Port Adelaide’s Paddy Ryder leads Power back into top four
A PADDY Ryder-led Port Adelaide has bounced back from last week’s Essendon disaster and cracked into the top four after a workmanlike win against bottom side Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
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A PADDY Ryder-led Port Adelaide has bounced back from last week’s Essendon disaster and cracked into the top four after a workmanlike win against bottom side Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
But it has come at a cost, with Jared Polec — who provides so much important outside run — hobbling off in the last quarter with a hamstring injury.
Port Adelaide took an early lead and hung on to it, with Brisbane managing to stave off what had the signs of an inevitable blowout, but never happened.
It was a response from the previous week’s Essendon disaster at Etihad Stadium as the Power kicked the first three goals of the match. A response that was spoken in a hesitant tone rather than boomed with authority.
There was much to like about the look of the Power in the early stages.
Vice-captain Ollie Wines opened the scoring after winning his own clearance: a clear-cut sign of a midfield prepared to work consecutive contests.
Ryder was leaping over the top of Archie Smith and Stefan Martin and was a picture of dominance. By half time, Ryder had helped himself to 31 hit-outs, while Martin was stranded on five and Smith one.
Charlie Dixon looked like he was ready to open up another game when he struck the ball beautifully with a long goal in the first quarter.
He wouldn’t have it easy, because the 20-year-old Harris Andrews is turning into a fine defender and at 202cm can stand the game’s biggest gorillas.
Robbie Gray’s first goal was a peach: a one-handed grab that belonged in the scrapbook and showcased his grace and elegance.
Brisbane also played into Port’s hands by bombing it long into its forward line without poise and clearly defined intentions.
Matthew Broadbent was floating around at half back and was loving it; he made it look like the passes were destined for him and could instigate attack after attack for the Power.
But there were concerns creeping into the Power’s game as soon as Brisbane adjusted and recalibrated its efforts.
Despite Ryder’s dominance they managed to square up when it came to clearances after finding a way to rove to a losing ruck.
Brisbane’s best were busy, and despite the club’s struggles at the bottom of the ladder, players such as Dayne Beams, Dayne Zorko, Ryan Bastinac and Lewis Taylor have the ability to compete with the competition’s top liners.
The Lions also found a way to limit the Power’s outside run: the match lost its free-flowing pattern that had coloured the early stages.
When Brisbane had it, they were happy to hang on to possession even if it took them minutes to move it from their backline into attack.
Port Adelaide also had players who seemed absent.
Captain Travis Boak, Jarman Impey and Aaron Young were barely sighted in the first half and there will be questions over how suited Boak is to the half forward line, which can be starvation corner for a player who is in a bit of a rut.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 5.6 8.9 14.10 18.13 (121)
BRISBANE LIONS 3.3 6.6 10.6 12.9 (81)
Best: Port Adelaide: P Ryder O Wines R Gray S Gray C Wingard J Polec. Brisbane Lions: D Zorko R Bastinac R Lester D Rich D Beams.
Goals: Port Adelaide: C Wingard 3 A Young 2 O Wines 2 P Ryder 2 R Gray 2 S Powell-Pepper 2 C Dixon H Hartlett J Neade S Gray T Boak. Brisbane Lions: R Bastinac 3 D Zorko 2 E Hipwood 2 H Andrews J Barrett L Taylor R Lester T Rockliff.
Umpires: Sam Hay, Dean Margetts, Andrew Stephens, Curtis Deboy.
Crowd: 31,772 at Adelaide Oval.
Originally published as Port Adelaide’s Paddy Ryder leads Power back into top four
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