PAFC 18.7.115
AFC 13.13.91
Goals:
Port Adelaide- Schulz 5, Ryder 3, Mitchell, Wingard, Hartlett, Westhoff 2, Boak, Gray 1.
Adelaide- Betts 5, Lynch, Jenkins, Thompson, Walker 2.
There are rivalries in every sport. Whilst it’s another game along the journey towards the main goal- these ones are marked in the calendar by every fan as “the must win”. The office bragging rights, the banter amongst your mates- there is so much more riding on these contests than just 4 points. There was a massive build up to this week’s game, and boy did it deliver in spades! Adelaide entered this game, coming off of a shock loss to the Bulldogs where they were belted in every key stat which had seen them exude such dominance over the first 3 rounds. They were primed for redemption, and what better game to do it than a Showdown, right?. Port Adelaide, contrary to their cross town rival had an average start against 2 of the competition heavyweights. Many footy fans had the Power earmarked 0-4 heading into this match, and the pre-season premiership fancies almost done before the season had even began. Well- 2 inspiring wins have changed all that, which leads both teams to today..
5 sides were sitting on 3-2 before this game started. Adelaide had a big opportunity to set the tone for their season and perk themselves a game clear in the top 4, whilst Port Adelaide on the other hand needed the win, importance on maintaining touch with the top 4 critical headed into their upcoming 7 week block.
There were many a salivating match-up’s and tactical mind games in the lead-up. How were Adelaide going to handle the 3 talls? How were Port Adelaide going to handle the crows ferocious tackling pressure and attack on the man? Have Port Adelaide finally found the ruck combination capable of matching it with Jacobs? Cornes vs. Sloane, Jonas vs. Betts, Cheney vs. Schulz, Carlisle vs. Walker, Dangerfield and Thompson vs. Boak and Gray- just a cracking game on paper!!
Quarter 1: A super start by Adelaide, in particular Dangerfield and Betts. Their tackling pressure had me worried about what the day would entail, but that was as good as it got for Adelaide for the rest of the quarter. Port Adelaide began to exert dominance on the inside and began to cut Adelaide to pieces on the outside. Ebert and Gray were running amok in the middle of the ground (Gray with 4 clearances for the term and 7 touches- 4 contested), and Schulz (2 goals) was finishing off the work from upfield, exploiting the Cheney matchup for workrate and height. 5 unanswered goals, with Carlisle giving Walker none of it the other way (3 touches and no score involvements), had Port well placed- leading by 16 at Quarter Time.
Quarter 2: I won’t single out Hinkley here, as I’m sure all coaches talk about it- but when your team has a sustained moment of dominance, you have to make the opposition pay. Adelaide demolished Port all over the ground in the 2nd quarter for virtually the entire 30 minutes, in every key statistical category- yet could only muster 2.5 to Port’s 3.0- which would have left crows fans bewildered! Betts was all over Jonas (4 I50 marks and 3 goals), Adelaide entered the F50 23 times to Port Adelaide’s 6 for the term (Dangerfield massive with 6 for the half to compliment his 17 disposals), and Adelaide managed 12 clearances to 5- it was utter carnage. However; one has to acknowledge Port Adelaide’s defence. Similar to last week vs. Hawthorn, it was our ability not to wilt under extreme pressure that was most impressive as a fan. I thought we were brilliant at blocking the hole, forcing the likes of Smith and Jaensch as examples, into low percentage shots at goal from outside 50. When we did manage to break Adelaide’s shackles- we made them pay, a signature of a good football side. Schulz with another 2 I50 marks and 3 goals for the half continuing to cause headaches, as well as Ryder and Lobbe well on top of Jacobs and Jenkins in the ruck. Ebert massive with 23 touches up to half time!
