R4: Port v Hawthorn Review

[1954]

The garden gnome sniper's presser wasn't too bad, he began by saying Port were kicking them from everywhere, and then backed off a bit and was a tad more gracious.

Re fat boy Taylor , a wobbler bloke I know in victoria emailed me about him obviously barracking for the squawks, so it just wasn't Port supporters who picked up on his bias.

 

[Joelg]

What a day to remember! I'm not sure there would have been too many Port supporters out there who legitimately thought we would win tonight against an in form near full strength Hawthorn line up. This club just keeps finding ways to prove the doubters wrong, myself included. I didn't think we could do it without Ollie and Robbie but what a way to do it.

As we know it was a tale of two halves really. That first quarter, im still speechless. I don't know how to describe it. I said late last year that the first quarter vs Richmond in the final will go down as one of the all time great quarters of footy played by a Port Adelaide team. Well that was against a spent, average Richmond line up. We beat that quarter tonight in the first, coming up against a red hot Hawthorn line up. I doubt anyone in the ground expected what we saw in that first quarter. Incredible midfield work, great at the stoppages just getting the ball forward again and again, wonderful set up across half back and then the party time that was the forward line. It was Port Adelaide pr0n. No other way to describe it. To absolutely smash them in the middle whilst missing our two best inside midfielders, wonderful effort and wonderful leadership by the likes of Boak, Ebert & Cornes in there.

The second half, a lot of people being pretty critical of the way we played that second half. Hawthorn were always going to come back. They dont lose by big margins. They always find another gear and never give up. We were absolutely spent, you could see it at the ground. A lot of players were seriously struggling in that last quarter to raise a gallop, they'd put so much effort into getting into a match winning lead. I said on the podcast that Hawthorns pace was basically the number 1 thing I was concerned about and their pace tore us to shreds late. Smith, Duryea, Hill, Hartung were all up and about at the end there.

Our midfield struggled in the last quarter, but it just seemed that everything we tried to do, they had an answer for. Every knock went to them, every quick kick went to them, every blind handball forward went to them. Their structures were great. They allowed us to drop players into their forward 50 and they set up this wall of players across a 60m arc from goal that just become impossible to penetrate. Im not going to criticise what our players did under intense pressure. We stood up against the premier coming home like a steam train and held on to win. Magnificent effort.

Port Adelaide proud tonight.

Player Reviews
The Best

Carlile - Is in some sort of form right now. Roughead is a player that has caused the club issues in recent years. He had kicked 11 goals in his previous 2 matches against Port coming into tonights match. He kicked 7 goals last week. Bobby kept him to 4 kicks and 1 behind tonight. Almost all Roughead's disposals came when he was moved onto the ball. It was a masterful defensive display by Bobby. One of the best games of his career. Best on Ground and a magnificent start to the season.

Boak - With Wines and Gray out of the side, we needed our Captain to stand up tonight and take it on himself to provide the onfield leadership and motivation to get us over the line. He did this in spades tonight. We mentioned last week that his last quarter against the Roo's could have been the kick start his season needed and tonight he rightly won the Peter Badcoe Medal and put in a great display. His inside work was exactly what we needed without the bash and crash of Wines and Gray and he used the ball exceptionally well. A pure Captains performance. One to remember.

Ryder - Tonight we got to see our first glimpse of life with two genuine first class ruckmen and oh what a sight it was! Ryder was a star tonight in my opinion. Some great grabs up forward and two early goals really set the scene. Thought his ruckwork was fantastic and whilst not a heap of hitouts statistically, once again he seemed to know where to find our players with his taps. I look forward to seeing how this ruck duo continue to develop throughout the year and as we saw tonight, Ryder playing up forward can really stretch the opposition defence.

Young - Thought he played a ripper of a match. Kenny told him it was his time to stand up and make a name for himself last week and he delivered tonight as a pure inside midfielder. He is so strong over the ball, keeps his feet in the tackle and has the great ability to keep his arms free and dish off a handball. Snuck forward to kick a nice goal as well. This is the making of Aaron Young right here.

