Port Adelaide falls to narrow loss against Richmond at Adelaide Oval
Richmond came into the game missing a host of its best players and the Power took advantage early before the Tigers fought back for an upset seven-point win at Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide
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It will go down as one hell of a missed opportunity for Port. There was Richmond coming into the game devoid of its big-name stars, while the Power was at home in perfect conditions.
But after trading the lead with the Tigers throughout the last term, they lost by seven points to a big-kicking Richmond, who were led by their star recruit Tom Lynch who booted six goals in what was his best game so far in the yellow and black.
After the 15.9 (99) to 14.8 (92) loss, Port suddenly find themselves on a two-game losing streak and their remarkable start to the season has been all but erased.
Port got off to a great start in the game, playing their favoured free-flowing style of possession football, and they showed why they went into the match ranked No. 1 in the league for uncontested possessions: and by quarter time they had 40 more uncontested possessions than the Tigers and had clocked up 43 short kicks to Richmond’s 19.
Port was eight points up at quarter time as Richmond’s inaccuracy hurt them, but the Tigers got on top of Port around the stoggages in the second quarter and came back to be only one point down at half time, despite having more scoring shots.
The second half was an arm-wrestle and momentum swung from one side to the other. The third term was an impressive display for Richmond, in which they booted four unanswered goals and found themselves 15 points up before Port was able to keep in touch thanks to an appalling lack of judgment by Tiger Kamdyn McIntosh who mucked up a kick inside Port’s forward 50, and Sam Gray capitalised with a goal.
In the end, Richmond won with better composure in the final term.
GIVING UP THE LEAD
De je vu is not fun in football particularly when it involves losing. This is the second consecutive game where Port was given up a lead in the forth quarter, to end up losing.
Last week, the Power gave up a 10-point lead to Brisbane with only five minutes to go.
This week, they gave up a four-point lead midway through the last.
They put themselves back in front after Dan Houston kicked his first for the game at the 22-minute mark, but when Richmond’s McIntosh slotted his first for the game to put the Tigers two points up, they didn’t reliquinsh their lead.
STARLESS TIGERS
This was the first time Tigers coach Damien Hardwick had been without any of his quartet of big names — Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt — since Martin debuted in 2010.
But there was still plenty of talent out there and more than a dozen 2017 premiership players were running around.
However it was the Tigers new star — Tom Lynch, fresh from the Gold Coast — who really stood out.
After a quiet first term in which he touched the ball only once, he upped his game in the second and third quarters, piling on a mammoth six goals. He took six big marks and ended the game with 10 disposals, including nine kicks. Dylan Grimes was a pillar in defence and really stood up in the final minutes, taking a mark in Port’s goalsquare and effective ending the Power’s chances.
REALITY BITES
Hot one week, not the next. Port’s young brigade of Connor Rozee and Zac Butters felt the full force of the reality of AFL football after blistering starts in their debut seasons.
In particular, Rozee — a match-hero last week when he booted five goals against Brisbane and earnt himself a Rising Star nod — had only three touches until half time. He finished with 12. Zac Butters was equally quiet and finished the game with nine disposals.
But the Power’s other youngsters due of Xavier Duursma and Willem Drew were exceptions to this. Drew had an important smother late in the third quarter just as Port Adelaide had wrestled back momentum and then at the six-minute mark in the final term he kicked his first ever goal in AFL footy.
Sure, Duursma missed a goal to put the Power in front in the dying minutes of the game, but that’s not the reason they lost.
However the two young kids weren’t the only ones who seemed lost for form. Steven Motlop was particularly quiet and had only three disposals — one of those a kick — at three-quarter time and he finished with seven. Westhoff spent a lot of time forward but didn’t have the usual impact he would and was forced to work his way up the ground to get involved.
THE OLD(ER) GUARD
While Port’s kids were quiet, the likes of Tom Rockliff, Brad Ebert, Tom Jonas and Travis Boak led the team from end to end. Rockliff had 32 disposals to three-quarter time ended the game with 37 — the most for anyone on the oval. He’d come into the game under a huge concussion cloud after suffering a head knock in his side’s loss to Brisbane last week, but he showed no signs of it during the game. He was a disposal-getting machine, laying on five tackles.
Boak also continued his dominance after finding Zen in the midfield and he finished up with 33 disposals (18 kicks and 15 handballs).
Ebert was critical in the fourth quarter: by the 20-minute mark he’d had a quarter-high eight disposals as well as four contested possessions, two each for score-involvements, inside-50s and clearances.