Quarter 3: The move was made- Pittard onto Betts, but it was going to take much more than that to quell the dynamic small forward- tightening up through the midfield defensively would be the critical point. Betts was again brilliant to start the term- 2 goals (his 4th I believe was when the Pittard move was made), and Dangerfield continued to get hands on the footy in the middle of the ground- another 7 touches (4 contested) and 3 clearances for the term. The 3rd quarter however was when Port fans saw the value in the Ryder/Lobbe combo, despite hit-out’s dominant in favour of Port up to that point. Enter Paddy- Schulz was making the most of his opportunities forward and Westhoff was making an impact at both ends, but it was Paddy who changed the dynamic of the game when shifted forward, his 2 goals keeping a resurgent Adelaide at arms-length. The midfield battle for the 3rd term was a classic. On one side you watched the master class of Gray (10 touches for the term- 8 contested, 4 clearances), Boak (9 touches- 3 contested), and on the other, Dangerfield (7 touches for the term- 4 contested and 4 clearances). It set up for a classic final term.
Quarter 4: Enter the unlikely heroes. Kane Mitchell after a strong performance defensively, bobbed up for 2 opportunist goals, only for Scotty Thompson to respond by kicking 2 ripping snaps to keep the crows within reach. Enter the big guns. Ryder, Schulz, Wingard- all with goals to snuff the game beyond doubt. Gray immense in the last quarter with 8 touches (4 contested) and 2 clearances on his way to the showdown medal.
Port Adelaide:
Things that went right:
• The 3 tall forward line. Tipped to be the defining factor all week proved correct, as Schulz, Westhoff and Ryder contributed 10 of Port’s 18 goals and 8 marks inside 50. It certainly left me wondering whether Hartigan would have offered the extra height that Adelaide were crying out for, as Schulz’s work rate was too much for Cheney to deal with- constantly getting into better position and find space doubling back. Westhoff had a serviceable night on the stats sheet, and Adelaide simply had no answer for Ryder when he was swung forward.
• Our Back 6: For the 2nd week in a row, we have been pummelled in the I50 count, and for the 2nd week we have come away with the win. Our ability to fill the hole, forcing the opposition into low percentage shots, or shots wide of the corridor, is magnificent. Pittard has elevated himself into a reliable rebound defender, and Bobby Carlisle is in some sort of form at the moment- Roughead and Walker a shadow of their known selves.
Things that went wrong:
• Tommy Jonas. I hate singling out players individually, but Eddie Betts got a hold of Tommy to an extent of which I have never seen. Eddie out-positioned, out-bodied (shouldn’t happen given the size difference) and outworked Tommy, especially dangerous once the ball hit the deck. Worked hard once shifted off of Betts, but given Eddie has now kicked 13 goals in the past 3 showdowns- it’s an area of concern from a match-up perspective heading into future contests. I am waiting for Eddie to rip one open one day, on the way to a showdown medal.
• The I50 count. Our defence stood up manfully, but the fact is we cannot survive if we keep serving up differentials of the past 2 weeks. Considering in 2014 we averaged approx. 43-44 entries per game against, seeing 79 and 71 entries over the last 2 weeks is of huge concern.
Adelaide:
Things that went right:
• Midfield was back to its best. Despite getting smashed in the hitout’s- Dangerfield, Thompson, Ellis-Yolmen were fierce in close, winning Walsh’s ground ball stat 106-88, as well as clearances, contested possession and tackles. I said to a crow mate on Friday that I’d be stunned if the side that won this game were to lose the contested possession and tackle count. Can’t believe it happened!
• Eddie Betts- See above
Things that went wrong:
• Jacobs and Jenkins. Forget Jenkins, but it’s rare to see Jacobs so well beaten in any contest, let alone a showdown. Monstered in the hitouts (69-38), it was score involvement where this dual was won and lost. As mentioned- Ryder had 7 score involvements from his 10 touches, where Jacobs and Jenkins combined for just 14 touches and 2 goals.
• Bad kicking is bad football. For a side to have 23 I50’s to 6 in a quarter and get outscored, is absolutely atrocious, and where the game was won and lost.