Pittard - Just continues to be a knightmare for opposition teams now. Has probably the most improved kick across the entire league and is now an absolutely rock solid, reliable player with or without the ball. He defends strongly, attacks hard and can hit targets with the ball. Thought he played a great defensive role on Rioli and his run across half back was super important. Just isn't putting a foot wrong at the moment.

The Rest
Hartlett - Unlucky not to be in the top 5. He had a ripping game through the midfield and dropping a little deeper as well. Very similar to his Showdown medal winning match of 2014. Just seemed to be in the right spots at the right times. That goal was unbelievable and when the crowd really lost control. People jumping over seats hugging people. Madness. And that celebration, or lack thereof. Love it!

Polec - 2nd year running he has run rings around Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval. Found the ball inside well and was just able to run and run and get the ball forward. Kicked a couple of great goals. His best game for the year and one of the best in his short career to date.

Ebert - An ultra reliable, no frills performance by Brad. Was there when we needed him but didnt stand out like some of the other midfielders did. Provided great leadership on the ground and plenty of defensive pressure.

Mitchell - Thought he was good again, just like last week. Wish he had have kicked that goal in the third, but he made up for it with a great tackle moments later. Kicking was erratic late in the game but his first half was great. Strong running with purpose and gets into great position with the ball. I like him in the side right now.

Westhoff - Couple of goals but I thought it was his defensive work that was most important tonight. Had a big last quarter dropping back in their 50 and provided some much needed last line marking.

Krakouer - Had a really strong first half and whilst he fell out of the game a bit as it went on, there was a lot to like. Maybe some thoughtless kicking at times, but overall defensively he has become a super strong player and was doing a good job on Puopolo in the first half.

Lobbe - Welcome back Lobster. Nice tap work, strong around the ground and we saw his trademark second efforts at the stoppages. Even took a couple of strong grabs.

Wingard - His first half was party time stuff. Was brilliant playing further up the ground in the midfield and he once again proved he can be a great midfielder when allowed to play there. Wonderful first goal. Had a massive corky just on half time that he couldnt get over in the second half. Limping a lot. His influence dropped accordingly.

Broadbent - At times he was great, at other times he was frustrating with some blind kicks forward. Seemed to be one player that struggled with the heat in the last quarter.

Schulz - His laser kicking was on again tonight. Started with a great goal from a tight angle and didnt let up. Not heaps of the ball, but presented well all night and 5 goals was fantastic output from the touches he got.

White - Tried so hard to get his run going but against such a quick side he found it hard to really break away. Ran his guts out though.

Monfries - Very quiet. Barely saw him out there.

Cornes - The best of Kane once again. Tagged Mitchell and did a wonderful job, especially in the first half when he kept Sam to just 4 disposals. Someone that is so dangerous and that has torn us apart previously, Kane's was a very crucial role in our win. Still has it!

Hombsch - Once again was very good at times but his opponent kicked 3 and had a very dangerous second half. Was all over Gunston early, but thought Jack got away from him a bit after half time. Having said that, I thought Hombsch did a great job in coming in as the 3rd man up and killing a number of contests.

Jonas - Breust is another of their forwards that we have had issues with in the past, but Jonas seems to know how to play him. Kept right on him and didnt allow him much space at all. Got a gimme goal in the goal square in the last quarter and that was the only impact he had all night.

Trengove - Spent time on McEvoy and Gunston. Very solid defensively, didnt give anything away at all without having too much to do himself.

AhChee - Again i thought he came on and had an important cameo. Lovely couple of clearances including his first touch, and had a ripping important tackle in the last couple of minues on the members wing. Hope we get to see him play a full game in the future.

