AFL State of Origin: Did Patrick Dangerfield mock Adelaide's Grand Final 'power stance'?
State of Origin fans were quick to notice Patrick Dangerfield adopting a stance similar to that employed by his former club Adelaide during the 2017 finals before Friday night's State of Origin match. But was he really mocking the Crows?
It was the intimidatory tactic which became a major talking point after Adelaide's 2017 finals campaign.
The so-called 'power stance' or 'staredown stance' was employed by the Crows during the finals series three years ago during which they progressed to the Grand Final.
Supporters were quick to note former Adelaide player Patrick Dangerfield taking on a very similar stance during the build-up to Friday night's State of Origin bushfire relief match.
Standing next to a smiling Trent Cotchin and Damien Hardwick, who faced Adelaide in the 2017 decider, Dangerfield pinned his arms and stared down the All Stars with a wry smile on his face.
Dangerfield doing the ‘power stance’ as a joke before the anthem. Genuinely funny. #AFLOrigin pic.twitter.com/BTgIsox2nV
— James Rosewarne (@jamesrokewarne) February 28, 2020
Paddy Dangerfield with his own tribute to the Adelaide Crows Power Stance 👌ðŸ»ðŸ¤£ðŸ‘ðŸ»#AFLOrigin #BushfireRelief #BigV #AllStars #PowerStance@dangerfield35 @FOXFOOTY @7AFL pic.twitter.com/UwJ4vxpJXZ
— Christian Wallace (@Wally_NMFC) February 28, 2020
Post-match, the star Geelong on-baller explained the move.
"I was getting psyched for the game," Dangerfield said.
"I was thinking of Wayne Harmes. I'm like, 'what would Harmesy do?'"
Love this from Dangerfield. The Power stance for one last time. Wish they showed us Tex’s face. #GoTiges pic.twitter.com/CeFl9fZP0C
— Tiger Time 🅠(@_tigertime) February 28, 2020
Meanwhile, Dustin Martin added another medal to his collection when he was voted best on ground in the bushfire relief match.
Premierships – tick, tick. Brownlow medal – tick. Normie, too – double tick again.
The best afeld medal fit him like a glove, and even among the biggest names in the game, the two-time premiership Tiger shone like the North Star to claim best on ground honours.
The superstar finished with two goals and 22 disposals, but fans questioned whether he was the deserving winner.
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“It’s a really special night, and I’m honoured to be a part of it,” he said at half-time.
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Alongside Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and Western Bulldogs counterpart Marcus Bontempelli at the centre bounce, Martin weaved his magic.
Then too in front of goal, with a handy couple.
“It’s very quick – not my go,” Martin laughed.
“It’s good fun.”
Not his go? He didn’t look it.
And if he thought it was quick in the first half, that was nothing. Just like the NBA All Star outing just weeks ago, the notch was lifted in the final quarter as Victoria piled on the pain.
Straight to the goal square as the game hung in the balance at the start of the final term, with Toby Greene strutting up at the half-forward line, booting a goal to put the Vics in front with the ease of ordering a morning latte.
What a pair. To think that if Martin’s tour of western Sydney in a hardhat had eventuated … it was a night for that kind of dreaming.
To imagine having Dangerfield, Whitfield and Cotchin in the one midfield, or Houli, Sicily and Moore all roaming from defence.
But it was Martin, with his typical saunter, who showed he has anything but dipped after the Tigers’ second premiership glory in three years, gathering 23 touches, two goals and a couple of clearances for the night.
“We wanna win, so we’ll try and do something special,” he said, already walking away from Jonathon Brown on Fox Footy.
If his football being typically flashy wasn't enough, the brush was typical of his private persona.
This was just another night at the footy.
For his Richmond captain Trent Cotchin, tasked with leading Victoria under reigning premier coach Damien Hardwick, there was a sense of the unknown.
“Initially when you’re given the task, you don’t know really which way to think about it,” he said.
“Incredibly humbled. All doing it for a great cause.”
Originally published as AFL State of Origin: Did Patrick Dangerfield mock Adelaide's Grand Final 'power stance'?