Adelaide:
Top 5 (there won’t be a complete squad review- sorry crowies!):
Eddie Betts- The clear match up that worked in Adelaide’s favour for most of the evening- Eddie as it stands is the most dangerous small forward in the game alongside Breust. 17 touches, 5 marks I50 and 5 goals, there was nothing that Jonas could do to stop him, although Pittard was brilliant on him in the last term. I didn’t think the idea to isolate him in the forward 50 worked, as Betts feeds brilliantly off of Walker, and the misjudgement that is created when Walker is double teamed. AA form at the moment.
Patrick Dangerfield- The knockers will come out re. disposal efficiency, but the Crows certainly responded as a midfield group this week. I was expecting a tough contested battle from Adelaide, and they comprehensively beat us in this area for most of the evening, with this man the catalyst. 36 touches (21 contested), a game high 14 clearances, 7 tackles and 7 I50’s, there isn’t much more this man could have done to will Adelaide over the line.
Scott Thompson- Has had 2 really good games tonight- and hit the scoreboard, which isn’t something Scotty is renowned for. 27 touches (18 contested), 9 clearances, 6 tackles and 4 clearances. Keep that sort of form up and he will be hard to remove from the side. Will be interesting to see how Walsh manages him over the season, particularly when Brad Crouch becomes available for selection.
Cam Ellis-Yolmen- The surprise packet of the season for mine, and i’m really happy for Cam, given how hard he has had to work to make it at this level. 18 touches, 8 clearances, 10 tackles and 6 I50’s- a good size midfielder who is tough in the contest and quite hard to move off of the footy.
Rory Laird- Thought he defended really well tonight, and provided rebound the other way, finding lots of the footy. 26 touches, 3 R50’s and 1 I50. Was one of the few Crows good by hand and foot this evening.
Port Adelaide:
Top 5:
Jasper Pittard- Best on for mine, and has transformed himself from a bloke who made my eyes close with ball in hand, to the bloke who I love with ball in hand exiting the back 50. He does it all now- rebounds, intercept marks, 1 %ers, delivers the ball inside 50. 28 touches, 7 marks, 6 R50’s and 4 I50’s- in AA form.
Robbie Gray- This bloke gets me all sorts of excited watching him play- and tonight he was back to his mercurial, unimaginable, electrifying best. Just found space where there was none, seems to impact almost every stoppage, and finishes his work with an exemplary level of skill. 32 touches (20 contested), 11 clearances, 4 I50’s and a goal- deserving of the showdown medal.
Jay Schulz- Demolished Cheney tonight- no other way to describe it. In absolutely brilliant form at the minute, with 14 goals in 3 weeks to climb to 4th in the coleman medal. Out-positioned and out-worked Cheney to continually find space on the lead, and as usual was dead on target when shooting for goal. 9 marks (4 I50)- No secret he finds it a hell of a lot easier with Westhoff and Ryder floating around! Set for a massive 7 weeks too, looking at the fixture!
Brad Ebert- This bloke is on the verge of A grade in my eyes. Has improved his disposal efficiency in leaps and bounds, and with supreme workrate, is almost the complete player. 31 touches, 9 marks, 4 clearances, 7 tackles and 3 I50’s- he dominates on the inside, is massive for us on the outside. What a magnificent start to the season.
Travis Boak- Leading possession getter for Port with 33, and was another typical captain’s performance from Travis. Continues to will himself to contest after contest, the only area he was probably beaten at was clearances. Still, 33 touches, 3 tackles, 6 I50’s and a goal, he is working himself into some great form!
The rest:
Kane Cornes- Did a number on Sloane tonight (granted Sloane did go off injured late in the 3rd). Doesn’t appear to be involved in the play, and then you check his numbers and see another 20+ game, his opponent restricted to sub 20, and continues to involve himself in the contested aspect of the game (7 tackles). Just another typical performance from this champion!
Chad Wingard- Rises for showdowns, and created headaches again for Adelaide defenders. 21 touches, 4 clearances, 3 I50’s and 2 goals-plays his role in an impressive mosquito fleet without being match-winning, and I love it.
