Showdown 47: Power big man Scott Lycett’s remarkable recovery sparks revival
Ruckman Scott Lycett looked in trouble with an early knee injury but in a remarkable comeback he played a vital role in Port Adelaide’s big win. Plus: Recap with quarter-by-quarter reviews.
- Match centre: All the stats and SuperCoach scores
- Match report: Power backs up tough talk with action
It was a bit of magic from Port Adelaide’s big man that sparked a match winning run and reinvigorated the Power’s finals aspirations.
The battle between the rucks was identified as a key battle in Showdown 47 with Port’s Scott Lycett up against the rapidly emerging Crow Reilly O’Brien.
And while there wasn’t too much between them on the stat sheet, Lycett had 19 disposals, 32 hit-outs, three tackles and a goal while O’Brien recorded 20 disposals, 27 hit-outs and four tackles, the West Coast Premiership hero well and truly left his mark on the bitter battle producing what proved to be the defining moment of in the third quarter.
Receiving the ball with his back towards goal, on the cusp of the 50m boundary, Lycett left O’Brien in his wake with a raking turn and even better kick to give Port it’s lead back just after Crows co-captain Tex Walker looked to have put the Crows inaccurate kicking behind them and take a stranglehold on the match.
Some declared it goal of the season, that remains to be seen, but what it ended up being was a momentum changer for an under-siege Port side who then kicked six consecutive third-quarter goals to open up what proved to be a match defining run.
It was a far cry from towards the end of the first and the start of the second when Lycett looked set to be Port Adelaide’s second big injury loss of the day — following Travis Boak’s 11th hour withdrawal after experiencing back spasms in the warm-up — when he injured his left leg in a contest with returning Crow Josh Jenkins.
At first Lycett looked like he would not be able to get off the field on his own two feet, and then when he was able to return to the ground — after significant work by Port’s medical team — he was struggling to keep up with O’Brien.
But Lycett showed the grit and guts Port needed against their fierce rivals, after a disappointing loss to the Western Bulldogs last time out and with one hell of a tough run on the cards as the Power pushes for finals. The replacement for Boak, Sam Powell-Pepper started the game like a bull in a china shop, getting in the Crows’ faces.
Co-skipper Ollie Wines put his quiet game against the Bulldogs well and truly behind him, getting 34 possessions to support the classy Robbie Gray and prolific Tom Rockliff in the midfield as the Power went bold through the corridor and electrified the Showdown.
Port’s other skipper Tom Jonas flew to deny Jenkins a goal early on in the second when one seemed inevitable.
And Brad Ebert, still sporting a helmet after his big concussion against Collingwood earlier this season, showed exceptional bravery on numerous occasions to go with two key goals in a win that was set up by some Lycett magic.
INACCURACY HAUNTS THE CROWS
By Liz Walsh
It took Taylor Walker a miraculous 15 seconds to kick the Crows into the lead in the third quarter. Going into the changerooms at half time, Adelaide trailed Port by three points, but with Walker’s goal — a beauty kicked from the 50m line after taking an impressive mark — suddenly the Crows were in front. Blink and you’d have missed it.
Then, seconds later, Walker marked the ball again on the 50m line, but shanked this kick for a behind. The Crows were four points up.
Had the co-captain kicked that goal momentum would have squarely been in the Adelaide camp. Instead, Port went onto kick the next six goals and the Crows wouldn’t score again for another 40-odd minutes when Wayne Milera Jr hit the post from right in front at the 17-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Then, Lachlan Murphy followed up with another point at the 20-minute mark.
Walker, Milera and Murphy’s shanks summed up the Crows evening: inaccurate.
And it harked back to the horror kicking in front of goal that plagued Adelaide in its first four games of this season, where they kicked more points than goals for each of their matches (to be on a 1-3 win-loss record).
Their 5.14 scoreline could be described as nothing more than miserable.
In Showdown 46, it was the Power’s inaccuracy that kicked them out of the game. This time, it was the Crows turn.
In a forward line-up that was clearly missing Tom Lynch, with Josh Jenkins seemingly shaky on his dodgy knee, their efficiency going forward was totally missing.
And to top it all off, small forward Eddie Betts has now done something he hasn’t done while wearing the Crows tricolours: chalked up four goalless games in a season. He’s now had consecutive goalless games (something that hasn’t been on his wrap sheet since rounds one and two last year) and his elusive 300th goal for the Crows remains un-kicked. (Had he kicked a goal this game, he would have joined club legend Tony Modra and co-captain Taylor Walker in the 300-club-goals-gang).
Betts will have the chance to redeem himself next week when the Crows travel to the Gold Coast to take on the sinking Suns, which is now a must-win for the Crows to continue to march anywhere near finals.
Walker was the only multiple goalscorer for Adelaide with his 2.1, while Milera had 1.3. Matt Crouch’s tally of 1.1 was interesting, given he kicked his third goal for the year and stats fans noted at that, that he hadn’t missed a shot on a goal all year. Until he did moments afterwards.
