Port Adelaide’s young defence stands tall under pressure against Sydney
PORT Adelaide defensive coach Nathan Bassett has hailed his young backline and warned one-time mainstays Jasper Pittard, Matthew Broadbent and Jack Hombsch they face a tough battle to get back in the side.
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PORT Adelaide defensive coach Nathan Bassett has hailed his young backline and warned one-time mainstays Jasper Pittard, Matthew Broadbent and Jack Hombsch they face a fight to get back in the side.
Dual Norwood premiership coach and former Crows defender Bassett — renowned for being a defensive mastermind — on Sunday oversaw a backline that stood tall while taking flag favourite Sydney’s best shot in the first half at the SCG.
The Swans dominated field play to have 35 inside 50s to the Power’s 14 at half-time but they led by only 14 points because of the stoic resistance of a back seven that isn’t exactly a bunch of no names but isn’t far off it.
While one-time midfielder Hamish Hartlett, who has been recast as a defender, was playing his 150th match and the ever-reliable Tom Jonas was playing his 105th, the other five — Dougal Howard (12), Tom Clurey (43), Darcy Byrne-Jones (45), Riley Bonner (six) and Dan Houston (19) — had a total of just 125 games between them.
But with Howard using his athleticism to run with Sydney superstar Lance Franklin, who was still very good with four goals of Sydney’s 10 goals, they held back the tidal wave.
And when Port lifted in the second half and the tide subsided, the visitors were still close enough to turn the game on its head, outscoring Sydney 10.6 to 4.5 to stunningly win by 23 points.
“I thought our defensive group was outstanding, especially in the first half when we absorbed a lot of pressure,’’ said Bassett.
“In the first half we had to hang really tough because Sydney dominated territory and we’ve got a relatively newish group, a young group, with five guys with less than 50 games of experience back there.
“I thought they did a great job to give us a chance to stay in the game and come back and have a win.’’
To hold firm under serious pressure and win in Sydney — “anytime you win against Sydney in Sydney it’s a great win,’’ Bassett noted — was a coming of age moment for a young defensive group.
But it also raised serious questions about how the far more experienced trio of Pittard, Broadbent and Hombsch force their way back into the side.
Pittard will be sidelined for another two weeks with a strained hamstring, Broadbent is still several weeks away from resuming from ankle surgery and Hombsch is finding form in the SANFL after two injury-hit years.
Asked about how they replace the kids who are making their presence felt, Bassett said: “Generally play better than people that are in the team’’.
“It’s a tough challenge but our job (as coaches) is to help guys be the best they can be and ensure that they are AFL-ready,’’ he said.
Former Gold Coast Sun Trent McKenzie — a left-foot superboot like round one Rising Star nominee Bonner — also is knocking on the door of AFL selection after strong SANFL form.
Unbeaten Port, which plays winless Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, will this week assess star playmaker Chad Wingard, who reported hamstring soreness during the final quarter against the Swans but finished the game.
andrew.capel@news.com.au
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