Kane Cornes: Sam Powell-Pepper on target to be the next Dustin Martin

SAM Powell-Pepper laid a club record 17 tackles in Port Adelaide’s ferocious Friday-night victory over Melbourne and former Power star Kane Cornes says the similarities to Dustin Martin are frightening.

Sam Powell-Pepper of the Power and Dustin Martin of the Tigers last season.

SAM Powell-Pepper laid a club record 17 tackles in Port Adelaide’s ferocious Friday-night victory over Melbourne.

The 20-year-old is only 31 games into a blossoming AFL career yet it feels like he’s been around much longer.

It’s impossible not to draw comparisons between Powell-Pepper and reigning Brownlow Medallist, Richmond superstar Dustin Martin.

Similarities between the two midfielders are obvious. Both measure in at 187cm and tip the scales at a hefty 92kg.

The resemblance extends beyond their identical physical dimensions. Both sport outlandish haircuts and a healthy dose of arrogance on the field, but despite their on-field bravado, are known to be reserved off-field, shunning the spotlight.

Dustin Martin of the Tigers in action against Geelong.

The duo has been forced to navigate negative media scrutiny because of off-field incidents. Powell-Pepper most recently was banned for three weeks after a drunken incident at an Adelaide nightspot.

Powell-Pepper first pulled on the Power guernsey against Hawthorn at Noarlunga Oval in the 2016 pre-season.

During this game he brushed off Hawks star Shaun Burgoyne with a brutal ‘don’t argue’ that, like Martin, has become his trademark.

When comparing their statistics after 31 games it’s Powell-Pepper who is more advanced. He averages more tackles (5.7 per game), contested possessions (8.8) and has 11 more wins than the man they call Dusty at the same point in their careers.

Martin, however, averaged three more disposals (21), one more clearance (4.2) and had kicked five more goals (25) after his first 31 outings.

Powell-Pepper tops Martin in the defensive side of the game which was highlighted by his season-high 94 pressure points on Friday night. Pressure points is a weighted sum of pressure acts and takes into account physical, implied, chasing and closing pressure acts. It is rare for a young player to embrace the defensive side of the game like Powell-Pepper. He has laid an astonishing 35 tackles in his last three games.

Sam Powell-Pepper of the Power during the Round 13 AFL win against the Bulldogs.

Martin is deadly when he has ball in hand but he still hasn’t fully embraced the defensive side of the game unlike his Port Adelaide protégé.

For Powell-Pepper to keep tracking towards the lofty heights of Martin he will need to improve his decision-making and disposal by foot. This is the area of his game that has most often let him down.

His desire to improve his forward craft will also have a bearing on just how good he becomes.

Martin is arguably the most damaging player in the game when he plays a lone hand inside the forward 50 arc.

He kicked 37 goals in his premiership-winning year and now averages over a goal a game through his 190 matches.

Remarkably, Powell-Pepper slipped through to pick 18 in the 2016 draft.

If his career maintains the same trajectory he will go from being a recruiters steal to the Power’s greatest ever player.

WINNERS

1. Locked in

Tom Lynch’s three-year contract extension is a massive coup for Adelaide Football Club. A star on and off the field.

2. Captain material

Power vice-captain Ollie Wines is averaging 31 disposals, eight tackles and seven inside 50s in the last three weeks. Extraordinary numbers for the captain in waiting.

3. Burgo who?

In a massive tick for the Power’s new head of high performance Ian McKeown the team came from behind and outscored Melbourne by three goals in the vital last quarter on Friday night. Port Adelaide doesn’t appear to be suffering from former fitness boss Darren Burgess’ move to English Premier League giant Arsenal last year.

4. Murphy’s Law

Carlton captain Marc Murphy is out of contract and appears open to moving clubs at season’s end. The Crows should ask him to follow former team-mate Bryce Gibbs to Adelaide. The club needs more midfield depth and speed, particularly if Rory Sloane departs.

5. Access

North Melbourne’s head of media Heath O’Loughlin sat on the interchange bench during Saturday night’s clash against the Western Bulldogs. The innovation was designed to feed real-time information on club injuries to host broadcaster Channel Seven. Outstanding access for the fans, hopefully other AFL clubs take note.

LOSERS

1. Lingering issues

On Saturday, Adelaide football boss Brett Burton fronted the media and repeatedly stated there are “no lingering issues” from the infamous pre-season camp on the Gold Coast. Why then are they terminating the contract of the camp facilitators half-way through the season?

2. Harden up?

All we know about that camp is that players were blindfolded, the Richmond theme song was played and their phones were confiscated for a period of time. None of which are big enough issues to cause such a media storm and force the club to act so drastically. Either the players need to harden up or the club isn’t telling their fans the full story.

3. Scapegoat

So far leadership company Collective Mind is the scapegoat of Adelaide’s dismal season after been dumped by the club last week. No doubt some others in the football department are breathing a large sigh of relief, for now.

4. Empty seats

There wasn’t a breath of wind or a drop of rain on Friday night yet only 40,751 turned up at Adelaide Oval which is 8000 below par, so disappointing.

5. Sickening hit

The Giants season appears over after Jeremy Cameron was reported for a big hit on Brisbane’s Harris Andrews which left him concussed and unable to continue playing. Cameron is the Giants’ leading goal kicker with 35 and is irreplaceable in attack.