The Crows 19 scoring shots compared with Port’s 26 for the 57-point difference.
And for number lovers there was this synergy: the three-quarter time scoreline was Port’s 12.5 to Crows 5.12.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES
FIRST QUARTER
Crows 2.7 (19)
Power 3.1 (19)
Injuries and inaccuracy were the talking points of the first quarter.
Port Adelaide was dealt a pre-bounce blow when star midfielder Travis Boak withdrew and was replaced in the 22 by Sam Powell-Pepper, then in-form ruckman Scott Lycett sent a scare through the Power camp after limping off midway through the term from what looked like knee-on-knee contact with Reilly O’Brien.
But the Power kicked the first goal of the game within a minute via Ryan Burton and looked dangerous by attacking the corridor from long kick-ins.
Adelaide had more inside 50s and scoring shots yet would be left to rue their inaccuracy, having registered 2.7.
Lachlan Murphy had a chance to kick a goal after the siren but umpires deemed him to have played on from a tight angle on the boundary, ensuring his subsequent goal did not count.
SECOND QUARTER
Crows 4.11 (35)
Power 6.2 (38)
Little continued to separate the sides.
The Crows came out firing, kicking two goals in the opening two-and-a-half minutes — the first from a snap to ball magnet Matt Crouch and the other to Hugh Greenwood.
But the Power kicked the only other three majors of the quarter.
Scott Lycett returned to the field for the Power — with a bandage over his knee -but until midway through the term, tended to grapple, rather than jump at ruck contests, and moved gingerly around the ground.
And there was another injury, this time to the Crows as star defender Daniel Talia hobbled off the field five minutes into the quarter.
He came back on and resumed his battle with Charlie Dixon.
Brett Ebert pushed the Power ahead just before the break with a set-shot goal from 35m.
THIRD QUARTER
Crows 5.12 (42)
Power 12.5 (77)
Port broke the game open with six goals in 14 minutes and fast, attacking ball movement through the corridor.
Adelaide got off to an ideal start to the quarter when co-captain Taylor Walker slotted truly on the run after just 12 seconds. But from there it was all Port.
Scott Lycett, who seemed to be moving much better after his earlier knee knock, turned Reilly O’Brien inside out to kick the major that got the Power going again.
Then Connor Rozee added two, Justin Westhoff kicked one and Sam Gray played on from 50m and goaled on the run on his left foot.
While Port played with dash, Adelaide looked fumbly in possession and gave Power players too much space.
And there was more injury carnage.
Alex Keath came off after a three-way collision between him, teammate Rory Sloane and Port’s Justin Westhoff on the Adelaide 50m arc, and Jordan Gallucci was ruled out of the game with concussion after running into Lycett.
FOURTH QUARTER
Crows 5.14 (44)
Power 15.11 (101)
Adelaide needed a lot to go right to win the game from 35 points down but it had no answers.
In fact, the Power posed a bigger attacking threat and continued to dominate the inside 50 count with multiple surges.
Neither side registered a goal until Brad Ebert’s from a free kick 25m out, 11 minutes into the quarter.
And Port kicked the only two others of the term — both under little Crows pressure.
Adelaide seemed to lack dash, while the Power were able to run out the game, raffling the last goal of the match, which Steven Motlop eventually finished, in much more subdued fashion to his major that won the game for Port in May last year.
Bar two Taylor Walker goals, none of the Crows’ forwards really got going.
— Reviews by Matt Turner
ADELAIDE CROWS V PORT ADELAIDE
Saturday July 6, Adelaide Oval at 4.10pm
Weather: Shower or two, max 21C
TV: Channel 7, Fox Footy
Radio: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC891
Live stream: Kayosports.com.au
CROWS
B: Kelly, Talia, Brown
HB: Laird, Hartigan, Mackay
C: Smith, M. Crouch, Seedsman
HF: Gallucci, Keath, B. Crouch
F: Betts, Walker, Murphy
FOLL: O’Brien, Sloane, Milera
INT: Greenwood, Jenkins, Atkins, Douglas
EMG: Jones, Otten, Jacobs, Himmelberg
IN: Mackay, Milera, Jenkins
OUT: Himmelberg, Davis, Gibbs
POWER
B: Burton, Clurey, Houston
HB: Hartlett, Jonas, Byrne-Jones
C: Duursma, Rockliff, Amon
HF: R. Gray, Howard, Ebert
F: Westhoff, Dixon, Rozee
FOLL: Lycett, Wines, Powell-Pepper
INT: Bonner, Butters, S. Gray, Motlop
EMG: Ladhams, Drew, Garner
IN: Rockliff, Amon, Howard, Westhoff, Powell-Pepper
OUT: Garner, Farrell, Ladhams, Drew, Boak