SCOREBOARD
Richmond: 2.5, 6.8, 11.8, 15.9 (99)
Port Adelaide: 4.1, 7.3, 11.6 14. 8 (92)
Best:
Richmond: Grimes, Lynch, Ellis, Caddy, Nankervis
Port Adelaide: Rockliff, Houston, Boak, Ebert
Goals:
Richmond: Lynch 6, Caddy 3, Prestia, Bolton, Ellis, Baker, Nankervis, McIntosh
Port Adelaide: S. Gray 3, Ebert 2, R. Gray 2, Wines 2, Powell-Pepper, Ryder, Burton, Drew, Houston
Injuries:
Port Adelaide: Nil
Richmond: Nil
Crowd: 38, 864
Umpires: Meredith, Fleer, Gavine
VOTES
3 — Grimes
2 — Rockliff
1 — Lynch
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
Power 4.1 (25)
Tigers 2.5 (17)
Boak has had a heap of it already - just 19 minutes into the first quarter and he's up to 10 touches already 😳
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) April 13, 2019
âš¡ 19-10 ðŸ¯#AFLPowerTigers
Richmond had the first shot for goal but the Power quickly took over the quarter with lively movement of the ball. Richmond applied good pressure in parts but the way Port Adelaide moved it from the backline into attack made it clear they had the capacity to score quickly. Robbie Gray showed some brilliance and Travis Boak was the leading possession getter. Josh Caddy kicked two goals for Richmond.
SECOND QUARTER
Power 7.3 (45)
Tigers 6.8 (44)
Brad Ebert from beyond the arc! #AFLPowerTigers pic.twitter.com/ZvCvKFcskn
— AFL (@AFL) April 13, 2019
Richmond was rediscovering some of its trademark traits in tackling, pressure and doing everything they could to play in their half of the ground. With only one tall forward — Tom Lynch — the forward pressure was similar to that of its premiership year in 2017. Port Adelaide was slowed down and overpossessed.
THIRD QUARTER
Power 11.6 (72)
Tigers 11.8 (74)
Official crowd here at @TheAdelaideOval âš¡ #AFLPowerTigers #weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/6ltnPx9KqA
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) April 13, 2019
Richmond rode a big wave of momentum after a free kick to Tom Lynch allowed him to kick consecutive goals from the goalsquare. Liam Baker kicked the next and then Lynch kicked another and all of a sudden Richmond had a 15-point lead after being behind for most of the first half. Port Adelaide countered to set up an intriguing final quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Power 14.8 (92)
Tigers 15.9 (99)
The Power retake the lead!
— AFL (@AFL) April 13, 2019
Which way will this one go? #AFLPowerTigers pic.twitter.com/a1eY3BZK2x
It was the sort of hectic finish that make football games great despite what had happened during the match. Whoever had the ball in the forward line threatened because the way the game was set up both teams struggled to get it out of the backline. A huge win to an undermanned Richmond and a big game for Tom Lynch. Port was coming hard but Richmond staved it off.
PORT ADELAIDE V RICHMOND
Saturday, April 13, 4.05pm, Adelaide Oval
TV: Fox Footy, Channel 7
RADIO: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC
LIVE STREAM: kayosports.com.au
WEATHER: Cloudy, max 24C
POWER
B: Riley Bonner, Tom Clurey, Dan Houston
HB: Ryan Burton, Tom Jonas, Darcy Byrne-Jones
C: Steven Motlop, Tom Rockliff, Justin Westhoff
HF: Travis Boak, Brad Ebert, Zak Butters
F: Robbie Gray, Paddy Ryder, Connor Rozee
Foll: Scott Lycett, Ollie Wines, Willem Drew
I/C: Sam Powell-Pepper, Xavier Duursma, Dougal Howard, Sam Gray
Emerg: Matthew Broadbent, Sam Mayes, Kane Farrell, Todd Marshall
No change
TIGERS
B: Nathan Broad, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes
HB: Nick Vlastuin, Shane Edwards, Connor Menadue
C: Brandon Ellis, Liam Baker, Kamdyn McIntosh
HF: Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Jason Castagna
F: Dion Prestia, Tom J. Lynch, Noah Balta
Foll: Toby Nankervis, Josh Caddy, Kane Lambert
I/C: Jack Graham, Jack Ross, Jack Higgins, Sydney Stack
Emerg: Jacob Townsend, Dan Butler, Callum Coleman-Jones, Oleg Markov
IN: Dylan Grimes, Bachar Houli, Liam Baker, Shai Bolton, Josh Caddy, Jack Ross, Connor Menadue
OUT: Dan Butler, Ryan Garthwaite, Dustin Martin, Jayden Short, Trent Cotchin, Bachar Houli
Originally published as Port Adelaide falls to narrow loss against Richmond at Adelaide Oval
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