Kane Mitchell- I am loving what Mitchell is bringing to the side at the moment. A man who is taking his chances and turning them into gold, was brilliant offensively when the chances arose, and was brilliant defensively. 19 touches, 5 tackles, 6 I50’s and kicked 2 crucial goals. *Hearts*
Alipate Carlisle- Petrie, Roughead, Walker. No slouches when reviewing the top key forwards in the game, and Bobby has beaten them all. Has added a significant string to his bow in the form of defensive rebound, along with forcing Walker well up the ground tonight in search of a kick. 19 touches, 4 marks and 6 R50’s, with Walker kept to 2 marks I50 and 2 goals- outstanding.
Hamish Hartlett- In and out of the game tonight, but when it was his turn to go- he went with devastating effect. 18 touches, 7 marks, 3 R50’s, 4 I50’s and 2 ripping goals. Another one that I’m enjoying just playing his role without being outstanding- displaying our versatility across all lines.
Justin Westhoff-Have loved his last 2 weeks since Lobbe has been back into the side. Whether it be back or forward, he creates headaches and his impact is not just on the stat sheet, but on the result itself. Usually has Talia rotating between him and Schulz, but he got off of the leash, such is the rate he interchanges between defence, forward and midfield. 17 touches, 7 marks and 2 goals- the games best swingman.
Matthew Broadbent- Started on fire before being clamped down on after quarter time. Still finished with 17 touches and 4 R50’s- you can’t take all of Pittard, Brogs and Hombsch, which is the great thing about our back 6 at the moment.
Matt White- Was a man possessed tonight, tackled manically and was constantly able to find space, either as that lead-up, or over the back. 17 touches, 6 marks, 9 tackles and 3 I50’s-returning to his 2014 form.
Angus Monfries- Not a lot to say about Gus’ game tonight. 16 touches and 5 marks- just needs to hit the scoreboard. Neither here nor there.
Tom Jonas- Had his colours well and truly lowered by Betts tonight, before being shifted off of him in the 3rd quarter. 15 touches and 7 1% acts- has been down for a couple of weeks now. Hoping for a lift out of him next week.
Jack Hombsch- Brilliant when dropping back into space, particularly in that 2nd quarter when we were getting bombarded with Adelaide I50’s. 15 touches, 5 marks and 4 R50’s, just another workman-like performance.
Jackson Trengove- Had the upper hand on Jenkins for a majority of the evening. 14 touches and 5 marks, another who was crucial in filling the holes during that 2nd quarter onslaught.
Aaron Young- Numbers don’t reflect a great performance, but was very good in the contested stakes around stoppages. 13 touches (11 contested), however he didn’t register a tackle- an aspect of his game that he is renowned for.
Paddy Ryder- Sensational when shifted forward tonight. A couple of massive contested grabs and 3 goals- exactly what he was recruited for. 10 touches, 3 marks and 18 hitouts- loving what he is bringing to the side at present.
Nathan Krakouer-Matched up on Cameron for the evening, and “Jets” didn’t get anywhere near it. Finished with 10 touches and 3 marks, whilst keeping Cameron to 6. Should have gone to Betts I thought after half time.
Matthew Lobbe-Jacobs has given Lobbe some almighty touch-ups in previous encounters, so it was great to see Lobbes get one back! 7 touches and 38 hitouts- just needed him to clunk a couple around the ground!
Jared Polec- The sub tonight, getting involved in a few important contests. Finished with 6 touches and 2 tackles.
The Power are right back amongst the pack, and have a huge opportunity to set their season up before the bye round. West Coast, Brisbane, Richmond, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Carlton round out the 7 week block before the bye. If we are to be considered a contender- we must be 9-3 at worst by the break.
As for Adelaide- well it’s not dire straits, but the Suns couldn’t come at a better time (or could it?). Walsh clearly has some deficiencies in his back 50 that need addressing, along with skill level efficiency. Lever for the 2nd week in a row has been high among the best in the SANFL- crows fans eagerly await his debut- how far away that is, is anyone’s guess.
3-2 for both our teams, shows one thing- we are in a better state than Queensland
See you at the footy!
Valleys.
