AFL round 20: Matt Turner breaks down Port Adelaide’s victory over Carlton
Ken Hinkley made the call on Monday — Esava Ratugolea was going forward. MATT TURNER breaks down what it moves for Port Adelaide’s attack in coming weeks after Ratugolea’s dominance against Carlton.
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Ken Hinkley was asked if people could assume Willem Drew had been told to run with Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps.
The Port Adelaide coach’s response hinted he had a different ace up his sleeve.
“You shouldn’t assume anything this week,” Hinkley said on Thursday.
The Power’s surprise move in the come-from-behind 14-point victory against the Blues at Marvel Stadium on Friday night was shifting key defender Esava Ratugolea into attack.
Ratugolea, who had booted just one goal from his previous 36 games, proved an unlikely matchwinner.
The 197cm former Cat kicked two majors, took three contested marks and grabbed three marks inside 50 to be one of the Power’s best in a team light on tall forwards.
Hinkley revealed post-game that he told Ratugolea about his role change on Monday.
It had nothing to do with Carlton losing spearhead Harry McKay to illness on game night.
The Power was missing Todd Marshall due to a hip issue for a second consecutive match and had Jeremy Finlayson (spleen) sidelined for the remainder of the season.
It's a two-point game 👀#AFLBluesPowerpic.twitter.com/6v8Os6HAbz
— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 26, 2024
It opted to move Ratugolea forward and drop 22-year-old Ollie Lord.
“We expected Weitering to go to Charlie … so we thought another big person might challenge Carlton,” Hinkley said post-match.
“He kicked a couple for us and (battled in) some big contests, big packs.
“It always helps to have flexibility in your team.”
Ratugolea came through junior ranks as forward/ruckman when Geelong chose him at pick 43 in the 2016 national draft.
He kicked 38 goals from 55 games in four seasons for the Cats from 2018-21, before being shifted to the backline at VFL level for the second half of 2022.
The Power tried to trade for him at the end of that year, only for Geelong to hold him for the final 12 months of his contract.
Port successfully pounced last October.
Ratugolea has played almost exclusively in defence this season, where his decision-making has come under scrutiny.
He made a cameo in attack against GWS in Sydney last month and booted his first goal since 2021.
Last week he cost the Power a goal after a poor backwards kick to a teammate in Richmond’s attacking 50 – a mistake that was highlighted several times across the weekly media cycle.
Asked on Thursday how Ratugolea had dealt with the feedback on his decision-making, Hinkley said: “He’s working really hard and learning lots as he goes”.
“Perfection for any player is really hard to achieve, particularly when mistakes stand out on the last line of defence.
“He’s doing a really good job.”
Abbey: "Does (Willem Drew) have a (tagging) job straight off the top?"
— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 26, 2024
Ken Hinkley: "Yeah he will."
Abbey: "You're not gonna tell us?"
Ken: "Yeah, it'll be one of the Carlton players."
😅 #AFLBluesPowerpic.twitter.com/jM8N5pnf0L
In a pre-season press conference in February, Hinkley described Ratugolea as an infectious personality but a player who “tends to spend his time second-guessing himself a bit”.
“He is growing in confidence in his time with us,” he said then.
Ratugolea should gain plenty from his efforts against the Blues.
“For a bloke that’s played back all year and was told to do his thing and launch at some balls, it was really impressive and a nice little change-up,” Power forward Mitch Georgiades said on SEN.
The question now is – what does Port do with its attack when Marshall returns, likely next week against ladder leader Sydney?
Marshall’s form has been down this year – he has kicked 20 goals from 17 games – so he may not be an automatic inclusion.
Carlton star Jacob Weitering held Dixon to eight disposals, one mark and no score on Friday night, a week after the Power big man was arguably best on ground versus the Tigers.
But Dixon provided far more of a contest than in the round 12 clash against the Blues when he was subbed off.
Little things like blocking two Carlton defenders so Ratugolea could take the mark for his second goal, bringing the ball to ground deep in attack that led to Darcy Byrne-Jones’s win-sealing major and a deft centre square ruck tap that allowed Zak Butters to launch a forward foray were important yet might not be reflected in the statistics sheet.
Then again, the Power will need more from him if it is to make a deep finals run.
Georgiades continued his strong form, kicking an equal game-high three goals.
At his introductory press conference as a Power player in January, Ratugolea said consistency and keeping his spot in the team were things he had struggled with in recent years.
Showing his versatility in a crucial victory on Friday night will help.
So is playing forward a one-off?
“That’s on the coaching group,” Kane Farrell said.
“He provides a contest, he takes marks and kicks goals so it’s something to look into.”
Originally published as AFL round 20: Matt Turner breaks down Port Adelaide’s victory over Carlton
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