Port Adelaide’s Sam Powell-Pepper and Jack Hombsch fight to stay in the side to play West Coast
SAM Powell-Pepper and Jack Hombsch are under pressure to keep their spots this weekend as the Power prepares for a crunch game against West Coast which is 4-0 against it at Adelaide Oval.
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PORT Adelaide pair Sam Powell-Pepper and Jack Hombsch are under pressure to keep their spots this weekend as the Power prepares for a crunch game against West Coast which is 4-0 against it at Adelaide Oval.
Powell-Pepper was in career-best form from Rounds 8-17 after returning from a month-long ban with strong inside work and eight 20-plus possession games, but that has dropped off the past three.
The second-year midfielder has had 11, 14 and 11 disposals in his past three games and averaged only one clearance compared to his average of 4.7 clearances per game in the previous nine weeks.
The Power is also struggling to win contested possession week to week after losing 166-149 in Saturday night’s Showdown and 160-129 against GWS a fortnight earlier which was separated by beating the Dogs 174-163.
“We were beaten in ground ball badly, in-tight, the next scramble, scrimmage,” Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said on Sportsday SA radio on Tuesday night.
“Adelaide had a better method on the night and our players are usually pretty strong in that area but there’s not a side in the competition that doesn’t fluctuate in that area and unfortunately for us that was Saturday night.”
The Port Adelaide Magpies lost to West Adelaide on the weekend but Sam Gray (40 disposals) and Jack Trengove (38) both posted big numbers.
Hombsch meanwhile has been in and out of the side in his 12 games this season and was beaten by Adelaide’s key forward Josh Jenkins on the weekend.
With Dougal Howard considered an 80 per cent chance of returning from a broken hand, Hombsch may be the one to make way.
“He (Howard) did some stuff (on Tuesday) and the medical report was we think he’s 80 per cent chance to play this week and we’ll know 100 per cent certain on Thursday when he’ll go out and train and see how he can manage his hand,” Hinkley said.
The Eagles have a 4-0 record against Port at Adelaide Oval and a 6-2 record at the venue overall. But this weekend they will be without star playmaker Andrew Gaff as he begins his eight-week suspension for an ugly hit on Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw.
Gaff had 35 disposals against the Power the last time the two teams met in Perth in Round 7 and 34 in last year's elimination final.
One player who looks set to keep his spot is Kane Farrell who debuted against the Bulldogs in Ballarat in Round 19 and kicked three first-quarter goals in Saturday’s Showdown.
Hinkley said he was thrilled with his speed and smarts but said fans hadn’t yet seen his overhead marking which was also very good.
“He’s got a long way to go but when I see a glimpse I’m pretty passionate about keeping them there and giving them more opportunity to grow, and your best growth comes from playing,” he said on Sportsday SA.
Hinkley also revealed he spoke to AFL operations manager Steve Hocking on Monday in the aftermath of a controversial Showdown.
“Steve and I played together and we have a good relationship and we had a conversation on Monday about the whole thing, the game and some of the comments, and we’re both mature enough to say there was nothing more than some frustration in the comments and lack of clarity that sometimes come about with some challenges in the game,” Hinkley said.
“And Steve is the right person to try to rectify some of those challenges.”
Asked whether he can conclusively say whether Jenkins’ shot was a goal or a behind, Hinkley said he couldn’t. But his original point post-match was technology should be able to determine that for certain.
“No I can’t, that’s a simple fact, and our first reaction in the coaches’ box from where we sat and maybe we were a bit more emotional — we thought it touched the post on the way through,” he said.
“And then we saw the reaction but we certainly weren’t conclusive.
“My bigger concern was for the game, I remember hearing Damien Hardwick talk in mid-May about something similar — the score review — it’s just not quite clear enough for everyone.”
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