Port Adelaide fans fume but Geelong finals ‘flogging’ could have been so much worse

Port Adelaide extended Geelong’s horror curse in the first week of the AFL Finals but the trouncing could even be considered flattering.

Tom Hawkins is up for game 300.

Port Adelaide are a win away from the 2021 AFL Grand Final again after a thumping win over the Geelong Cats at Adelaide Oval.

The first quarter made it look like it was going to be close but Geelong never threatened from the beginning of the second quarter as Port ran away 12.14 (86) to 5.13 (43) victors to book a date to the preliminary final.

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Geelong aren’t gone however, with a match up against the winner of the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants elimination final on Saturday afternoon.

In front of a vocal home crowd, Port dashed any hope of Tom Hawkins celebrating his 300th AFL game in style as the Power dominated the proceedings.

This was despite contentious calls that infuriated the local fans, despite the Cats not being able to take their opportunities.

With 10 minutes left in the first quarter, the Cats’ Brandan Parfitt was gifted a set shot after the umpire called a dangerous tackle after the Cats star was flung to the ground.

“Dangerous tackle?” James Brayshaw said.

“Oh no, that was not dangerous at all,“ Wayne Carey said. “The only way you can give the benefit of the doubt on this is if the umpire didn’t get complete vision on this. But you can’t guess.”

Even the official PointsBet account got in on the action, saying “atrocious umpiring decision”.

The tackle that was deemed dangerous.

Luckily for the Power, Parfitt wasn‘t able to convert.

Port Adelaide ambassador Matt Tarrant wasn‘t happy with some of the calls either, writing: “This is one of the worst officiated games of finals sport I’ve seen. There is a reason AFL, NBA finals etc are so entertaining and loved - let the players play the game and stop with the soft bulls***.”

But Port made the Cats pay, with a goal just before the break.

Port opened a commanding lead in the second quarter but once again, the Adelaide Oval was raining boos after another contentious call.

After opening an 18-point lead midway through the term, Port was looking to put the Cats to the sword.

Stephen Motlop already had two but went for a pass to Connor Rozee right in front of the goals.

“Was he interfered with by O’Connor?” Brian Taylor screamed. “Look at these people. They are going crazy because they think he has been. Look at them.”

Rozee didn't get the free and he may have been hard done by.

With a chorus of boos from the vocal home crowd as backdrop, James Brayshaw added: "Extraordinary. Kenny (Hinkley) can’t believe it”.

Titus O’Reily tweeted: “Umps are working hard but Geelong just can’t convert it into goals.”

Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall added: “This game would be a shellacking but for the umpires. I’d be unspeakably filthy if I were a Power fan.”

And Port president David Koch was, simply tweeting “18-5” during the term before deleting the tweet.

While Port won most of the major stat lines in the first half, the side had just eight free kicks, while the Cats have enjoyed 20, but been unable to capitalise.

Taylor added “nothing says it has to be even” but conceded that Port had been “unlucky”.

The free kicks did even out in the second half however with the final count 24 for Geelong, 20 for Port.

Other fans questioned the mask rules with fans seemingly wearing the coverings on their chins.

Fans fume after another contentious call.

But it didn’t slow the Power, leading by 29-points at halftime.

The Port defence stood up in the third, winning the quarter 1.3 (9) to 0.3 (3) before withstanding a pair of early goals for the Cats, before finishing Geelong emphatically.

Ex-Herald Sun columnist Ron Reed tweeted: “#AFLPowerCats is a big enough flogging on the scoreboard but it feels even more one-sided than that. Flag-winning stuff if port can sustain it.”

Port Adelaide 300-gamer Kane Cornes added: “Does this count as a win against a top four side?”

As for the Cats, questions have been asked of the side’s age with the experience meaning little against Port.