Port Adelaide must pick retiring veteran Justin Westhoff to face Geelong in AFL qualifying final
When Geelong thrashed the Power in round 12 Ken Hinkley was missing a critical piece of his arsenal. The Port Adelaide match committee must choose this man for the finals rematch.
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Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley will not sleep easy at the weekend.
He has the double chance with the AFL minor premiership, but he gets no second chance at selection for the Power’s first home final against Geelong on Thursday night.
Hinkley most likely has 20 of the 22 to play the Cats locked in for the qualifying final, a victory leads to a home preliminary final, the first for Port Adelaide since 2007.
All-Australian squad member Zak Butters will return from suspension. The second-year sensation will replace fellow small forward Boyd Woodcock.
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Key defender Tom Clurey has recovered from a minor hamstring strain that kept him out of last Monday night’s 16-point win against Collingwood.
The match committee will heavily debate whether Clurey replaces Jarrod Lienert, who was so impressive in defence against the Magpies.
The other piece of the puzzle for Hinkley rests in choosing between youth or experience.
Retiring veteran Justin Westhoff, who has 280 games and nine finals to his name, or impressive young forward Todd Marshall, who has played only 32 games and one final.
Hinkley should not lose too much sleep on this one. The decision is simple.
Westhoff gives the Power the most flexibility and experience. He also is in better form than the struggling Marshall.
Through 12 games this season, Westhoff has averaged 12 disposals, 3.7 marks (one contested). He has kicked 10 goals.
Marshall has also appeared in 12 matches. But he has averaged just 8.5 touches, 3.2 marks (0.5 contested).
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He too has kicked 10 goals playing solely as a forward, while Westhoff’s game time is spread across many roles including back-up ruck.
In round 12 on the Gold Coast, Geelong thrashed Port Adelaide by 60 points, the Power’s biggest defeat of their three losses this year.
Coleman Medal winner Tom Hawkins exposed Clurey and the Power’s undersized defence by taking seven contested marks and booting six goals – his biggest haul for the year.
Westhoff did not play in this game.
Had Westhoff been in the 22, Hinkley would have taken advantage of his versatility by positioning Westhoff on the wing and instructing him to float behind the ball to fill the space that Geelong expertly left vacant in front of Hawkins.
It is a role Westhoff has played better than any player in the AFL for the past decade.
Hinkley needs to be able to call on that luxury next week.
Westhoff is also the perfect match-up for Geelong’s in-form Mark Blicavs who has become a headache for the opposition with his athleticism on the wing and in the ruck.
Westhoff gives Hinkley the options that Marshall does not.
Marshall has a bright future and the coaching staff at Alberton rate him highly, but he has not done enough to put his position beyond doubt since returning from a broken thumb in round 14.
“What he does is important, but I thought he lacked a bit of composure when he had the footy,” Port Adelaide assistant coach Chad Cornes said on SEN SA on Tuesday.
“He does a lot of work off the ball to help us defend and helps us move the footy.
“But he’s probably not doing as much as he and the coaches would like but he’s an important part of our team.”
Hinkley also must factor in the intangible boost that Westhoff’s inclusion would provide the side. Along with Travis Boak and Robbie Gray, Westhoff is the longest-serving and most popular member of the Port Adelaide team.
All three deserve a premiership. It is the team honour that has to this point eluded them. Their teammates know it.
Plus, the 25,000 Port Adelaide fans who will be ushered into Adelaide Oval will be ravenous and all will rise whenever fan-favourite Westhoff goes near the ball.
Finals football calls for ruthless decisions. It would be heartbreaking for Marshall to be left out.
But selecting Westhoff gives Port Adelaide the best chance of winning its first final since 2014 and progressing to its first preliminary final since the dramatic loss to Hawthorn at the MCG in 2014.
WINNERS
CHANGE OF HEART
Earlier this season Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks laughed off suggestions he needed experience and help in the coaches box. Fast forward to this week where the club sacked assistant coaches Ben Hart and Mick Godden while also redeploying Brent Reilly – these decisions were made in order to make way for incoming senior assistant coach Scott Burns to help Nicks as his right-hand man. A wise appointment.
GIANT JONAS
What a week for Port Adelaide skipper Tom Jonas, who was named in the All-Australian squad of 40, recognised by his peers as the third best captain in the competition and voted the fourth most courageous player in the AFL.
LOW KEY CROWS
Well done to the Adelaide squad for celebrating the end of the season with an understated Mad Monday. The players were pictured having a quiet gathering and no one was dressed up in embarrassing costumes.
GREAT SCOTT
Brodie Grundy is regarded by most as the best ruckman in the game however he was well beaten by Port Adelaide’s Scott Lycett on Monday night. The Power’s midfield smashed Collingwood in the vital centre bounce clearances 14-4.
OMINOUS GRAY
Robbie Gray approached coach Ken Hinkley two weeks ago and confidently stated: “Don’t worry about me I’m going to be fine for finals, I’m ready and I’m building.”
Gray had a season best game collecting 25 disposals and seven clearances on Monday against Collingwood in a significant warning to his final’s opponents.
LOSERS
DANGER SIGNS
Geelong trailed Sydney by 11 points at half time last week and had the Cats lost they would have missed a top four position and the double chance. Enter superstar Patrick Dangerfield, who single-handedly turned the match slotting three goals from full-forward. Port Adelaide don’t have an obvious match-up for Danger next Thursday night.
OVERPRICED
Former GWS defender Zac Williams is departing the Giants to join Carlton next season. The Blues have reportedly offered Williams a $4 million deal over five seasons, which is an irresponsible offer that places him in the highest paid bracket of players in the AFL.
BAILEY’S BETTER
Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh was voted the AFL Coaches Association best young player. Walsh had a brilliant season but Western Bulldogs midfielder Bailey Smith was better in almost every key category and it’s hard to understand how he was overlooked for the award.
SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE
Players who leave their feet and slide into the contest have the potential to catastrophic lower leg injuries to their opponents. A free kick isn’t a tough enough deterrent for such a dangerous act.
HOO-ROOS
Dustin Martin, Isaac Heeney, Jordan de Goey, Andrew Gaff, Josh Kelly and now Zac Williams are all players who have recently knocked back godfather offers from North Melbourne.
Originally published as Port Adelaide must pick retiring veteran Justin Westhoff to face Geelong in AFL qualifying final