He couldn’t. 5
Byrne-Jones
Won some good ball in the first half then moved onto the dangerous Whitfield after the long break to quell his influence and did so to great effect. Looked good at both ends of the ground and a very mature game from the youngster. 6
Westhoff
Struggled early to make an influence but strong mark and much-needed goal just before half time gave the Power some hope, then laid massive tackle that resulted in another goal to narrow the margin to under three goals. Did pretty well in a variety of roles. 6
Houston
Solid yet unobtrusive in defence as we have become accustomed to but did his job in a very challenging game for the young defenders in this team. 5
Thomas
Quiet start and no influence in this game early and missed a couple of opportunities to make his presence felt. Such is the price of the position he plays but he must make every opportunity count and in this game he didn’t. 4
Lienert
Nice start on debut after an early touch to settle the nerves. Slotted into the back half well and never looked overawed or out of his depth. One of the few positives from this game and showed more than enough to add to his game tally next week. 6
Hombsch
Began well with plenty of ball and some nice disposals but he too dropped out of the game the longer it went on. Solid defensively and every one of his 8 disposals were effective but with his talent he must do more. 5
Amon
Struggled with the fierce pace of this contest early but had a couple of very important plays later in the game. Like many of the young players in the Power line up this was a tough game. 4
S. Gray
Opportunities for the small forward were few and far between in this game and he struggled to get much value out of the limited ball he won. 4
Crows fast five
Greenwood
Quiet start in a new role in attack but marked well in a pack just before the first break. Got his second goal early in the second term after a strong tackle then marked in the goal square from the restart to kick his third. Looked a constant threat all night and his ability overhead was a feature of his four-goal performance. 7
Knight
Had the job on Beams and kept him well in check early. Kicked a sensational goal late in the third to give the Crows some breathing space and despite Beams’ 26 disposals, he had an influence on the scoreboard and that made a huge difference to the result of this game. 6
Jenkins
Looked in very good form with a couple of early handballs and a nice goal then got his second after a horrible mistake by the Lions defence. One of his better and more rounded games of the season and enough to suggest he has some value in ruck if given more time there. 6
M. Crouch
Strong start, as per usual, with plenty of ball and little attention paid to him. Even contribution throughout the night all over the ground and a major contributor to this victory. 8
Gibbs
Kicked the first goal of the night in his new role in attack and looked the most likely to influence this game with great use of the ball by foot. Not at his best and used carefully but still had an impact. 5
Gallucci
Struggled to get heavily involved in this game but took nice contested mark late in the first half to kick his first and put the Crows three goals in front. Took a heavy knock or two that appeared to lessen his influence but he must get used to that. 4
Kelly
Outmarked in the goal square as the Lions kicked their fourth goal just before quarter-time then gave a free kick away that resulted in a goal in a sloppy first half from the usually sound defender. Better in the second half but still a little off his best. 5
Sloane
Had very close attention paid to him and struggled to have a huge influence in this one. Appeared to tire quickly and early and as a consequence struggled to make any impact on this game after halftime. 5
Seedsman
Quiet start from the hard-running midfielder and just looked a little off his best until nice long goal just before the long break. Like several others his second half was better but well off his best. 5
Talia
Quiet first half, though he had little asked of him. Rotated on a range of talls in the Lions attack and did his job well despite very few moments to remember. 5
Brown
Had an early goal kicked on him by Zorko when simply outmarked and outsmarted for a rare time. Finished the game strongly after a quiet first three quarters but another strong negating effort. 5
Betts
Plenty of ball but little to show for it in the first term and much the same until just before three-quarter time when he took a big mark and goaled to steady the ship and give the Crows a 22-point lead. 5
Atkins
Pace and evasiveness on show from the start and he looked a constant threat. His game is showing great signs of improvement and could well become a key player in the Crows future. 5
Jacobs
Good at stoppage but quiet around the ground again with just the six disposals for the entire game. Almost unnoticed for half of this contest but the Crows did show signs of improvement at stoppages. 4
Cheney
Continued his good form with clean hands and some quality rebound. What he did, he did well but had limited involvement in this game. 5
Lynch
Quiet start but found his best in the second term providing several assists for the Crows to seize control just before halftime. Numbers offensively and defensively were very good as was his impact on the scoreboard. 6
Laird
Unusually quiet start from the ball magnet but found his rhythm quickly to settle into another vintage display. Kicked a great goal late in the game to give the Crows enough breathing space to secure the win. 6
Milera
At half back again and picked up where he left off last week with a strong rebounding first quarter. Solid game but horror kick-in early in the last term gifted the Lions a much-needed goal and gave them a chance for an unlikely victory. 6
Doedee
Missed and early shot on goal as he pushed forward from his role in defence. Game cut short after heavy high tackle ended his night. 4
Murphy
Hardly sighted after his breakout game and three goals last week. Found the ball much harder to get hold of and he too had his night cut short after a heavy collision in a marking contest. 4
Keath
Unobtrusive, as is his way, but got the job done including some solid minutes on Hipwood. Game in an interesting phase and needs to continue to develop to keep his name top of mind. 4
McGovern
Quiet start in his return from a long injury lay-off until nice mark early in the third term but a poor shot on goal that missed from lose range. Started to find his form with a couple of other nice grabs but his radar was slightly off. 4