Port Adelaide is kicking itself out of a top-four finish for September’s AFL finals
PORT Adelaide’s endeavour was strong, but its ability to make this count against Greater Western Sydney was wrecked — again — by poor skills, particularly by foot.
RIGHT now, Port Adelaide is the rabbit in the spotlight.
Not sure where to run. Not sure where to put its collective feet that kick like a lame mule rather than as elite AFL footballers should. But very sure that the Power is living up to the image of an AFL finalist.
It would be all too easy to say, “No Patrick Ryder, no Port Adelaide.” The loss of the All-Australia ruckman (now with a left hip flexor strain) is always to make it more difficult against a Greater Western Sydney midfield loaded with aces, in particular Dylan Shiel.
Hence, the 53-29 command of the clearances by the Giants in last night’s match at Adelaide Oval where the Power’s prospects of holding a top-four ranking to September’s top-eight finals were damaged by the 22-point loss.
But not even Ryder — with his deft ruck tapping that starkly contrasts the bullish Charlie Dixon — can save Port Adelaide from the recurring nightmare it is writing with its messy hands and feet.
If Port Adelaide translated its football skills to pub darts you would be too scared to be at a table flanking the board for fear of a stray shot. When Dixon is grabbing one-handed marks in packs, but missing the resulting set shot from 30 metres on a kind angle against a sheltered goal at the Oval’s southern end …
Or experienced defender Jasper Pittard having three kicks in the first term finish to the advantage of the Giants … and drawing sarcastic cheers from his fans when he delivered an accurate pass to vice-captain Ollie Wines late in the third term.
Or usually polished defender Dougal Howard drop a ball near the goalsquare to give Giants goalsneak Toby Greene the half chance he craves … or being pushed off the ball by Stephen Coniglio in a marking contest in the goalsquare.
It is not just, “no Ryder, no Port Adelaide” but no skills, no chance. There is a never-say-die spirit. And there is that sense of urgency that was notable when captain Travis Boak pumped his fists to the crowd after he kicked the Power’s second goal in the 13th minute of the second term.
But there is no polish. Just too many turnovers. Too many mistakes. If Power players could pick out their team-mates with kicks as accurately as they find the opposition, the sudden drought in scoring would end.
Port Adelaide is not the side it thought — or in the off-season planned — to be. And now the question is: What will become of the Power in the next five weeks when it plays four rivals that either have a place in the top-eight (West Coast and Collingwood) or want to replace Port Adelaide in September’s finals (Adelaide and Essendon)?
The spotlight gets brighter on this rabbit.
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