Port Adelaide’s finals hopes take another hit with heartbreaking one-point loss to GWS
The Power’s lack of an effective forward target was costly against the Giants. It has plenty of options in its squad but hasn’t yet found an answer this season. Plus: review with quarter-by-quarter updates.
The Fox Footy commentators asked where the Port Adelaide tall forwards were just before half-time and there was a fair degree of irony to the question.
Big men Paddy Ryder, Scott Lycett and Dougal Howard had been ineffective in attack to that point – and it largely stayed that way – but they were hardly the Power’s only options.
The team Port named to face South Adelaide in the SANFL on Sunday was stacked with giants, including Charlie Dixon (200cm), Todd Marshall (198cm), Peter Ladhams (202cm) and Sam Hayes (203cm), and it would have had Billy Frampton (200cm) if he was not suspended.
Dixon getting dropped for Ryder, a month after Ryder’s dumping to the Magpies was further proof the Power were unsure of the make-up of their best mix of talls in attack.
Damning statistics back that up. Port came into the game ranked last in the AFL for goals from key forwards with 22.
At the other end of the spectrum, GWS was first in the competition with a whopping 115.
The gap in that department was evidenced at both ends on Saturday night.
Jeremy Finlayson (3.3), Jeremy Cameron (3.2) and Harry Himmelberg (1.0) combined for seven goals, compared to two between Ryder, Lycett and Howard – both to Howard.
The other problem for Port was aerially, it was hurt by Giants defenders Phil Davis and Nick Haynes, who took a stack of crucial intercepts and finished with the most marks of anyone on the ground with 23 together.
Often they would float in front of the Power’s only dangerous forward, Robbie Gray (3.0), as the issue of failing to bring the ball to ground inside attacking 50 reared its head again for Port.
In the third quarter, Fox Footy commentator Dwayne Russell said “the key forward situation hasn’t worked” for Port against the Giants.
“They haven’t had a lot of key forward action down there,” Russell said.
“It’s Robbie (Gray) or nothing right now.”
Justin Westhoff (199cm) could have been a tall forward option for Port but instead it swung a surprise by starting him at full-back.
Westhoff eventually moved into attack during the last term as the Power sought a mark or moment of inspiration that never happened.
Ryder impressed at times in the ruck and played on after looking proppy on an ankle during the final quarter.
But with 13 disposals, no influence in attack and the plethora of SANFL talls, he may not hold his spot if the Power wants to revert back to Howard as Lycett’s supporting ruckmen.
So the question will be – do the Power play musical chairs again with its bigs for the crunch away game against Essendon next week?
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES
FIRST QUARTER
Power 0.3 (3)
Giants 2.5 (17)
It took just 40-odd seconds for GWS to kick the game’s first goal via a Jeremy Cameron but it was the only one until the last minute of the term — also to Cameron.
In between, both sides made a plethora of sloppy skill errors and missed easy shots at goal.
Port pulled a surprise by starting veteran swingman Justin Westhoff deep in defence and he found plenty of the footy, gathering a game-high 11 disposals.
Remarkably, it was Port’s fourth goalless first term this year.
SECOND QUARTER
Power 3.6 (24)
Giants 4.6 (30)
Robbie Gray kicked Port’s first goal of the game after sidestepping a handful of players, winning a free and converting his 40m set shot.
But GWS responded immediately when Jeremy Finlayson slotted his first major.
There was also a controversial goal review, which deemed Tom Clurey had not taken the ball through for a behind, and it led to a ball-up 15m from the Giants’ goal.
GWS did not score from it but Jeremy Cameron kicked his third major a short time later.
Port kept the game tight, kicking the quarter’s only other goals via Sam Gray and a nice Connor Rozee snap.
For the second consecutive quarter, there was a mini-scuffle as the siren went.
THIRD QUARTER
Power 5.9 (39)
Giants 7.7 (49)
The first half of the third term featured just one point apiece.
Skills were poor, chains of possessions were rare and it proved an arm-wrestle.
The game was waiting for someone to take over — a player to snatch the momentum for their team.
And Jeremy Finlayson stepped up, kicking the quarter’s first goal 15 minutes in, then another after a Dougal Howard major.
Just as the game looked like slipping away from Port, Robbie Gray kicked his second goal, which kept his side within striking distance.
FOURTH QUARTER
Power 7.13 (55)
Giants 8.8 (56)
Robbie Gray got Port off to an ideal start kicking an early goal.
But the Power’s good work in getting back into the game hit a hurdle when Karl Amon gave away a 50m penalty for front-on contact that SA youngster Jackson Hately converted for a major.
When Dougal Howard ran onto a ball that landed out the back and goaled, Port was down by just two points.
Jeremy Finlayson had a huge opportunity to stretch the Giants’ lead but missed, and the Power could not make of their chances at the other end.
When Connor Rozee got caught holding the ball inside 50, Port’s final opportunity had gone as GWS won a thriller, even though the Power finished with 10 more inside 50s and four more scoring shots.
PORT ADELAIDE V GWS GIANTS
Weather
TV: Fox Sports, Channel 7 (live)
Radio: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC891
Live stream: Kayosports.com.au
POWER
B: Houston, Clurey, Bonner
HB: Hartlett, Jonas, Byrne-Jones
C: Duursma, Rockliff, Amon
HF: R. Gray, Howard, S. Gray
F: Westhoff, Ryder, Rozee
FOLL: Lycett, Powell-Pepper, Boak
I/C: Broadbent, Butters, Garner, Sutcliffe
EMG: McKenzie, Johnson, Woodcock, Mayes
IN: Ryder, Garner
OUT: Motlop, Dixon
GIANTS
B: Shaw, Davis, Tomlinson
HB: Whitfield, Haynes, Taylor
C: Williams, Reid, Hopper
HF: Hately, Cameron, Lloyd
F: Daniels, Himmelberg, Hill
FOLL: Mumford, Greene, Taranto
I/C: Perryman, Keefe, Finlayson, Simpson
EMG: Caldwell, Bonar, Stein
IN: Davis, Hately
OUT: Deledio, Stein