AFL 2021: Port Adelaide news leading into Round 22
Ken Hinkley has explained why there was no spot for Sam Powell-Pepper against Carlton and why Trent McKenzie won't feature against the Blues.
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Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Sam Powell-Pepper has been dropped for Saturday’s home match against Carlton because he has not been having as much influence on games.
Powell-Pepper kicked a crucial late goal in the Power’s four-point Showdown win but was otherwise relatively quiet.
He is one two Port Adelaide changes to face the Blues, going out of the side along with Trent McKenzie (tight hamstring).
Todd Marshall and Tom Clurey have been recalled.
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“He hasn’t been able to influence the game like he would normally influence a game,” Hinkley said of Powell-Pepper.
“His greatest assets to us are his ability to hunt and get after the opposition, and put an enormous amount of physical and implied pressure on the opposition.
“He hasn’t quite been able to get that at a level he’d like it to be and we need it to be.”
Hinkley said McKenzie pulled up a little ginger after the Showdown then trained OK on Thursday, but the club did not want to take a risk with him.
The Power was hopeful he would miss only one week.
“Trent’s got a little bit of history as a soft-tissue player and we’re mindful of that,” he said.
Hinkley said Steven Motlop, who was coming back from ankle surgery and was named as an emergency, was very close to making the 22.
Power forwards coach Nathan Bassett flagged Marshall’s return on Monday, telling FIVEaa the side missed him against the Crows.
Hinkley agreed and said the 22-year-old did everything for the team.
“We think the cohesion of our forward line is a lot to do with what Todd does and doesn’t always do with the ball in hand,” he said.
“He’s a really smart, intelligent forward who knows when it’s his turn to get in and out of the way, knows when to get in other positions.
“As you all know, I’m reluctant to at any stage leave Todd out of our team, but when we get a really fit and healthy squad, you have also got to play at a really high level to maintain your position in the side.”
Hinkley said a down week on the training track and the pressure of Showdown were among the factors behind the Power’s disappointing first-half showing against Adelaide, when it was restricted to just one goal to the main break.
Hinkley expected Lachie Jones (ankle) to be available after next week, while Hamish Hartlett was on track to return in a fortnight from knee surgery.
POWER OPTS FOR TALL TIMBER AGAINST BLUES
Port Adelaide has made two changes for its home match against Carlton on Saturday, recalling Todd Marshall and Tom Clurey.
Marshall, an unused medical substitute in the thrilling Showdown win last round, replaces Sam Powell-Pepper (omitted), while key defender Clurey is back for his first AFL game in five weeks at the expense of the injured Trent McKenzie (tight hamstring).
Power forwards coach Nathan Bassett flagged Marshall’s return on radio on Monday, telling FIVEaa he thought his side missed the 22-year-old against the Crows.
It means Port Adelaide will again field a four-prong tall attack, as Marshall rejoins Charlie Dixon, Mitch Georgiades and Peter Ladhams in the side.
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“We did miss Todd’s reliability in terms of holding shape and just being trustworthy in what he does,” Bassett said.
Powell-Pepper kicked a late goal that put the Power ahead in the fourth quarter of the Showdown and he assisted his side’s final goal to Charlie Dixon.
But he is the casualty of a Port Adelaide team that now has plenty of options forward of the ball since regaining Robbie Gray, Zak Butters, Orazio Fantasia and Xavier Duursma from injury.
Powell-Pepper is among the Power’s emergencies, along with Steven Motlop, who is on the comeback trail from ankle surgery, Jarrod Lienert and Sam Mayes.
Adelaide has named ruckman Kieran Strachan for his first game of the season as it prepares to face ladder-leading Melbourne and Max Gawn at the MCG on Sunday without Reilly O’Brien (knee).
Strachan has been in impressive SANFL form this campaign, averaging 16 disposals and 36 hit-outs from 15 matches.
The 25-year-old’s only other AFL game was against North Melbourne in Round 9 last season.
Lachie Sholl, Shane McAdam, Ben Davis, Sam Berry, Lachlan Gollant and Billy Frampton also come into Adelaide’s 26-man squad, which will be trimmed on Friday.
Brodie Smith and Will Hamill are the Crows’ two other exclusions.
They both need to go through the AFL’s 12-day concussion protocol after copping big hits in the Showdown.
