Port Adelaide ruckman Patrick Ryder relives that game-winning tap to Robbie Gray
PORT Adelaide lead ruckman Patrick Ryder speaks exclusively to The Advertiser about the tap that won the game with Robbie Gray’s last-minute goal at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
PORT Adelaide ruckman Patrick Ryder calls the match-winning moment against St Kilda his “dream play”.
And he did not even have to signal nor call a code to onballer Robbie Gray for the dramatic moment that saved the Power in the final seconds at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
“That is my dream — a clean hitout with a winning goal from it,” Ryder told The Advertiser of the last-minute play that keeps the Power’s top-four dream alive. “I just had to get it to where Robbie was because I had all the confidence in him to finish the play.”
It was the natural play that emphasised a perfect tandem between a ruckman and midfielder not seen at Alberton since Brendon Lade and Shaun Burgoyne created goals with their one-two plays at boundary throw-ins a decade ago.
Port Adelaide lost a 14-point lead at the 12th minute of the last term as St Kilda — after scoring 3.12 — managed four unanswered goals in 14 minutes to command a 10-point win with two minutes to play.
Aaron Young’s snap with 54 seconds to play reduced the margin to four points. There was 19 seconds on the clock when St Kilda defender Jake Carlisle’s kick from the goalfront to the half-forward boundary on the Oval’s western flank was not called deliberate by umpire Rob Findlay
This contentious verdict — among many that will have the field umpires subjected to many questions from Port Adelaide — worked to the Power’s advantage. The Ryder-Gray play was probably more likely to lead to a goal than a long shot from the boundary.
“Before the ball was thrown in,” Ryder said, “we both looked at each other and we were both thinking the same thing. We were on the same exact ‘hit spot’.
“We have a few ‘hit spots’. We just looked at each other and said exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.
“And Robbie just got there for me.”
Ryder’s right-hand tap behind the contest allowed Gray to run from Sebastian Ross and defy Jack Billings’ lunging tackle to cross the 50-metre line and kick a goal over Tim Membrey on the goal line.
“I knew there was less than 30 seconds left,” Ryder said. “It came off perfectly. I wanted that front position so that I could put the tap anywhere.
“I knew Robbie would get it ... but as it was getting towards the line, I started panicking a little bit because of the St Kilda player on the line.
“Robbie is a straight kick, but not a huge kick. I knew it would be a close call.”
Port Adelaide (11-7) returns to Adelaide Oval on Sunday to face top-ranked Adelaide in Showdown 43. Ryder will face Adelaide ruckman Sam Jacobs in another duel for All-Australian honours.