The Lowdown Round 22: Adelaide and Port Adelaide both record crucial wins
Port picked up another key win on the road in round 22, and in their pursuit of a top four finish and possibly more, their new super sub might have a key role to play.
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The South Australian sides won in very different ways in round 22 as Port Adelaide gritted over the line against Melbourne at the MCG and the Crows outplayed the Western Bulldogs at home.
Matt Turner unpacks the weekend for the two local clubs in The Lowdown.
LIKES
1. ROB UP TO THE TASK
Reilly O’Brien cops a fair bit of stick externally but when the Crows win, the club’s long-time ruckman often plays a crucial role.
That was the case again on Sunday, as he beat reigning All-Australian Tim English in his side’s 39-point triumph at Adelaide Oval.
O’Brien, the league leader in hit-outs and hit-outs to advantage per game this season, recorded a whopping 58 hit-outs to English’s 16.
The Adelaide big man was also able to stifle English’s effectiveness around the ground.
O’Brien took two contested marks – his equal-most for the campaign – and registered three inside 50s.
English had 16 disposals and booted a goal, but the major came 25 minutes into the last term when the game was already won.
Dropped for two matches in rounds 14 and 15, O’Brien has been getting more of the ball and having more influence over the past five weeks.
Adelaide ranks No. 1 in the AFL for scores from stoppages during that period, which is clearly down to a raft of factors, including getting key personnel back, but O’Brien has played an important part in that.
Set to turn 29 next week and contracted for another 12 months, O’Brien can be a key contributor in the Crows’ climb up the ladder in 2025, before they seek a long-term ruck successor.
2. CROWS’ UNSUNG DEFENDERS
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is one of the best young forwards in the competition and Cody Weightman is among the league’s most dangerous goalsneaks.
Both of them were blanketed on Sunday.
Josh Worrell kept Ugle-Hagan to one goal, 11 disposals and three marks.
Hugh Bond restricted Weightman to one behind, nine disposals and no marks.
Ugle-Hagan’s scoring tallies over the previous four weeks were 4.3, 4.1, 4.1 and 2.6.
Against the Crows, he kicked his goal and had five of his 11 disposals in the first quarter, before Worrell kept him quiet over the next three terms.
Weightman was coming off booting 2.3 last week and started reasonably well, chalking up four first-quarter disposals on Sunday.
He had just five more touches for the match.
Reading the play beautifully, Worrell had more intercept possessions (10) than anyone on the ground.
His absence from rounds 9 to 21 due to a fractured arm hurt the Crows, who do not really have a like-for-like replacement for a 195cm player with his athleticism, intercepting and kicking ability.
Five games into his career, Bond keeps getting jobs on some of the league’s best small forwards and is holding his own.
Last week he kept Geelong’s Tyson Stengle to one major, on Sunday it was Weightman’s turn to be shut down.
3. NARKLE SPARKLES
Quinton Narkle has been the substitute in six of his nine AFL games this season.
Saturday night was probably his best performance in that role.
The former Cat had just four disposals from almost 55 minutes on the ground, but he made them count.
Narkle kicked the crucial, late goal that tied the scores at 51 apiece and almost cleverly set up one immediately afterwards, only for the ball to have crossed the behind line.
His major came after swooping in to take a contested mark 25m out.
i am in equal admiration of both Quinton Narkle's hair, and the clutch goal he just kicked #AFLDeesPowerpic.twitter.com/piDjZnS5Oz
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) August 10, 2024
He finished the match – a two-point Power win – with four disposals at 75 per cent efficiency, the important goal, one intercept possession, two score involvements, two marks inside 50, three tackles and one inside 50.
Narkle’s contribution was even more valuable considering in-form Port goalsneak Willie Rioli was unusually quiet and the Power lost forward Todd Marshall to concussion.
Out of contract at season’s end and coming off a poor summer, Narkle may play himself into a new deal – and a potential flag tilt – if he continues to provide that sort of spark off the bench.
DISLIKES
1. ROUGH RUN FOR MARSHALL
Power forward Todd Marshall just cannot get a decent run at this season.
In his first game back from a hip injury that sidelined him for three weeks, Marshall was subbed off with concussion.
He flew for a mark in the Power’s defence, copped a knock to the head and was taken out of the game at halftime.
It has been that sort of campaign for Marshall, who has a history of concussions and will miss the Showdown.
While the 25-year-old brings a lot more to the table than just goals, he has kicked just 20.18 from 18 matches this season – nine of those coming against strugglers Richmond and North Melbourne.
He has only booted multiple majors in one other match – versus Collingwood.
When firing, Marshall is an important piece in the Power’s forward line because of his footy smarts, selflessness and goalkicking.
After booting 45.15 in 2022 then 36.16 last year, Marshall would be hoping to shake off his run of bad luck and play a crucial role in Port’s premiership tilt, in an attack missing Jeremy Finlayson and Sam Powell-Pepper to injury.
2. TALK THE TALK
Hopefully Darcy Fogarty’s comments do not kick off another Showdown week of confected animosity.
After playing brilliantly in his 100th game on Sunday, Fogarty was asked on ABC about potentially costing Port Adelaide a top-four berth by beating the Power this week.
The Crows forward said: “It’d be the cherry on top. It’s huge and it’s going to be something we’re going to try and do. To cost them their year would be unbelievable.”
Port Adelaide has made a habit of making jibes about its rivals in the lead-up to Showdowns in recent seasons, banging on about how much they hate the Crows.
The tactic has backfired.
Adelaide has won the past three Showdowns, all by at least 30 points.
Fogarty's got five in game 100 ðŸ‘#AFLCrowsDogspic.twitter.com/XqXDDuqyJa
— AFL (@AFL) August 11, 2024
While the build-up to their first clash this year was a little more subdued when it came to pre-game barbs, you would hope Fogarty’s innocent comment did not spark it again.
Thankfully on Monday, Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson said: “I’m not going to be stoking any fires”.
We know the clubs do not like each other, we know all about their history of why that is and know Saturday night’s match will be fierce with plenty on the line, particularly for the Power.
Banter leading into games can be fun and even spicy, you only have to look at some of the comments that fly around in the NBA for that.
But a lot of what has been said ahead of Showdowns has felt forced at best and orchestrated at worst.
What many footy followers believe is the best rivalry in the game does not need it.
Port, in particular, needs to keep its powder dry this week as it tries to go a step closer to securing a double chance.
And both clubs must let the scoreboard do the talking on Saturday night.
THE LOWDOWN ON …
In a candid interview with this masthead, former Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas has told an important message.
About the psychological battles players endure.
About what it is like for veteran footballers coming towards the end of their careers.
About the challenge of transitioning into life after they hang up the boots.
And about the value in opening up.
Jonas always came across as a stoic, blunt captain, but he revealed how emotional 2023 was as he could not break into the Power side and retired at the end of last year.
The 33-year-old said he cried more over the past 12 months than the rest of his life and would sometimes sob in the car on long, solo drives after training.
He courageously spoke about his own struggles and again showed there was far more to footballers than what the rest of us saw for a few hours on the weekend or at training.
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