Hawthorn proves too good for Port Adelaide in 31-point win at Launceston

Port Adelaide had everything to play for against Hawthorn. So why didn’t the Power show up until the second quarter? Now locked at 5-5 and in a battle to make the finals, the club will be looking back on the 25 point headstart it gave up.

A scoreless first term has proved Port Adelaide’s downfall and their season now sits precariously: outside the eight with a 5-5 win-loss count.

The Power gave Hawthorn a 25-to-nothing headstart in this game and despite fighting hard to the end, they simply could not peg back the Hawks’ blistering start.

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In cold, windy conditions at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium, the Power went down by 31 points to a determined Hawthorn led by Jack Gunston who starred with six goals, in an affair that was overall low-scoring and defensive. Gunston, kicked the same amount of goals as the entire Port side.

In front of 11,637, they lost 12.8 (80) to 6.13 (49).

Port’s first hour of play was error-riddled, and two of Hawthorn’s six first-half goals — both to Gunston — were off the back of Power errors: Gunston first capitalised after Sam Powell-Pepper failed to get the ball away quickly enough out of defence and then later when Karl Amon fumbled near the goalsquare.

In another telling Port error, Tom Rockliff gave away a 50m penalty that gifted Hawthorn’s James Cousins an easy goal.

Jack Gunston was unstoppable for the Hawks against Port Adelaide. Picture: AAP Images

After being 23 points down at half time, the Power came out strongly — kicking against the breeze — and a beautiful goal to Amon on the run was the reward for superb team effort.

And while basic errors were still there (a costly one came when Xavier Duursma tried to clear defence with a low kick to teammate Matthew Broadbent, he spilled the mark and Tom Scully kicked truly) so too was Port’s trademark fight and desperation.

Port just kept coming and Duursma more than made up for his earlier error when he took a defensive mark and kickstarted another play that ended with a Robbie Gray goal.

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Darcy Byrne-Jones was solid (special mention to his first quarter effort where he laid a goal-saving tackle), while Matthew Broadbent’s 28 possessions were important.

Sam Powell-Pepper was everywhere and his important smother of former teammate Chad Wingard’s almost-certain third-quarter goal was hero-esque.

The last quarter saw Port pepper the goals and they added six behinds to their tally, while the Hawks put on three goals.

Sam Gray is set upon by a gang of Hawks. Picture: AAP Images

However it was those 25 points — those dastardly 25 points given up in the first quarter — that Port couldn’t claw back. It lost them the game.

Duo returns:

Two Power leaders returned to the side after both spending a month away from football in co-captain Tom Jonas (recovered from a calf strain) and Robbie Gray (surgery to his broken hand).

They were welcome additions and Gray overcame a poke-to-the-eye in the second quarter to lift his side. He picked up 27 disposals, took seven marks alongside his goal. Jonas was relatively quiet, with 18 disposals, three marks and two clearances.

The loss had coach Ken Hinkley reaching for the Mylanta.

“We caused ourselves some heartburn didn’t we,” Hinkley said after the game.

“We caused ourselves a lot of damage on the scoreboard and Hawthorn were good enough to finish it. We gave over turnover goals in their forward 50 and that’s when you do pay a significant price and we did that a number of times, three or four I’d imagine, which is a big margin when you talk about the end of the game.”

Hinkley is philosophical about his side’s loss in Tasmania, which sees it now sitting just outside the league’s top eight - only on percentage - with a 5-5 win-loss record.

“We’re exactly where the ladder says, we’re 5-and-5,” he said. “Getting a read on the competition is really difficult and if you’re not on the end of a loss, you’re lucky enough to end up in victory. We learn as we go.”

And he concedes a lot of learning needs to be taken from the Power’s loss, particularly considering this game was won in the first quarter: Port’s scoreless first term was the reason it lost.

“It was really clear early that they were up and about and hunting us a little bit more than we were hunting them back,” Hinkley said.

SLOW START:

In a frustrating display of defensive football, the Power were held scoreless in the first term for the first time this season. And that was despite beating Hawthorn in the disposals count (111 to 95).

But disposals matter little if you can’t score from them and Hawthorn dominated in the stats that did matter: the Hawks were tougher (and beat Port in the tackle count a whopping 29 to 13), they punctured defence better (and won inside-50s 16 to 6) and were superior in both hitouts (15 to 6) and clearances (12 to 9).

DEBUTANT:

In his third year on the Power’s rookie list, 21-year-old, 202cm ruck Peter Ladhams finally made his AFL debut after Scott Lycett was out with a sore abductor.

Before the game, coach Ken Hinkley described Ladhams as being deserving of AFL game #1 after being in “irresistible form” in the SANFL.

Ladhams was given something of a baptism of fire — gifted the opening bounce by Hinkley, but it was a tough day for him.

At the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, he gave his scoreless side their first score of the day — a point — and lined up for another goal later in the term, but hit the point post.

He was finally rewarded for his peppering of the goals when he got his first AFL major at the halfway point of the last quarter.

Ladhams finished the game with nine hit-outs (Paddy Ryder has 23), but you’d think he will make way for Lycett on the plane to China if he passes the fitness test.

Power players react to their loss against Hawthorn. Picture: Getty Images

CHAD WINGARD:

Playing his former club for the first time since last year’s high-profile trade, the one-time Port best and fairest and two-time club leading goal-kicker was given a warm Port Adelaide welcome on a bleak, cold Launceston day when he was sent to ground by a fierce tackle and a pack of Port players laid on.

He got his own back in the second quarter with some hard tackles of his own.

Wingard must be pleased to just get through game No. 1 against his former side. He finished the game with 20 disposals, six marks, five tackles and he kicked a point.

SCOREBOARD:

Hawthorn: 4.1 6.2 9.5 12. 8 (80)

Port Adelaide: 0.0 2.3 5.7 6.13 (49)

Goals:

Hawthorn: Gunston 6, Cousins, Worpel, Shiels, Scully, Impey, Puopolo

Port Adelaide: Rozee, Duursma, Amon, Powell-Pepper, Gray, Ladhams

Best:

Hawthorn: Gunston, Henderson, Shiels, Sicily, Ceglar

Port Adelaide: Byrne-Jones, Duursma, Gray, Amon, Broadbent

Umpires: Mitchell, Whetton, Mollison

Crowd: 11,637 at UTAS Stadium, Launceston

Votes: 3: Gunston, 2: Henderson, 1: Shiels