Port Adelaide v Gold Coast practice match: All the action, standouts and news
With Scott Lycett hurt in Friday’s clash against Gold Coast and Peter Ladhams now a Swan, Port Adelaide could be forced to turn to a debutant in the ruck to start 2022.
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Port Adelaide will be sweating on the extent of injuries suffered by Scott Lycett and Sam Powell-Pepper after receiving what assistant coach Brett Montgomery says was a “reality check around the difference between training intensity and game intensity” against Gold Coast.
The Suns continued their habit of strong pre-season showings with a much deserved 21-point win over the Power at Metricon Stadium on Friday in their practice match.
The Power actually managed more scoring shots than the Suns, but Montgomery said that didn’t matter at all as they were “completely out-hunted early, out-bodied and even out-ran to begin with”.
“Maybe it was a reality check around the difference between training intensity and game intensity,” he said.
“It can always be quite a significant shift and I don’t think we found anywhere near that shift, particularly in the first half.
“They were ready to play and they found AFL intensity.”
Potentially further compounding the poor showing could be injuries to Lycett and Powell-Pepper.
Powell-Pepper, who kicked the Power’s first goal of the game, grabbed at his hamstring following a contest in the second quarter and was withdrawn from the match at halftime.
Lycett rolled his ankle in the third quarter and Montgomery said they were now waiting on the extent of those injuries.
“At this stage Pepp looked like he had a reasonable hamstring so we will wait and see on that one,” he said.
“And I think we all know how important Scott Lycett is to our team … his one looked maybe a little bit worse but again he is a big guy who puts a lot of weight through that so we will wait and see.”
MATCH NOTES: BUTTERS SHINES BUT WAYWARD PORT MISFIRES
Injuries to Sam Powell-Pepper and Scott Lycett threaten to compound a poor Port Adelaide performance as the Power went down to Gold Coast in their first hitout of 2022.
Powell-Pepper hurt his hamstring in the second quarter of the Power’s 21-loss to the Suns at Metricon Stadium and sat out the second half, while Lycett hurt his ankle in the third term and did not return in what was a poor day at the office for Ken Hinkley’s side.
While they lifted in the fourth term, the premiership aspirants were well off the pace against the Suns, who continued their habit of strong pre-season showings, for most of the day and inaccurate kicking only added to the Power’s woes.
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Who starred
Gold Coast
Noticeably bulked up, Matt Rowell again showed why was the No. 1 pick in 2019, to offer hope that he might be back to his exciting best after two injury-plagued seasons.
Despite being up against an experienced Port midfield for much of the match, Rowell was a contested beast at Metricon Stadium, especially in the first two quarters.
Touk Miller continued on from his fine 2021 campaign with another dominant display on ball, showing that the co-captaincy tag isn’t slowing him down one bit.
Jeremy Sharp was an excitement machine in a wing role, while watch out for Alex Davies who kicked two goals and put his 191cm frame to good use around the footy.
Port Adelaide
Zak Butters will add a touch of class to the Power midfield this year after his 2021 graduation to the engine-room was temporarily shelved due to injury.
It was unsurprising that much of the Power’s good passages of play came when Butters was involved.
His desire to lunge at a ball in-front of Miller, winning a free-kick, in the third quarter showed a desire too many of his teammates lacked.
Robbie Gray has had a fine pre-season and he was composed with his kicking to find teammates in a way other Power players couldn’t to add to two goals in the final quarter.
But there wouldn’t be many Power players happy with their performances against the Suns.
Magnets moved
Gold Coast
There weren’t too many changes by Stuart Dew in what is a vital year for him.
Lachie Weller played quite deep and took kick ins for the Suns while recruit from Carlton, Levi Casboult, started forward and then popped up all over the ground at times.
Davies was rotated through on-ball, the wing and as a half-forward in his impressive showing.
Port Adelaide
Butters and Connor Rozee, who sat out the second half to be managed, spent time around the ball as the Power start to try and build their midfield brigade.
Halfbacks Dan Houston and Martin Frederick, when he entered the game, were deployed on the wings at times in some small adjustments by Port.
This allowed Xavier Duursma to also spend some time in the middle.
Recruit/draftee watch
Gold Coast
With Ben King out for the season, Mabior Chol and Casboult were the Suns tall timber up forward.