FULL TEAMS: ALL THE INS AND OUTS FOR ROUND 22
PORT ADELAIDE v CARLTON
Saturday August 14, 4:05pm at Adelaide Oval
POWER
B: Burton, Clurey, Aliir
HB: Bergman, Jonas, Byrne-Jones
C: Duursma, Wines, Houston
HF: Amon, Georgiades, Butters
F: Gray, Dixon, Rozee
FOLL: Lycett, Boak, Drew
I/C: Marshall, Bonner, Ladhams, Fantasia
EMG: Mayes, Powell-Pepper, Motlop, Lienert
IN: Clurey
OUT: McKenzie (injured), Powell-Pepper (omitted)
BLUES
B: Stocker, Weitering, Newman
HB: Saad, Plowman, Williamson
C: Walsh, Cripps, O’Brien
HF: Murphy, C.Curnow, Martin
F: Betts, McGovern, Honey
FOLL: De Koning, Kennedy, Dow
I/C: Kemp, Newnes, Fisher, E.Curnow
EMG: Casboult, Petrevski-Seton, Durdin, Fogarty
IN: McGovern, Kemp
OUT: Jones, McKay, Silvagni (all injured)
MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE
Sunday August 15, 1:40pm at the MCG
DEMONS
B: Salem, May, Lever
HB: Rivers, Petty, Bowey
C: Brayshaw, Petracca, Langdon
HF: Neal-Bullen, Melksham, Fritsch
F: Pickett, Brown, Spargo
FOLL: Gawn, Oliver, Harmes
I/C (from): Jackson, Bedford, Hibberd, vandenBerg, Jordon, Weideman, Sparrow, Smith
IN: Bedford, Hibberd, Weideman, Smith
OUT: Hunt (injured)
CROWS
B: Murray, Butts, Kelly
HB: McPherson, Doedee, Jones
C: Cook, Keays, Seedsman
HF: Mackay, Himmelberg, Murphy
F: McHenry, Thilthorpe, Fogarty
FOLL: Strachan, Laird, Sloane
I/C (from): Sholl, Lynch, Schoenberg, McAdam, Davis, Berry, Gollant, Frampton
IN: Strachan, Sholl, McAdam, Berry, Gollant, Frampton
OUT: Hamill, Smith, O’Brien (all injured)
Port’s worrying message on online ‘d---heads’
– Russell Gould
A racist online slur directed to Aliir after his Showdown medal-winning performance against Adelaide on Saturday night highlights the weekly abuse players suffer from trolls and “d---heads”, according to Port assistant coach Nathan Bassett.
He was stinging in his assessment of the offenders and quick to point out how the cocoon of a football club could support all players from vile attempts to get under their skin.
Bassett said everyone at Port “loved” Aliir, who is in his first season at the club after crossing from Sydney, and such instances only heightened their desire to support him.
“At different stages lots of people make foolish decisions to make comments and, more than foolish decisions, they make an idiot of themselves,” Bassett said on Monday
“Some do it because they are an idiot, some do it because we give it the airtime. It’s extremely disappointing.
“Aliir has been a fantastic person for our footy club, we love him. You can’t not love Aliir. We’ll keep loving the person he is and the high quality performances he has been producing for us.”
Bassett said abuse was all too common for players and even coaches.
“It happens right across the AFL. It’s the racism thing this week or it’s players coping heat because they didn’t kick the extra goal for someone to complete a stupid multi,” he said.
“Or it’s random abuse anyone attached to a footy club can cop and that we all occasionally get, and it’s because some people are looking for a response. Other people, well, they are just d---heads.
“It’s all poor either way.”
The after-match attack took the shine off not only a glowing performance from Aliir but also a stirring Port win after a slow start Bassett said was because of a “difficult” week leading into the clash with the Crows.
“We didn’t have a terrific week and it certainly came out in both our games. The great thing is the guys showed some good resilience to fight back and get the result,” Bassett said.
“We’d expect a better training week, to be able to train properly for a couple of sessions and that would give us a better chance to prepare to play Carlton.”
Bassett said key forward Charlie Dixon remained sore and had “maybe a few parts that weren’t working to full capacity” against the Crows.
But he said more game time into recent returnees, including Robbie Gray and Orazio Fantasia, would have Port looking at a top-four finish.
“It’s more about getting them in to the form which gives them the best chance to play well when we get to finals,” Bassett said.
Steven Motlop is edging close to a return and could come through the SANFL.
Originally published as AFL 2021: Port Adelaide news leading into Round 22
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