AFL Round 2 Port Adelaide v Richmond: All the news, analysis and fallout from the Power’s big win

Ken Hinkley has praised his side’s player-driven response after the Power bounced back on Saturday – but, as Simeon Thomas-Wilson writes, a Hinkley move was the game changer.

It helped West Coast to a premiership in 2018.

On Saturday, it helped Port Adelaide get its 2025 campaign away with a convincing 72-point win over Richmond at Adelaide Oval – Willie Rioli the centre-bounce midfielder.

History suggested the Power was always going respond against the Tigers, after its humiliating Round 1 loss to Collingwood and the heat came on senior coach Ken Hinkley’s as a result.

And the Power did exactly that, Hinkley’s side belting up on the young Tigers side that was such a disappointment compared to the fearless cubs that shocked Carlton a week before.

Chief in this was unleashing Rioli at centre bounces.

While he was used in the middle for the Eagles at times when he was in Perth, notably in the 2018 grand final win over Collingwood, prior to Saturday he was yet to attend a centre bounce for the Power since arriving at Alberton at the end of 2022.

Maybe it was a way to replace what the Power is missing with vice-captain Zak Butters out following knee surgery.

Whatever the motivation, it helped spark the Power into life and put the Round 1 horror show in the rearview mirror.

Willie Rioli sparked the Power on Saturday. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

He had an impact in the midfield and booted three goals. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

At the start of every quarter, Rioli was at the centre bounce, with Jason Horne-Francis stationed as a deep forward.

Jack Lukosius’ first-quarter knee injury made an already smaller Port Adelaide forward line even shorter.

With this, and the need to lower the eyes and hit targets even more key, Rioli shone.

He might just be the smartest player at Alberton and this was fully on display, as Rioli made the most of his new-found freedom, finishing with three goals, 17 disposals and nine score involvements.

“It is something I have in the toolbox,” Rioli told The Advertiser of his move into the middle.

“It’s something I used to do back at West Coast and just to bring that unpredictability in there.

“Also trying to bring my cleanness, it is something I pride myself on and to give those boys a bit of a rest in there was something I really wanted to do.”

Before the Tigers waved the white flag, for two quarters Rioli was electric, kicking three goals in the first half and setting up Jase Burgoyne for one himself.

Along with Power skipper Connor Rozee, who finished with 39 disposals and two goals to continue his stunning start to the year, Rioli was just too fast, too smart, too skilful and too good for the Tigers.

Time and time again, they were able to have an impact on the game.

SPP goal

On the other hand, Richmond’s senior midfielders barely fired a shot.

Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper might have been sold duds when the Tigers gave up so much to bring them to Punt Road from GWS.

But, while the two highly paid midfielders would have been envisioning finals campaigns rather than rebuilds, they needed to show a lot more than they did at Adelaide Oval as senior players.

Taranto in particular looked slow and cumbersome compared to the Power’s midfield brigade, with his 17 disposals amassing for a paltry 90m gained.

For the Power, Rozee had 559m gained, Rioli 233m, Jackson Mead 332m from his 30 disposals and Ollie Wines 357m from his 33 disposals.

Hinkley said he was lucky to have ways to change up the midfield, despite Butters being on the sideline.

“Oh we just change things up every now and then,” he said post-match.

“Josh (Carr) is in control of the midfield so we just do what we need to do to get the ball going our way the best we can. We are lucky that we have a lot of people who we can use through the middle of the ground.”

Port skipper Connor Rozee was just too good for the young Tigers. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

So is Rioli in the middle something we could see more of this season?

He himself hopes so, and Hinkley might agree with him.

“When Willie is on he does everything pretty well,” Hinkley said.

“His attack on the ball is amazing, his ball use is elite and his contest gets undervalued at times.

“He is a tough little fella.”

So far in his career Rioli has never received more than one Brownlow Medal vote for a game.

While it was against a poor Tigers outfit, he was extremely impressive in the new role and, if he gets more time around the ball moving forward, that should change this year.

Match report: Hot-headed JHF loses his cool in Power’s Tiger mauling

– Jason Phelan

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley praised his side’s player-driven response after the Power bounced back from its season-opening smackdown with a dominant win over Richmond.

