- Jul 31, 2017
- 3,114
- 7,555
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide and Geelong, two teams going to the season I predicted to both be mediocre, middle of the road teams…
Well for one of those teams, my prediction was completely correct, but for the other it has been the complete opposite
Form line
Port Adelaide- 6-6, Last 5 (LWLWL)
One word to descried Port this year… Mediocre, as we have been for the last five years, mediocre is a word that completely describes Ken Hinkley. Ports wins this year, apart from the West Coast and St Kilda games have been anything but convincing, playing the same scrappy boring football that we have seen for years now. The excitement has completely gone now. They can’t handle the heat, and whenever encountered with a difficult moment, this team just falls apart, assisted by a lack of tactical assistance. If this game gets close, put your house on us folding. The only positives from Port this year have been the young players Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma, Kane Farrell and Willem Drew showing great signs, and veteran Travis Boak coming out of nowhere to be back into career best form and into Brownlow contention.
Geelong- 11-1, Last 5 (WWWWW)
Geelong will be coming off the bye after a dream start to the season. Many people myself included, expected the cats to drop off a bit this year, but boy we were wrong. The Cats have been a class above the rest this year, two games clear on top of the table after round 13. Tim Kelly has been shining and probably a top 5 contender for the Brownlow. There young players have been great, all their stars in Dangerfield, Ablett, Selwood and Hawkins have been in great form and have just in general been brilliant. The only thing that could possibly let the cats down is that they have not won their game directly after the bye in the last nine years.
Teams
Port Adelaide
Dixon, Wines and Ebert are all a chance to come back in the side after good runs in the SANFL on the weekend. Drew, Garner and Frampton should also be in the selection frame. Lienert, Motlop and Bonner should all automatically get dropped after disgusting performances on the weekend. Hinkley has said Rockliff will likely miss again and he might be looking at playing only one ruckmen so what I’d like to see is:
In: Wines, Ebert, Dixon, Drew, Frampton
Out: Motlop, Lienert, Bonner, Ryder, S.Gray
FB: D.Byrne-Jones | T.Clurey | T.Jonas
HB: D.Houston | D.Howard | R.Burton
C: X.Duursma | T.Boak | K.Amon
R: S.Lycett | S.Powell-Pepper | O.Wines
HF: C.Rozee | B.Frampton | K.Farrell
FF: R.Gray | C.Dixon | Z.Butters
I: H.Hartlett | B.Ebert | W.Drew | J.Westhoff
Geelong
Expect a similar team to what they put out against Richmond two weeks ago. Only possible change is Ratugolea dropping out due to injury but is touch and go at the moment. Dracy Fort most likely comes in for him if he doesn’t make it.
FB: Z.Tuohy | J.Kolodjashnji |M.O’Connor
HB: T.Stewart | H.Taylor | M.Blicavs
C: P.Dangerfield | T.Kelly | M.Duncan
R: R.Stanley | J.Selwood | C.Guthrie
HF: L.Dahlhaus |E.Ratugolea | T.Hawkins
FF: G.Ablett | G.Rohan | T.Atkins
I: G.Miers | B.Parfitt | J.Clark | J.Henry
History
Port Adelaide have only beaten Geelong once since the 2007 Grand Final
and only twice since the 2004 Qualifying Final, the other time being Dom Cassisi’s game winning goal game in 2007.
How we can win
It all starts at the selection table, for me the only way I see us winning is if we select two out of Dixon, Frampton, Marshall and Ladhams. Doing this automatically makes us a 5-6 better goal side. We can’t hold back and have to play out of our skins. Our veterans in Boak, Westhoff and Gray will have to be at their best but unfortunately, I can see Chris Scott just being too tactically good for Hinkley to beat.
My Prediction
We will come out with lots of energy wanting to win after last week with the home crowd behind our back kicking the first goal also accompanied by lots of missed opportunities. Geelong will however settle and hold a two-goal lead by the quarter time break. In the second and third quarter the Cats will arm-wrestle their way to a 30 odd point lead but as the third quarter and early fourth progresses Port slowly fight their way back into it, bringing the lead back to less than two goals. After both teams go scoreless for a 10-minute patch halfway through the last quarter, Geelong kick four late ones to end up with a comfortable 35 point win. Gryan Miers with four goals and Cam Guthrie BOG.
*REMINDER*
Everyone that can make it to the game remember to support the Bring Back the Bars cause and wear anything Black and White that you have at home, doesn’t matter if it’s not a guernsey.
