The Moment on Monday: Can Ollie Wines heed Scott Thompson’s advice and let go of Friday night hurt to help Port win the Showdown?
He cut a devastated figure on Friday night. But will Ollie Wines heed Scott Thompson’s advice and let go of the hurt to lift Port against Adelaide? Plus Mr One Percenter, Power Rankings and more.
Reece Homfray
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No one likes losing but you would be hard-pressed to find a current Port Adelaide player who, on the outside at least, takes it as badly or as personally as Ollie Wines.
“Yeah, he does,” senior assistant coach Michael Voss said when asked about the star midfielder last year.
So with 10 minutes to go in Friday night’s horror loss to Collingwood after his wayward handball missed teammate Jarrod Lienert — and he tried to follow up but couldn’t lay a hand on Josh Thomas and it cost them a goal — Wines came to the bench.
For 15 seconds he crouched with his arms crossed and his head bowed as if he would never forgive himself for what had just happened.
Never mind this game was over long before that.
The following morning on Triple M’s Dead Set Legends program, Power midfield assistant coach Scott Thompson was asked what he says to Wines — the club’s new co-captain — after a moment like that.
“There were a number of guys who were quite flat given the result and when you lose, personally if you don’t have the input you’d like, you take it to heart,” Thompson said.
“He (Wines) being one as a leader of the club, he was certainly disappointed at the end of the game.
“But you say ‘Look mate, let it go, you can’t change what’s happened now, we’ve got other things to focus on, shit happens, let’s get on with things’.”
Thompson’s right. Wines can’t change the result that would have hurt that little bit more given it was Travis Boak’s 250th game, but he can change it this week — and what a stage to do so.
The 24-year-old has never won a Showdown Medal but if he produces what he did against West Coast two weeks ago then he will go very close.
In Perth that night he had 35 disposals (13 contested), seven clearances, 10 inside 50s and a goal, and was hailed for his gut-running, strength in the contest and leadership.
His numbers against Collingwood weren’t dramatically different — but his impact was. He finished with 28 disposals (14 contested), six clearances, two inside 50s and didn’t kick a goal.
Like many of his teammates Wines was slow to start and by quarter-time the game was over.
For the second year in a row, coach Ken Hinkley made a beeline to Wines at the first break — just as he did in Ballarat against the Bulldogs in Round 19 last year — and he got a response. But this week is when it will count for Wines, particularly if co-captain Tom Jonas misses for a third week in a row.
With four-time Showdown Medal winner Robbie Gray sidelined, there is a chance for someone at Port Adelaide to grab this game and own it.
It could be Boak like he did when he won his fourth Peter Badcoe VC Medal against North Melbourne in Round 6, it could be Tom Rockliff as he did with 44 disposals against Melbourne in Round 1 or it could be Connor Rozee who kicked five goals against Brisbane in Round 3, although the Power didn’t get the result.
Or it could be Wines, who looked like he carried the weight of responsibility of the loss to Collingwood on his shoulders and will be desperate to make up for it.
But as last year showed, often it can be a fleeting moment rather than a four-quarter performance that defines a Showdown.
Steven Motlop had kicked 0.2 when he nailed the game winner from 50m in the dying seconds in Round 8, and what Josh Jenkins thought was a behind became the winning goal in Round 20.
The Jenkins moment probably wouldn’t have even happened if Wines had kicked a goal from 20m out instead of putting it out of bounds in time-on of the final quarter.
That’s another one Wines would have taken personally and while Thompson’s advice is to “Let it go” he won’t have forgotten and now can do something about it.
GAME NOTES
POWER V MAGPIES
FRIDAY night was the first time all year the Power has lost contested ball, belted 172-147. Two prime movers were down on their usual standards — Tom Rockliff who had 7 contested possessions, and Sam Powell-Pepper who had 6. The only time Rockliff has been in single figures this season was at the Gabba in Round 3 when he was concussed. Powell-Pepper has been quiet for three weeks after tallying 11, 12 and 11 before that. In the first two minutes of the last quarter there was a 50/50 ball in between Jeremy Howe and Rockliff. Howe went lower, harder and got there first and tapped it around Rockliff’s legs with minimal contact. It showed how off Rockliff was.
IS IT time to add the experience of Matthew Broadbent this week? He’s played all six SANFL games and averaged 20 disposals without setting the world on fire. Darcy Byrne-Jones and Riley Bonner were down on Friday night while Zak Butters had nine touches and hasn’t kicked a goal since Round 3.
TOM Jonas put it on the agenda on our podcast last week when he said “Pistol” Pete Ladhams and “Big Bad Bustling” Billy Frampton are putting pressure on Port’s rucks. Frampton is now a forward but Ladhams must be getting close. In the last month he’s had 28, 27, 24 and 22 disposals, 2, 1, 1 and 2 goals, and 6, 9, 5 and 6 marks. Scott Lycett banked plenty of credit points early in the season and surely Ken Hinkley won’t drop him when he and Paddy Ryder have the chance to work over Reilly O’Brien in the Showdown. But Ladhams can’t do much more.
