AFL community to discover how good Port Adelaide is when it faces Sydney at SCG, writes David King
JUDGMENT day has arrived for Port Adelaide. The Power sit atop of the AFL ladder, yet doubts against the competition’s very best still remain.
David King
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JUDGMENT day has arrived for Port Adelaide.
The Power sit atop of the AFL ladder with 10 wins and just one loss, yet doubts against the competition’s very best still remain.
They’ve played and beaten the AFL’s best teams, but those teams were impacted severely by injuries to key talent.
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The Power defeated Geelong without Andrew Mackie, Steven Motlop and Allen Christensen. They owned a decimated Fremantle without key post pillars Zac Dawson and Luke McPharlin and they slowly cooked a skeleton Hawthorn missing its salary cap top end of Josh Gibson, Sam Mitchell, Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead and Brian Lake.
The fixture has been kind to Ken Hinkley and his crew. While that’s not their fault, they’ve made the most of it.
But today they will be exposed to the Sydney Swans audit. Any flaws will be uncovered on this stage.
Swans coach John Longmire welcomes all comers to the SCG, although it may as well be called KPMG stadium.
Port Adelaide can today stamp itself as genuine premiership material and become raging flag favourites.
A convincing victory would send shudders through the AFL community. A hard-fought loss would offer Port feedback and provide a challenge for an outfit that hasn’t had to overcome many issues this season.
But they can’t get blown away and keep premiership credibility.
Power coach Ken Hinkley is well aware that, despite winning, his side has flirted with their form. St Kilda was level with the Power just prior to half-time and Melbourne lead halfway through the final term in Alice Springs.
Hinkley will want to assess his stocks against the AFL’s best. He will demand they stand up when it matters most. He will learn more about his players in this game than any other so far this season. Players who perform today will give him the confidence to select them come September.
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Hinkley talks about running more than Forrest Gump ever did. Can they get their short kicking, running game flowing against Sydney’s vice-like midfield clamps?
Both teams lead the competition in speed of ball movement from defensive 50m to forward 50m. They’ve had the most coast-to-coast chains under 15 seconds recorded by Champion Data and, make no mistake, this statistic is trending as a significant offensive indicator for success.
The fascination with Port Adelaide revolves around the speed it injects into games. Hinkley’s philosophy regarding momentum is revolutionary to the AFL.
Momentum swings many times in all AFL games and all teams — with the exception of Port — tend to slow the game down. They chip it around their defensive end in an attempt to stem the scoreboard bleeding.
Dwayne Russell, the former Port player and now commentator, speaks of Hinkley maximising Port’s running advantage regardless of the scoreboard — to play the game quicker once momentum is lost. The theory is that eventually fatigue will impact their opponents before them.
Much has been made of the volume of their elite endurance stocks and Hinkley’s method compliments this attribute.
A red, amber and green light for controlling of the speed of the game is common. Red to encourage slow play when opposition has control, amber to take the risk if an obvious target is available and green when you’ve regained momentum.
Hinkley has a double-green light.
It’s a philosophy adopted when in control and full of run, but also when the game’s fallen into opposition hands.
It’s revolutionary, yet brilliant. It exudes confidence and encourages proactivity to a playing group that already feels invincible and it fuels their passion to excite and entertain.
Both Port and Sydney operate with tremendous proficiency, but in different ways.
The Swans love to handball, thrive in traffic and enjoy contact and working their way through congestion before driving the ball long and forward. The inside game is their main asset and it’s lethal.
Port recently hasn’t been as tough as Sydney at the contest. Over the past month, they rank 14th in contested ball (-7 a game) compared to the ruthless Swans, who sit third (averaging +9).
At ground level, since Round 5, Sydney’s ferocity is frightening. The Swans are +143, almost twice the advantage of the second-ranked Collingwood in this period, and quadruple the third-ranked Western Bulldogs. Port, who almost break-even with its opponents, is well back in 11th.
Forget the “Bondi Billionaires” Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett and co. up forward. It’s the midfield of Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack, who dictate the Swans’ fortunes. Considering ground balls account 70 per cent of contested possession, it’s put up or shut up right here.
If Port fails the ground level test, it will get ugly on the scoreboard.
If the Power can match or better them inside the heated contested situations, they will challenge the Swans to engage them defensively with their short kicking and running game that almost all others have failed to curtail.
It’s the inside game versus the outside game.
The butting heads of the marquee midfield talent is worth the price of entry alone.
Dan Hannebery v Ollie Wines, Josh Kennedy v Travis Boak, Kieren Jack v Hamish Hartlett. Then there’s the support crew of Brad Ebert, Jared Polec and Kane Cornes awaiting Luke Parker, Ben McGlynn and Craig Bird. They both possess deep midfields and this game will decided by the midfield victor.
Port Adelaide’s forward line is more effective statistically and without Tippett, the Swans will rely more on Franklin to produce.
The fact is this game will be decided by the volume and quality of supply from midfield. Both sides possess enough talent in their forward halves to convert opportunities into scores.
Hinkley and his double green light offence versus Longmire and his ground ball warriors.
There will be an audit performed at the SCG on Saturday afternoon and I get the feeling Port may learn more about itself in this two-hour block than any other so far this year.
GROUND BALL GETS
Team differential v opposition (Rounds 5-12)
Sydney +143
Collingwood +75
Western Bulldogs +32
Gold Coast Suns +31
North Melbourne +31
St Kilda +21
Hawthorn +10
Melbourne +2
Richmond +1
Fremantle 0
Port Adelaide -4
Brisbane Lions -11
Carlton -20
Adelaide Crows -28
West Coast Eagles -50
Essendon -60
GWS Giants -82
Geelong Cats -91
Source: Champion Data
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