Well for one of those teams, my prediction was completely correct, but for the other it has been the complete opposite
Form line
Port Adelaide- 6-6, Last 5 (LWLWL)
One word to descried Port this year… Mediocre, as we have been for the last five years, mediocre is a word that completely describes Ken Hinkley. Ports wins this year, apart from the West Coast and St Kilda games have been anything but convincing, playing the same scrappy boring football that we have seen for years now. The excitement has completely gone now. They can’t handle the heat, and whenever encountered with a difficult moment, this team just falls apart, assisted by a lack of tactical assistance. If this game gets close, put your house on us folding. The only positives from Port this year have been the young players Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma, Kane Farrell and Willem Drew showing great signs, and veteran Travis Boak coming out of nowhere to be back into career best form and into Brownlow contention.
Geelong- 11-1, Last 5 (WWWWW)
Geelong will be coming off the bye after a dream start to the season. Many people myself included, expected the cats to drop off a bit this year, but boy we were wrong. The Cats have been a class above the rest this year, two games clear on top of the table after round 13. Tim Kelly has been shining and probably a top 5 contender for the Brownlow. There young players have been great, all their stars in Dangerfield, Ablett, Selwood and Hawkins have been in great form and have just in general been brilliant. The only thing that could possibly let the cats down is that they have not won their game directly after the bye in the last nine years.
Teams
Port Adelaide
Dixon, Wines and Ebert are all a chance to come back in the side after good runs in the SANFL on the weekend. Drew, Garner and Frampton should also be in the selection frame. Lienert, Motlop and Bonner should all automatically get dropped after disgusting performances on the weekend. Hinkley has said Rockliff will likely miss again and he might be looking at playing only one ruckmen so what I’d like to see is:
In: Wines, Ebert, Dixon, Drew, Frampton
Out: Motlop, Lienert, Bonner, Ryder, S.Gray
FB: D.Byrne-Jones | T.Clurey | T.Jonas
HB: D.Houston | D.Howard | R.Burton
C: X.Duursma | T.Boak | K.Amon
R: S.Lycett | S.Powell-Pepper | O.Wines
HF: C.Rozee | B.Frampton | K.Farrell
FF: R.Gray | C.Dixon | Z.Butters
I: H.Hartlett | B.Ebert | W.Drew | J.Westhoff
Geelong
Expect a similar team to what they put out against Richmond two weeks ago. Only possible change is Ratugolea dropping out due to injury but is touch and go at the moment. Dracy Fort most likely comes in for him if he doesn’t make it.
FB: Z.Tuohy | J.Kolodjashnji |M.O’Connor
HB: T.Stewart | H.Taylor | M.Blicavs
C: P.Dangerfield | T.Kelly | M.Duncan
R: R.Stanley | J.Selwood | C.Guthrie
HF: L.Dahlhaus |E.Ratugolea | T.Hawkins
FF: G.Ablett | G.Rohan | T.Atkins
I: G.Miers | B.Parfitt | J.Clark | J.Henry
History
Port Adelaide have only beaten Geelong once since the 2007 Grand Final
and only twice since the 2004 Qualifying Final, the other time being Dom Cassisi’s game winning goal game in 2007.
How we can win
It all starts at the selection table, for me the only way I see us winning is if we select two out of Dixon, Frampton, Marshall and Ladhams. Doing this automatically makes us a 5-6 better goal side. We can’t hold back and have to play out of our skins. Our veterans in Boak, Westhoff and Gray will have to be at their best but unfortunately, I can see Chris Scott just being too tactically good for Hinkley to beat.
My Prediction
We will come out with lots of energy wanting to win after last week with the home crowd behind our back kicking the first goal also accompanied by lots of missed opportunities. Geelong will however settle and hold a two-goal lead by the quarter time break. In the second and third quarter the Cats will arm-wrestle their way to a 30 odd point lead but as the third quarter and early fourth progresses Port slowly fight their way back into it, bringing the lead back to less than two goals. After both teams go scoreless for a 10-minute patch halfway through the last quarter, Geelong kick four late ones to end up with a comfortable 35 point win. Gryan Miers with four goals and Cam Guthrie BOG.
*REMINDER*
Everyone that can make it to the game remember to support the Bring Back the Bars cause and wear anything Black and White that you have at home, doesn’t matter if it’s not a guernsey.