Port Adelaide’s costly start and poor finish in Eagles heartbreak
EVERYONE will debate that free kick to Luke Shuey, but Port Adelaide have to look at themselves and rue the finals chance that got away on Saturday night.
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EVERYONE will debate that free kick to Luke Shuey, but Port Adelaide have to look at themselves and rue the finals chance that got away on Saturday night.
SCOREBOARD
WEST COAST 4.2 7.4 7.5 9.6 12.6 (78)
PORT ADELAIDE 1.0 5.5 6.8 8.12 10.16 (76)
BEST
Eagles: McGovern, Shuey, Priddis, Petrie, Gaff, Hurn.
Power: Dixon, R. Gray, Byrne-Jones, Wines, Hartlett, Boak.
GOALS
Eagles: Darling, Kennedy 3, Petrie, Shuey 2, Cripps, Priddis.
Power: Dixon 3, S. Gray, Wines 2, Ebert, Powell-Pepper, Wingard.
UMPIRES Donlon, Deboy, Schmitt
CROWD 41,172 at Adelaide Oval
THE MOMENT
CLEARLY there will be considerable debate on the last call of the game in the 10th minute of extra time.
Did Port Adelaide wingman Jared Polec make a high tackle of West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey?
Did the match-winning Shuey know how to drop his knees to secure the free kick (a concept the AFL sought to remove from the game at the start of the year)?
Polec’s right hand over Shuey’s shoulder is the key pointer to a free kick. Shuey’s 40-metre kick after the siren - with the game on the line - was perfect ... and a reminder to every Port Adelaide player of the importance to nail set shots.
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. PORT Adelaide will regret the bad start - and the bad kicking at goal.
The third term was costly - 1.3 plus three out-of-bounds on the full when a lead at the last changed would have been powerful. And the misses in extra time - 2.4 when West Coast nailed all three shots on goal.
2. POWER coach Ken Hinkley is highly protective of his major recruiting play of key forward Charlie Dixon.
“He’s not overpaid is?” said Hinkley of his Gold Coast recruit. Dixon’s nine shots on goal - for 3.6 - kept the Power in the game more so than cost them victory in an epic final.
3. WEST COAST’S perfect record against the Power at Adelaide Oval - four from four - is still built on Port Adelaide playing into the hands of the Eagles’ defence.
West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern’s 15 marks - 11 as intercepts - highlights how the Power burns so much of its forward-50 entries (63-46).
4. HINKLEY has invested heavily in youth to build his own team - a long play that should be rewarded with a contract extension (even if Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane wants to get him back to the Suns).
The promise of youth was underlined by the manic commitment young defender Darcy Byrne-Jones delivered in his first AFL final.
5. THOSE who label Port Adelaide as “Point Power” have made their point. The 10.16 marks the 11th time in 23 games this season that the Power could not score more goals than behinds.
As Hinkely noted, his team once again dominated the game (by disposals, inside-50s, time in forward half) but not the scoreboard.
By the Champion Data projections, the Power cost itself a five-goal win by its inaccuracy.
THE QUOTE
“YOU always like to think that will be the case, the hurt helps (drive a response next season), but I reckon that’s a bit fluffy. Does it help you for the next time? I don’t think it does too much myself because you got to get to the next time.”
KEN HINKLEY
SUPERCOACH STANDOUT
Luke Shuey - 135 points
WEST COAST’S 31-point lead 10 minutes into the second term began to crumble as midfielder Luke Shuey was off the field for 11 minutes having an ankle strapped.
And the Eagles will be forever grateful their 2016 club champion returned to kick the match-winning goal after the siren, but for the way he held together West Coast work at stoppages under intense pressure in the second half.
NEXT UP
Port Adelaide to trade period in October.
West Coast to semi-final against Greater Western Sydney, Spotless Stadium on Saturday
THE STAR
CHARLIE DIXON
PORT Adelaide’s key forward Charlie Dixon put one back against the critics of his work in big games.
He covered so much of the field (gaining a match-high 722 metres).
He was involved in so many big plays. He was the major contributor to the Power’s scoreline in a difficult start with 3.2 of the 3.3 as West Coast built a five-goal lead in the second term.
His six behinds are the knock on a superb effort.
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