Port Adelaide defeats North Melbourne in final JLT Series clash
Port Adelaide will be anything but ‘boring’ this year after closing its AFL pre-season with a shootout win against North Melbourne and another major scare for ruckman Patrick Ryder.
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Port Adelaide will be anything but “boring” this year after closing its AFL pre-season with another major scare for ruckman Patrick Ryder.
The prospect of losing a matchwinning tandem in ruck and attack with Ryder and West Coast recruit Scott Lycett was eased on Saturday night as Ryder was diagnosed with a minor depressed cheekbone that at worst would cost him just one match.
A relieved Power coach Ken Hinkley left the 21-point win against North Melbourne in the pre-season closer at Alberton Oval on Saturday with extra reason to smile.
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The reworking of Hinkley’s playbook — that he described as delivering boring, conservative and slow ball movement — and the AFL’s new rules have the Power primed for high-risk, shootout football this year.
Port and fellow 2018 also-ran North Melbourne put defence to the torch of all-out attack with a 35-goal slinging contest to close their pre-season campaigns.
The Power’s follow-up to last Saturday’s 17-point loss to Adelaide in the Summer Showdown at Port Pirie put even more attention to taking on the game, no matter the cost.
The game plan that delivered an average score of 80 points in 22 matches last season has been blitzed by a playbook that had Port Adelaide score 19 goals on Saturday.
Ball movement was less vulnerable to skill errors — and more controlled. Lapses to opposition momentum were shorter, although there was a 10-minute disappearing session in the first term on Saturday that allowed North Melbourne to put on six unanswered goals for a 24-point lead.
The response was far quicker and more solid than it was against the Crows.
And the pointer to a new face for the season-opener against Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, March 23 is stronger with first-round draftee Zac Butters. He is indeed a “lock” for Round 1.
There also is new life in the seasoned legs of former AFL club captains, Travis Boak and Tom Rockliff. Rockliff finished with a game-high 41 touches.
AFL football boss Steve Hocking and his think tanks would have marvelled at how their rule changes — in particular the 6-6-6 starting positions — created a shootout built on centre-bounce dominance in the first term. There were 12 goals without a miss — seven from the Kangaroos, five from the Power — in the first 24 minutes.
Six of the 14 first-term goals were from centre-bounce clearances; five by North Melbourne to give the Power much to review in its midfield setups.
Port Adelaide is definitely committed to giving former captain Boak more midfield minutes after converting him to a half-forward last year. And the 30-year-old appears to be running with far more freedom in his legs, and perhaps his mind without the captaincy burdens.
Young Port Adelaide forward Todd Marshall’s start to the premiership season could be decided by a match review officer verdict on his clash with North Melbourne defender Sam Wright midway through the second term. Wright left the field and returned after the halftime break.
Port Adelaide defender Jarrod Lienert was benched during the second half with a knee injury.
Jared Polec’s return to Port Adelaide, after signing a $3 million, five-year deal late last season, began on the John Cahill wing on the outer side of Alberton Oval in a short-lived match-up against Jack Watts. Polec later followed Watts to the members’ wing, where he earned ironic cheers from Port fans after missing a shot on goal in the 30th minute.
Polec finished with 25 disposals and was not short on a cheeky response when he kicked a left-foot goal from 50 on the boundary in front of the Power members.
First-year draftee Bailey Scott enhanced his claims for Round 1 with two goals among 21 touches and Shaun Higgins (28 possessions, two goals) was influential. Paul Ahern’s three goals all came in the first term.
The Kangaroos enter the premiership season without a win from their two trial games.
Port Adelaide also revealed today that young midfielder Jake Patmore will require knee surgery after rupturing his ACL in a SANFL trial game on Friday night.
PORT ADELAIDE 7.1 12.4 15.8 19.9 (123)
NORTH MELBOURE 7.2 10.4 12.5 16.6 (102)
BEST
Port Adelaide: Rockliff, Boak, R. Gray, Westhoff, Motlop, Houston, Drew, Amon.
North Melbourne: Ahern, Polec, Higgins, Thompson, Atley, Scott, Dumont.
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Butters 3, Byrne-Jones, R. Gray, Lycett, Rockliff, Westhoff 2, Amon, Boak, Marshall, Motlop, Powell-Pepper, Watts.
North Melbourne: Ahern 3, Scott, Ziebell 2, Brown, Campbell, Hall, Higgins, Hrovat, Polec, Turner, Tyson, Wood.
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Ryder (cheekbone), Lienert (knee).
North Melbourne: Williams (calf), Wright (concussion).
UMPIRES: Robert Findlay, Jacob Mollison, Nathan Wiliamson.
CROWD: 6271 at Alberton Oval.
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au
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