POTY Votes
10
9 - Carlile, Boak
8 - Ryder, Young, Cornes, Pittard, Hartlett
7 - Polec, Jonas, Schulz
6 - Ebert, Mitchell, Westhoff, Krakouer, Wingard
5 - Trengove, Hombsch, Lobbe
4
3 - White, Broadbent
2 - AhChee, Monfries
1

I thought Bobby was BOG, the best game of his career

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

We all hate tempo football but when a great side like the Hawks is coming back at you hard keeping possession of the ball and burning say 4 or 5 minutes off the clock when momentum is against you is certainly something we need to get better at.

 

[charcolechaddy]

Polec wont play next week I dont reckon. By 3qtr time he could hardly walk. Something with his left shin by the looks.

He carried it into the game, once the jab wore off he was done.

Should come up with another few days.

 

[helenbeee]

Was a great game. That first quarter wow! but that last quarter.......we still have some issues particularly kicking out of defence sheesh had me on the edge of my seat. Still the Hawks threw everything at us and we stood the assault. Im kinda glad now for those first 3 games they made our team tough and hard. I keep seeing that bump to Schulz in the first quarter he literally bounced like rubber into the air rolled on the ground next hes up and playing like it was nothing. The Hawk player looked a bit miffed I think it was meant to take him out. )

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

He carried it into the game, once the jab wore off he was done.

Should come up with another few days.

Yea he's been on crutches mid week for the last few games I'd say he'll get a rest when our draw opens up a bit

 

[helenbeee]

I just have to say I watched this game on the telly (woe is me!) and had to endure that fat muppet commentator (I refuse to know his name till he actually aquires some real knowledge about football) OMG he would not shut up with "the Hawks any minute now are going to pile on the goals" and the "Hawks can still win this"comments throughout the WHOLE game. Didnt say anything about Ports performance and as we know didnt name a single player of either team because lets face it he doesnt know ANY players from any team. His fellow commentators must hate him he gets paid the same as them and they do all his work Im pretty sure he turns up probably doesnt even know the teams playing till he gets there. SACK HIM!!!

 

[Contested Marx]

What a ripping game. First half out of the blocks, with a nail biting finish. Very happy.

That Westoff goal...

Plus I made a silly bay 13 signature and avatar bet with a hawrfths fan which was a mistake as I have nothing (unexpected win!). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thinking maybe the photo of Kane Mitchell coming out of the water would be tasteful.

 

[finbarr]

Shoot me down, but on the whole I still enjoy BT. Matthew Richardson is becoming far more insufferable.

 

[pastmyprimus]

We got to see a preview of what's likely to become one of the best rucking combinations in the comp. Ryder is one of the club's best gets of all time.

Our big name players stood up last night but so did our second tier players. Thought Young was terrific, a good follow-up from last week. He's tough on the inside, gives us good run on the outside and kicks the occasional goal. Kicked a huge goal against the Kangaroos last week and one last night. Krak made a couple of mistakes but some of his quick gives and kicks to position were crazy good. Ryder's first goal came from a pin-point Krakouer pass. Ah Chee made a impact when he came on late.

No doubt we've got talent at the top-end of our list but our second tier is progressing nicely.

 

[Jim Dixon]

Shoot me down, but on the whole I still enjoy BT. Matthew Richardson is becoming far more insufferable.

You some sort of masochist?

You're normally very sound Finny so we'll let you off on this one.

 

[finbarr]

You some sort of masochist?

You're normally very sound Finny so we'll let you off on this one.

I still think he's essentially pretty harmless. And he still gives me the odd chuckle.

 

[1954]

The change in Krak from that talented outside receiver who used to poke out his hand in a vain attempt to stop an opponent from brushing straight past him, to the mature, cool headed, and much harder player we see today is almost unbelievable.
He deserves to hold his place in the team, but under the rookie rules I can't see how he can unless other players, apart from Frampton are put on the long term injury list.

Re squawker supporter comments, that take out the first 10 mins of the game and they win .
Crap like that belongs in the ` if your uncle had t*ts, he'd be your aunty ' category!