Hinkley and his men endured a torrid week following the 91-point loss to Collingwood in Round 1, but they put it behind them with an emphatic 72-point win over Richmond in their first home game of the season on Saturday.

“The players clearly do, footy does crazy things sometimes; you have to turn up and do what you have to do,” Hinkley replied when asked who drove the dominant response.

“We played the game the way that we wanted it played, particularly in the first half, and we were pretty ferocious with the way that we went after the opposition.

“If you’re a little bit off you get smacked, and if you do then you’ve got to turn it around and respond.

“That’s the demands of the game … a performance industry says that if you don’t live up to what you should then you’re expected to do it next time you come out and rectify it.

“We know it doesn’t always go like that, but we overplay it sometimes.

“It was a horrible loss last week, but it was a loss and we had to move on really quickly.”

JUST RIDICULOUS 🤯

Sam Powell-Pepper kicks a miracle goal from the boundary!#AFLPowerTigerspic.twitter.com/rQ9qvtIj1p

— AFL (@AFL) March 22, 2025

Playing game No.393 to pass Russell Ebert as Port Adelaide’s all-time games leader, Travis Boak helped set the tone early with 10 first-quarter possessions, finishing with 28 touches.

Connor Rozee had 30 disposals and two goals by three-quarter time, with his side up by 81 points, the star skipper with a game-high 39 and Port winning the possession count 477-297.

The Power racked up the huge score without Jack Lukosius, who left the game with a knee injury early, Mitch Georgiades with a game-high four goals and Willie Rioli and Sam Powell-Pepper with three majors apiece.

Milestone man Travis Boak leads the Power off the ground. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photo

The sidestep from Joe Richards was so smooth 😮‍💨#AFLPowerTigerspic.twitter.com/DeG6ILJrgG

— AFL (@AFL) March 22, 2025

ANGRY HORNET

Jason Horne-Francis had a quiet first quarter by his standards, with just three possessions, and his frustration boiled over seconds before the first break.

After failing to pull down a mark, Horne-Francis shoved his opponent while he was on the ground resulting in a 50m penalty and a heated push and shove.

Despite the subdued input from JHF, the Power was well on top early.

Port only managed six goals for the game in the disastrous 91-point thumping by the Magpies, but had that many on the board at the end of an impressive first quarter to lead by 33 points.

Horne-Francis warmed into the contest in the second term, giving off a handball from the top of the goal square to set up Joe Berry’s first AFL goal, as the Power pulled away from the Tigers.

Electrifying stuff from the Power ⚡️#AFLPowerTigerspic.twitter.com/wRwgoOQyMa

— AFL (@AFL) March 22, 2025

SUPERB, SAM!

Jase Burgoyne’s second classy goal in the second quarter was followed by an absolute top shelf effort from Powell-Pepper.

Running toward the boundary 40m out from goal and on the wrong side for a right-footer, Powell-Pepper threw the ball on his boot at the last second and gave out high fives to jubilant fans in the row after the ball sailed through the middle.

The rampant Power were dominating the mark count, leading 54-14 at one stage in the second term with 10 marks inside attacking 50 to Richmond’s none with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

The Tigers gave slight hope that a repeat of last week’s miraculous comeback win against the Blues was possible with back-to-back goals, including debutant Liam Fawcett’s first AFL major.

But Port reeled off the last four goals of the half, including Rioli’s third of a stellar first-half display, to lead by 65 points at the main break.

Kane Farrell and Willem Drew enjoy a goal in Port Adelaide’s romp.

NO LUCK, LUKOSIUS

Lukosius’ second game in Port colours ended early.

The former Sun limped off the ground after hurting his right knee in a marking contest in the first minute of the game.

With his knee strapped, Lukosius tried to return to the field, but was subbed out, allowing Christian Moraes to take the field in his AFL debut.

The visitors also suffered a first-half blow, with Sam Banks concussed in a second-quarter head knock with Jordon Sweet.

Originally published as AFL Round 2 Port Adelaide v Richmond: All the news, analysis and fallout from the Power’s big win