JUSTIN Westhoff was Port’s best player on Friday night with 29 disposals (16 contested) and eight marks (2 contested). But his goal kicking hurts. He kicked 1.3 against Collingwood and has 6.8 for the season. With Dixon injured and Marshall with only two goals this year, Port would love Westhoff to make his impact felt on the scoreboard, too.
MR ONE PER CENTER
Who are the unsung heroes of SA footy? The players who have an impact on their team without hitting the stats sheet. Champion Data records one per centers by tallying spoils, knock-ons, shepherds and smothers every game. Here’s the leaderboard from Port Adelaide and Adelaide after Round 7:
58: Daniel Talia (Crows)
50: Dougal Howard (Power)
42: Tom Jonas (Power)
41: Jake Kelly (Crows)
38: Tom Clurey (Power)
37: Alex Keath (Crows)
27: Paddy Ryder (Power)
QUOTED
“He’s livid with himself, that’s a proud footballer who is so dirty on himself.”
— Channel 7 legendary broadcaster Bruce McAvaney on Ollie Wines on Friday night.
TOP 10 SUPERCOACH
YES you’ve read this correctly, Reilly O’Brien was the top SA SuperCoach scorer for the round with 123 points against the Dockers. He continues to stand up big-time with Jacobs out.
1. Reilly O’Brien (123)
2. Rory Sloane (111)
3. Cam Ellis-Yolmen (109)
4. Justin Westhoff (108)
5. Travis Boak (102)
6. Tom Lynch (99)
7. Ryan Burton (97)
8. Rory Laird (95)
9. Brodie Smith (94)
10. Hugh Greenwood (92)
TIPS
An early look at Round 8 tipping: SYDNEY to upset the Bombers, the DOGS over Brisbane in Ballarat, COLLINGWOOD over Carlton, MELBOURNE to beat Gold Coast, WEST COAST to beat St Kilda, PORT over the Crows in the Showdown, GEELONG over North, GWS over Hawthorn and RICHMOND over Freo in Perth. Last week: 6. Running total: 37.
POWER RANKINGS
1. GEELONG (6-1)
The Cats could well be 10-1 with North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and Sydney up next.
2. COLLINGWOOD (5-2)
Had to be the best quarter of football we’ve seen all season on Friday night and now the question is: can Mason Cox get back in?
3. GWS (5-2)
Everyone is talking about Jeremy Cameron and whether he can kick 100 goals but what about Zac Williams with back-to-back 30-possession games.
4. RICHMOND (4-3)
They’d been up for three weeks defying injuries to Cotchin, Riewoldt and Co, and it might have caught up with them a bit.
5. BRISBANE (5-2)
The Lions are 5-2 with winnable games against the Dogs, Crows and Fremantle coming up. Finals should be the goal, for sure.
6. ST KILDA (4-3)
Comprehensively beaten by a GWS side looking ominous.
7. PORT ADELAIDE (4-3)
Should at least take a bit out of that second quarter against the Pies. Ryan Burton very good again and hard to ignore the quality missing like Jonas, Robbie Gray, Hartlett and Dixon. Will we see Broadbent or Motlop for the Showdown this week?
8. ADELAIDE (4-3)
Daniel Talia outstanding with 16 one percenters, Kyle Hartigan had his best game of the year, liked the way Jake Kelly read the ball coming in and Alex Keath kicked the sealer. A win for the backs.
9. FREMANTLE (4-3)
Dour, ugly contest was the only way they were going to win so in it for a long way against the Crows but not long enough.
10. WEST COAST (4-3)
Snapped a two-game losing streak even with taking the foot off the pedal in the second half against Gold Coast.
11. HAWTHORN (3-4)
Big-ranking slider. Their past month is alarming. Lost to St Kilda and Geelong, just beat Carlton, then lost to Melbourne.
12. ESSENDON (3-4)
A third 33-plus possession game in a row for Dylan Shiel but not enough to get the Bombers over the in-form Cats.
13. GOLD COAST (3-4)
Far from disgraced against the reigning premiers in Perth.
14. WESTERN BULLDOGS (3-4)
Double-page spread in the Herald Sun on what’s happened to Luke Beveridge’s magic and the Dogs upset the Tigers.
15. MELBOURNE (2-5)
Big mover with win over the Hawks. Helps when Max Gawn returns to his best.
16. SYDNEY (1-6)
Finals are gone but I’m tipping them in an upset against Essendon this week.
17. NORTH MELBOURNE (2-5)
Could smell an easy kill against Carlton and made sure of it.
18. CARLTON (1-6)
Big names missing but a 58-point loss to the Kangaroos undoes all the ground and goodwill they’d made up this season.
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