 

[Smithy7]

I had ABC radio on during the game and they could not get over the work rate of Ports midfield. Ports midfield players were passing Hawthorns midfield players going into defence and then passing them again going into attack. I suppose you can understand how a few of our players were a bit tired in the last quarter. But we held on b geez ....

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Hinkley Effect summed up in a nutshell my feelings about the take off and landing. I'd probably add that the players panicked a bit in the sense that everyone went behind the ball in the end and when we did manage to get the ball out of the defensive morass we had nowhere to go. You see then how much a really quick centreline or opportunist half forward comes into their own. A couple of times Angus managed to get ahead of the ball but he doesn't have the pace to run the ball from behind centre through half forward. We have a few that do but they were all cooked by the last quarter. One more player with mercurial pace on our list via draft or trade would be ideal.

Hill and Rioli when he went behind the ball hurt us with their pace late. Hawthorn set up so well with their hard ball winners (does Lewis bring his own ball against us?) and they get it into those player's hands who can create havoc.

And for all the talk of our early luck by late we couldn't buy one defensive spoil, kick off the ground or ricochet finding its way to one of our players in the clear. They all seemed to wind up with Hawks.

But the important thing is we held on against one of the great modern day teams and have so far split the cookies in this tough first part of our draw. Now to crush the camries.

 

[finbarr]

Re squawker supporter comments, that take out the first 10 mins of the game and they win .
Crap like that belongs in the ` if your uncle had t*ts, he'd be your aunty ' category!

Yeah, take out the last 100 minutes of the 2014 Grand Final and Sydney are the premiers.

 

[FromTheHartland]

2-2 with losses against two top 4 sides in 2014, same WL ratio as last year's premiers. To the people who were getting a bit melty after the Sydney game, (and before this weeks game) have some faith, yes it's a tough draw... but we're a tough team, with the talent to back it up. Don't flip flop from nay sayers to preachers, back in our boys no matter who we're up against and who's named in the 21, because whoever gets the call up is going to put in their all and that's the Port Adelaide I barrack for, one who never gives up!

 

[FishingRick04]

LOL you cocky wee and poo campaigners !

Can I just say it was great giving it back after the front running crap we endured in the 14 Pre Lim. I was surrounded by Hawks fans for the Lounge. At least jacked up the prices for them too ha.

Anyway half way through the second, where are they? Out of 50 only 3 left.... so they got some stick. Even offered them 2k Port would lose at half time should of seen their faces. Obviously after the game apparently there was a taker.

Anyway what a game. Wingard first half awesome. I knew he would stand up with the loss of Gray and he did. The dynamic Ruck duo Awesome. Boak Awesome. Pittard Freaking Awesome.

My hang over shithouse

 

[rdhopkins2]

Congrats on the win. Awesome first quarter blew us away.

 

[hazard]

So who's jealous of my Aaron Young buddyship now?

 

[El_Scorcho]

I still think he's essentially pretty harmless. And he still gives me the odd chuckle.

I had card carrying Port haters on my Facebook post about how they couldn't believe how much BT was barracking for Hawthorn.

Glad I didn't watch on tv.

 

[shewho]

Winning is everything. An 8 point game in more ways than one. Beat the four letter C words next week and we've played the best 5 teams of 2015 and look set for the top 4.

But we are not yet top 2. That's the reality. Tonight we played like a brilliant young team, not a premier.

 

[FishingRick04]

I gather Clarkson was his normal gracious (not!) self in defeat. Ah, the true Roger Federer definition of a humble champion. Humble and sweet in victory, ungracious and denigrating of the opposition in defeat. I didn't hear the presser but have been told that he felt we had a lot of luck tonight - imagine if we had just a bit of that in the prelim last year.

Not just me that sees that in Roger.

 

[finbarr]

I had card carrying Port haters on my Facebook post about how they couldn't believe how much BT was barracking for Hawthorn.

Glad I didn't watch on tv.

Yeah, maybe I don't mind him because I usually hear him calling games not involving Port.

 

[FishingRick04]

I was supposed to meet a few people last night apologies for not but I inadvertently saw Ford