AFL Finals 2023: All the news, action and fallout from qualifying final between Brisbane and Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide has had one big issue this season, and against the Lions on Saturday night, it reared its ugly head again. Here’s how the Power fell well short at the Gabba.
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Port Adelaide’s struggles to stop teams from scoring had been an issue this season and it reared its head again on Saturday night.
The Power finished the minor round with the 12th-fewest points conceded this season, far from the defensive profile of a premiership side.
In fact, every flag winner since 1999 had finished in the top six in that category.
Port had conceded 100 points four times this season before the qualifying final against Brisbane and lost all those matches.
On Saturday night, the Lions piled on 19.9 (123), including a whopping 13 goals from stoppages – usually one of the Power’s strengths – and prevailed.
Too often Brisbane was able to quickly transition from a ball up into its attacking 50.
Runs of goals proved particularly costly, such as three to close the second and third terms.
Port was not helped by losing two defenders – one temporarily – during the game-breaking third quarter.
Pressure forward Darcy Byrne-Jones was subbed off just as half-back Dylan Williams came to the bench with a hamstring issue.
Then Trent McKenzie, in his first game back from a knee problem, went down with an ankle complaint in a marking contest.
McKenzie returned for a short time during the last quarter, before finishing on the bench.
The injuries added to the problems Port Adelaide faced in the third term, as the Lions got on top, building an unassailable 38-point lead at the last break.
Port closed to within 16 points before Brisbane booted the next three majors to end the quarter and put one foot in a home preliminary final.
The Lions, who finished the minor round as the league’s second-highest scoring team, were always going to be difficult to stop at home, where they had won 11 in a row.
The Lions had only registered three more scoring shots to three-quarter time.
Usual deadeye Todd Marshall missing simple goals was symbolic of Port Adelaide’s early inaccuracy.
To beat Brisbane at the Gabba, teams need to take their opportunities inside 50 and Port could not put on enough scoreboard pressure.
Marshall – one of the most accurate goalkickers in the league the past two seasons – slotted just one of his four set shots to half-time.
Of the misses, two were out on the full.
Marshall certainly was not alone.
Fellow key forward Jeremy Finlayson, whose accuracy had fallen away this season (38.37 before Saturday night), was wayward from 40m out, directly in front.
Tough nut Sam Powell-Pepper was errant from 25m on a slight angle.
Port was 5.6 at half-time but that did not account from a handful of no scores.
“Port Adelaide probably should be in front at half-time,” Alastair Lynch said on Fox Footy.
“You can see the energy go out of the players when they continually miss.”
Match report: Lions send warning as it all goes pear-shaped for Port
– Marco Monteverde
A five-goal haul from star forward Joe Daniher has propelled Brisbane to a 48-point win over Port Adelaide and helped move the Lions to within one victory of their first AFL grand final appearance since 2004.
In front of a sellout crowd of 36.020 on Saturday night, the Lions maintained their perfect 2023 home record with a 19-9 (123) to 11-9 (75) qualifying final win.
The Lions will now have next weekend off before meeting either Carlton or Melbourne in a Gabba preliminary final in a fortnight’s time.
For Port, the loss means they will now face a sudden-death road in their premiership quest.
Their consolation is that next Saturday’s do-or-die contest against the GWS Giants, who earlier in the day ended St Kilda’s season with a 24-point win at the MCG, will be at the Adelaide Oval, where the winner will secure a preliminary final date against minor premiers Collingwood.
Daniher’s five goals were complemented by three each from Cameron Rayner and Jaspa Fletcher.
For Port, Ollie Lord booted four goals. However, the Power paid the price early when the game was in the balance with inaccurate kicking.
The Power were cruelled by injuries in the third quarter, with Dylan Williams (hamstring) and Trent McKenzie (ankle) forced off.
Making matters worse for Port was that both injuries occurred after the South Australian outfit had activated its substitute by bringing on Travis Boak for Darcy Byrne-Jones.
However, in an encouraging sign for Power ahead of their do-or-die affair with the Giants, McKenzie was able to return to the field in the final quarter.
Milestone man
After being kept quiet early, livewire Lions forward Charlie Cameron upped the ante in his 200th AFL appearance with back-to-back goals in the space of two third-quarter minutes to give Brisbane some much-needed breathing space.
Using the impetus created by Cameron’s surge, the Lions then all but put the game out of Power’s reach by three-quarter time when they led by 38 points.
Earlier, Cameron needed a jumper change after becoming involved in a scuffle with Power star Jason Horne-Francis.
It was part of a frustrating first-half for Cameron, who had obviously been identified as a danger man by the visitors.
The only Lions player to be named in this year’s All-Australian side, Cameron came looking for the ball well outside Brisbane’s attacking 50-metre zone in an attempt to have a greater impact on the contest.
His patience was eventually rewarded with his third-quarter burst that proved decisive.
Good Lord
Port forward Ollie Lord had found it hard to kick goals during the regular season, nailing only 10 six-pointers in the 11 matches he played.
However, while some of his teammates, particularly Todd Marshall, struggled for accuracy at the Gabba, Lord had his kicking boots on, with his three first-half goals largely responsible for Port only trailing by 16 points at the main break.
Lord’s impact lessened in the second half but he still finished the match with four goals.
His form will give Port coach Ken Hinkley a potential selection headache should spearhead Charlie Dixon recover from a foot injury during the remainder of the Power’s finals campaign.
Playing with fire
Port Adelaide star Zak Butters could face scrutiny from the Match Review Officer after an off-ball incident in Saturday night’s qualifying final at the Gabba.
Butters bumped Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko in the back in the Lions’ attacking 50 during the first term, bowling the veteran over.
Former Brisbane player Luke Hodge did not think it was worthy of suspension.
“The AFL won’t like the look of it but I don’t think it’s in the category to get rubbed out,” Hodge said on Channel 7.
Scoreboard
LIONS 3.3 8.4 16.5 19.9 (123)
POWER 1.4 5.6 9.9 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Lions: Daniher 5, Rayner 3, Fletcher 3, Cameron 2, Bailey, McCluggage, Zorko, McCarthy, Hipwood, Lyons
Power: Lord 4, Marshall 2, Powell-Pepper 2, Rozee, Rioli, Byrne-Jones
BEST
Lions: Daniher, Rayner, McCluggage, Fletcher, Bailey
Power: Lord, Rozee, Butters, Houston, Drew
Crowd: 36,020
Originally published as AFL Finals 2023: All the news, action and fallout from qualifying final between Brisbane and Port Adelaide
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