Port Adelaide battled to its limits — and fell tellingly short when measured as an AFL finals contender
PORT Adelaide’s free fall from top-four contender to a team that is now out of the AFL top-eight highlights effort is not enough to be a successful team.
PORT Adelaide was carrying platitudes through the battle with Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday — brave, wounded, and desperate … and the desperation of a team in free fall was exposed in many ways.
But the Power — the AFL team that lives to the theme of never giving up — returns to its home base at Alberton without what matters most in the run to the AFL finals in September: Four premiership points.
Port Adelaide, once a top-four contender, is no longer in the AFL top eight — and is unlikely to return even if it closes the home-and-away series with 13 wins by beating also-ran Essendon at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
MATCH REPORT: PIES PUT POWER’S SEASON ON LIFE SUPPORT
MATCH CENTRE: ALL THE STATS AND SUPERCOACH SCORES
KEN HINKLEY: PASSIVE POWER MUST WORK HARDER
With five losses in the past six games — after being at 11-4 — the Power is the AFL’s new underperforming unit carrying the pain of ranking ninth.
It is 21 years since Port Adelaide started its AFL journey at the MCG against Collingwood — and was overwhelmed by the venue, opponent and moment. This time the Power team playing the Magpies at the ’G for the 11th time was challenged by a 211cm American, Mason Cox, in the Collingwood attack; questions on ruckman Patrick Ryder’s fitness with a left-hip strain and tension of staying in the race.
Unlike 1997, this Power team — as coach Ken Hinkley had put on the agenda while the ashes of last weekend’s last-kick loss to West Coast were still burning — was ready for the fight from the second bounce after Collingwood goalsneak Jordan de Goey’s goal in the opening minute.
Port Adelaide critically needed to prove it could score — and not just because key forward Charlie Dixon was absent with a broken right leg. The Power entered this match without having scored 100 points since June 14 … and it fell 36 points short in this game.
Small forward Robbie Gray replaced Dixon in the goalsquare. Ryder and Justin Westhoff worked a tandem as ruckmen and go-to forwards. And Melbourne recruit Jack Watts, in his first return to the MCG, again was asked to cover much space … even when hobbling on a sore left ankle.
The scoreboard began on 100-point pace with a 25-point (4.1) first term with the opening three goals from Ryder, Westhoff and Watts. But by midway through the second quarter — after Port Adelaide had been without a goal while Collingwood scored five in 15 minutes — the trend was clear. As Ryder lost power, the Power lost clearances and contested football and worked to diminishing inside-50s and genuine scoring chances.
The strain on the Port Adelaide defence tells in time-on. Collingwood scored goals with two seconds to play in the first term (from rookie-listed Brody Mihocek) and nine in the second (Taylor Adams).
Port Adelaide’s fight against a 17-point half-time deficit demanded extraordinary efforts from a sore Ryder and over-taxed Westhoff. Forward Sam Gray was challenged to shut down Collingwood playmaker Steele Sidebottom. But someone needed to emerge in the Power midfield mix — Steven Motlop who was the hero and goat at the same time.
Motlop was prolific with possessions. And he melted down on conceding a free kick for a bad tackle (and a goal-conceding 50-metre penalty for a silly punch) in the last three minutes in the third term when the margin had been cut to six points. And then effort — and the Power’s dream — died.
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. PORT Adelaide’s scoring power — down in recent week even with key forward Charlie Dixon — worked without Dixon (broken right leg) and started with lead ruckman Patrick Ryder working a tandem with Justin Westhoff in ruck and attack. Ryder, Westhoff and Jack Watts — the three talls left standing at Alberton — had the Power’s first three goals in the first five minutes. The final score of 10.4 (64) marks the ninth consecutive game the Power has failed to reach 100 points.
2. HONEST Ken again as Power coach Ken Hinkley stayed true to the 22 he named on Thursday night with the contentious choice being All-Australian ruckman Patrick Ryder after so much doubt created by his left-hip strain. The high-leaping Ryder showed he was indeed ready to challenge Collingwood’s in-form ruckman Brodie Grundy from the start while Justin Westhoff duelled with giant American Mason Cox in the centre-bounce switch-ups. But Ryder was noticeably losing his jump midway through the second term.
3. TOM Jonas’ eagerness to take on the big challenges in the Power defence put him first up in a goalsquare duel with Collingwood goalkicking machine Jordan de Goey. It was a testing assignment with Jonas needing to balance when to work body-on-body and when to cut off de Goey’s well-timed leads.
4. WATTS’ return to the MCG for the first time as a Port Adelaide player — after playing 85 games at the ’G for Melbourne — was built on high expectation as the answer to dealing with Dixon’s absence. Some players are indeed dealt more than their fair share of bad luck as Watts was hobbling on a sore left ankle by midway through the first term.
5. COX stands at 211cm — 12cm as an advantage on Port Adelaide’s tallest defender Dougal Howard. And he does indeed create fear in a Collingwood attack that does live up to the theme of “chaos ball” as the Magpie forwards feed off quick entries and panic in opposition defences.
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
Join the conversation
Destruction! Favourite out, yachts dismasted in Sydney to Hobart drama
In one of the most destructive – and expensive – nights in Sydney to Hobart history, wild winds and rugged seas have blown the race apart and sent multiple favourites into retirement
Read more
Kohli learns his fate over Konstas collision
Indian cricket veteran Virat Kohli has learned his fate after his “pathetic” act with youngster Sam Konstas on Boxing Day.
Read more