Port Adelaide has no excuses after loss to Fremantle as premiership aspirations take big hit
IT was a horrific loss that could have major ramifications for Port Adelaide. Fighting for a share of top spot, the Power produced its worst performance of the season in losing to Fremantle.
IT was a horrific loss that could have major ramifications for Port Adelaide.
Fighting for a share of top spot, the Power produced its worst performance of the season to blow a golden opportunity to lock down a coveted top-four position and the all-important double chance in the finals.
And its loss to a struggling Fremantle playing without injured stars Nat Fyfe and Aaron Sandilands has been compounded by injuries to its two most important players.
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Lead ruckman Paddy Ryder did not reappear after half-time after hurting a hip flexor late in the second quarter.
And star small forward/midfielder Robbie Gray was knocked out four minutes into the third term in a crunching tackle from Ryan Nyhuis which is certain to be scrutinised by the match review officer.
Both are in serious doubt for next Sunday’s suddenly crunch match against GWS at Adelaide Oval.
Port managed just seven goals in losing to a young Dockers side which is out of finals contention by nine points at Perth Stadium.
Its score of 7.8 (50) equalled its previous low this season against Geelong in Round 5 as it fumbled and bumbled its way to a shocking defeat.
The loss ended its best win streak (five) since 2014.
There can be no excuses for this display.
While Ryder and Gray were out of the game by early in the third quarter, the Power was only level at the time and had kicked just two goals.
Its skill level was so bad that it appeared the football was flat.
Some of its errors were so bad they were almost comical.
Instead of being joint top, Port slumped to fifth and has its work cut out to win the double chance.
It had only a handful of solid contributors, with Chad Wingard working hard for 24 disposals and two goals while fellow midfielders Ollie Wines (30 disposals) and Sam Powell-Pepper (28) battled hard and Darcy Byrne-Jones kept Fremantle danger man Michael Walters quiet.
But the Dockers had a +19 advantage in inside 50s, with David Mundy and Lachie Neale leading the way while in defence Luke Ryan and Joel Hamling, who kept Charlie Dixon goalless, were outstanding.
Port started the match in search of third, and possibly second, spot on the ladder after West Coast upset Collingwood at the MCG by 35 points earlier in the day.
Jack Hombsch - back in the side as a replacement for the injured Tom Jonas, who has been the Power’s best defender this year - started on 203cm Docker giant Scott Jones, giving away 9cm.
After a tight opening when the first score - a rushed behind to Port - didn’t come until the eighth minute, Wingard produced some trademark magic to get his side rolling.
He won the ball in a congested situation and snapped a brilliant checkside goal from 35m with his natural left foot.
It was just reward for the Power which had dominated clearances and the inside 50 count with little to show for it.
The Dockers took 18 minutes to hit the scoreboard and it came through Croweater Brennan Cox - the Round 12 Rising Star nomination for his career-best four-goal performance in the upset win against the Crows - who led strongly to mark and goal from 40m.
Both sides were guilty of turning the ball over in an error-riddled quarter and it took another smart left-foot snap - this time from Justin Westhoff - for Port to take some advantage of its dominance.
The statistics showed the Power should have been much further in front than nine points.
It had 47 more disposals, including 26 contested possessions, and boasted a staggering 20-4 advantage in clearances in the first term.
And Fremantle should have made Port pay for its sloppiness.
In a complete turnaround from the opening stanza, the Dockers seized control of the midfield to have 20 inside 50s to four in the second term.
But their finishing was appalling as they kicked seven consecutive behinds, including a horrible miss from an easy set shot from 15m by Tommy Sheridan.
The Power was so poor it did not score for the quarter with its best chance wasted when captain Travis Boak kicked out on the full from 30m.
Remarkably, the Dockers won their first quarter in their past 12 without kicking a goal, which illustrated the standard of the game.
The total of seven points kicked for the term was the lowest scoring quarter since round 17, 2008, when Adelaide and Sydney managed seven points between them in the third term at the SCG.
FREMANTLE 1.0 1.7 5.10 8.11 (59)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.3 2.3 4.6 7.8 (50)
BEST
Fremantle: L.Ryan, D.Mundy, L.Neale, J.Hamling, E.Langdon, B.Hill
Port Adelaide: C.Wingard, O.Wines, S.Powell-Pepper, D.Byrne-Jones, J.Polec
GOALS
Fremantle: B.Cox 2, E.Hughes, C.Sutcliffe, S.Jones, M.Walters, C.McCarthy, D.Mundy
Port Adelaide: C.Wingard 2, T.Boak, S.Gray, S.Powell-Pepper, J.Watts, J.Westhoff
INJURIES
Fremantle: -
Port Adelaide: P.Ryder (hip), R.Gray (concussion), R.Bonner (knee)
UMPIRES: J.Schmitt, A.Whetton, A.Mitchell
CROWD: 33,190 at Perth Stadium