Chol kicked three in a promising sign for the Suns while Casboult fought all day.
Port Adelaide
The Power also had a key forward out themselves, Charlie Dixon, and former GWS forward Jeremy Finlayson was the pick of their talls at Metricon.
He was also able to pinch-hit in the ruck, showing why the Power got him from the Giants.
First round draftee Josh Sinn spent time on a wing, at halfback and half-forward.
He kicked a goal in the fourth, showing others how it was done in a rare highlight for the Power, but on numerous occasions a lack of composure when kicking let the talented left-footer down.
Ex-Brisbane Lion Sam Skinner also had his first outing for the Power.
Round 1 bolters
Gold Coast
After he made his debut in Round 23, surely Davies did enough to be back in the Suns side for Round 1.
He kicked two goals but was as impressive with his hunt around the footy.
Suns co-captain Jarrod Witts should be OK for Round 1 after suffering an ACL injury last year, but, if he isn’t, then mid-season draftee Ned Moyle competed well in the ruck.
Port Adelaide
Sinn has a goal from his outing but Jackson Mead might just be ahead of him when it comes to securing a place in Port’s Round 1 side.
Mead spent a few amount of time on the ball and looked composed with the footy in hand.
Lachie Jones is also looking good for a Round 1 spot with the cult-hero solid in defence.
Power young guns to push for Round 1 debuts
Son of a gun Jackson Mead will get an opportunity to push for a Round 1 debut for Port Adelaide against the Gold Coast in the Power’s practice match.
First round draftee Josh Sinn will also make the trip to Queensland, along with ruckman Sam Hayes, while Power coach Ken Hinkley revealed that Sam Powell-Pepper is on track to win a spot in the Port’s best 23.
The Power will take a squad of 30 to the Gold Coast to take on the Suns on Friday.
Hinkley said the rainy conditions forecasted for Metricon Stadium would dictate whether the Power play 26 or 28 players against the Suns.
“You just want an opportunity to play against some opposition and the chance to do something a bit different,” he said.
“Obviously with the conditions we might or might not face it might become a bit more challenging.
“It might just become a contest game and we have to work really hard on our contest.”
Charlie Dixon (ankle), Orazio Fantasia (knee), Trent Dumont (knee) and Miles Bergman (shoulder) won’t play against the Suns, giving some of the young guns and fringe players to press their case for selection against Brisbane in Round 1 next month.
Hinkley said he was excited to see how they fared, but was also keen to see how the Power’s veterans in Travis Boak and Robbie Gray were primed after excellent pre-seasons.
“Josh Sinn will come up, Meady (Jackson Mead) will get his opportunity to come up and play, Sam Hayes, those types,” Hinkley said.
“So as a coach you are always excited about the youth of the squad and what they might be able to bring but for me I’m just as excited to see Travis (Boak) and Robbie Gray after they’ve had these great pre-seasons and what they can do against oppositions.”
Mead, the son of Port great Darren, has had a good pre-season after his 2021 campaign was impacted by a lacerated spleen following a SANFL game that landed him in the emergency ward.
He has spoken about his desire to help the Power grow their on-ball stocks, alongside fellow young guns Zak Butters, Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma.
Powell-Pepper, 24, is another standout on the track for the Power this pre-season and he dominated in the club’s internal trial last week.
It comes after Powell-Pepper was told to show he had a “proper commitment to play at AFL level” in the off-season.
Hinkley said Powell-Pepper was right in the mix to be in Port’s best 23.
“He has had a great pre-season, he knows exactly what he wants and we are really optimistic that Pepp can provide some further growth in that midfield as well as that forward line,” he said.
“He has just turned 24 so you think he has to get better.
“Best 23, that’s what you have but the problem is trying to say is who isn’t and who is (in the team).
“Right now you earn your spot in the side and if you are in the best 22 when Round 1 comes you have earnt that opportunity and hopefully Pepp is one of those players.
“He got the facts and the facts were that he has to be better and he has been better.
“He is in a really good spot in his life as well I think, he has some really exciting things going on in his life and his football hopefully is a part of that.”
Hinkley said Dixon could be back running on Friday, which would put him in line to play Round 1 after he had surgery to tighten ligaments in his ankle.
While Fantasia is four weeks away from running after he had surgery on his knee.
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