Why Port Adelaide Power needs to play Billy ‘the Kid’ Frampton in ruck to replace the injured Paddy Ryder
THE recruiting of high-profile players Watts, Rockliff and Motlop has improved Port Adelaide, but the decision not to add a back-up in ruck for All-Australian Paddy Ryder is highly questionable, writes Kane Cornes. Plus this week’s winners and losers.
Kane Cornes
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- Port survives, but there are big issues
- Improved Power’s ruck issue will make or break 2018
- Polec grabs win in torture zone
I BET Port Adelaide wishes there was a mid-season draft. Another ruckman would be at the top of its shopping list but, unfortunately for Ken Hinkley, he will be forced to make do with what he’s got.
Off-season recruiting of high-profile players Jack Watts, Tom Rockliff and Steven Motlop has improved the side, but the decision not to add a back-up in ruck for All-Australian Paddy Ryder is highly questionable.
With former ruckmen Matthew Lobbe and Jackson Trengove departing the club in the off-season, the round-one Achilles injury to Ryder has left the Power exposed and vulnerable.
Brisbane Lions giant Stefan Martin destroyed Port’s second-fiddle ruckmen Justin Westhoff and Charlie Dixon on Saturday, dominating the stoppages with 49 hit-outs while also gathering 30 disposals and sending the ball inside 50 nine times.
Westhoff started in the middle but after he was well beaten Hinkley was again forced to throw Dixon into the middle of the ground.
Although Dixon was terrific in ruck against Sydney in round two he should be no more than a pinch-hitter as it exposes him to the risk of injury and also removes him from the forward line where he is at his most damaging.
Port Adelaide drafted 200cm ruckman Billy Frampton in 2014 and Hinkley must select him this week.
Frampton is finally free from the significant injuries that have hampered his short career and was impressive for Port Adelaide in its SANFL win over Glenelg on Friday night, gathering 18 disposals, one goal and 26 hit-outs.
It’s his fourth year on the list and the time is right to find out whether the kid can play.
This Sunday the Power takes on Essendon at Etihad Stadium, the same venue where the Bombers smashed Port by 70 points in round 12 last year. Port will need to improve dramatically on what it served up against Brisbane to make sure this result isn’t repeated. When the game starts with two ruckmen going head-to-head at the centre bounce, with one giving his side the first look at the Sherrin, it should be Billy Frampton representing Port Adelaide.
ROUND 3 WINNERS
1. GRUNDY’S THE MAN
Right now Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy is the game’s number one ruckman.
The South Australian was overlooked by 12 clubs in the 2012 draft, including GWS five times, before he was selected by the Magpies at pick 18. What sets him apart from the others in his position is the contribution he provides around the ground. This was highlighted during Friday night’s win against Carlton, gathering 25 disposals, six marks, seven clearances and laid eight tackles.
2. MR VERSATILE
The player with the best name in the AFL, Dougal Howard, is fast becoming the most versatile player in the game. Last week he took on the game’s most powerful tall forward in Lance Franklin who stands 196cm tall. A week later he was tasked with shutting down Brisbane speedster and former Adelaide Crow Charlie Cameron, who is 13 centimetres shorter than Franklin.
3. THE OTHER GRAY
Sam Gray has turned himself into a very good AFL player who is now one of the first picked for Port Adelaide each week. He showed class and poise on Saturday and was Port Adelaide’s best in the Power’s five-point escape against Brisbane at Adelaide Oval.
4. HIGHLIGHT REEL
The Giants got to within 10 points of the Swans on the back of four unanswered goals. Enter Buddy. Held scoreless for the first 110 minutes, Lance Franklin gathered the ball from the centre bounce scramble, fended off a GWS opponent, wheeled onto his left boot and let fly from 65m. The goal of the year so far.
5. BROWNLOW BRYCE
Bryce Gibbs polled 80 Brownlow Medal votes during his 11-year career at Carlton, with 15 votes in 2009 his best return in one year. Gibbs will smash that tally in 2018 and is a good chance to win the award if he maintains his early-season form.
ROUND 3 LOSERS
1. AFL FIXTURING
Carlton should be banned for 12 months from playing on Thursday or Friday nights. In their last 10 prime time slots the Blues have been beaten by an average of 62 points. You have to go back to round 18 in 2014 to find their last victory on a Friday night. Despite this, they have been gifted five marquee slots again in 2018. Their round-six encounter will be against the Western Bulldogs - who wants to watch that?
2. RULE OF THE WEEK
In round one it was the umpires penalising players entering the 10m protected zone with a 50m penalty. This week, the AFL’s rule of the week is deliberate out-of- bounds. The free kicks paid against Port Adelaide’s Sam Powell-Pepper and Brisbane’s Mitch Robinson were utterly farcical.
3. MILLION-DOLLAR BUST
Western Bulldogs big man Tom Boyd has hardly been sighted since his four-goal heroics in the 2016 grand final. Once again he was overlooked at selection, despite injuries to Bulldogs Jackson Trengove and Jordan Roughead. His $6 million deal makes Boyd one of the highest- paid players in the history of the game and contracts him until season 2021, yet there are grave concerns for his career.
4. HEAD KNOCKS
Geelong coach Chris Scott took exception to Hawthorn boss Alistair Clarkson’s claims that Cats skipper Joel Selwood has had 10 concussions in his career. Clarkson argued that, for his own welfare, the AFL must act on Selwood being awarded high free kicks for shrugging in the tackle. Scott was quick to point out Selwood has only suffered three concussions in his career and suggested Clarkson stop using alternative facts. If this were a boxing match Scott would have landed the knockout blow.
5. FLAG DROUGHT
Which team is closest to a flag out of St Kilda, Collingwood, Carlton, and North Melbourne? All seem a long way off.
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