RD 19 West v Port Match Review

[magpie in the 80's]

Port 6.10
West 4.7

Goals:
Port AhChee, Mercer 2, Murray, Summerton
West: Cupido 2, Slattery, Ferguson



post your comments here

[spell_check]

Surely someone on here went to this match? I heard on the radio that it was the smallest crowd seen at Richmond and that West fans outnumbered Port fans.

[Jardarf]

Yeah, was a scrappy contest and goals were very hard to get. Lot of midfield play and both teams had there opportunities but failed to finish off well. Was good to see the magpies get up for a win but one game I'm happy to forget. Cold, wet weather scared away a lot of fans. Richard Williams was at his very best pulling out crap frees for both teams and disrupting play.

Had a chat with Hargreaves during the game, apparently he's only got a minor groin strain and should be back next week. Thought it was funny that on Thursday night on 5rph he announced his wife was pregnant and then found out during the team listings that he was out with a groin strain.

Probably the best out there for the Magpies would have been Murray, Thurgood, J.Clayton, AhChee, and Elstone. Didn't recognize too many of the Westies players but Ezard provided some good run during the game.

I'm sure other people could provide a better review than me.

[magpie in the 80's]

Surely someone on here went to this match? I heard on the radio that it was the smallest crowd seen at Richmond and that West fans outnumbered Port fans.

1260

[scott]

Anyone know the underage results?

[spell_check]

Surely someone on here went to this match? I heard on the radio that it was the smallest crowd seen at Richmond and that West fans outnumbered Port fans.

1260

Which is not the lowest - 1,086 was at the West/North match in Round 12 2000

[Macca19]

Great to see Dean Mercer kick 2 on debut!

[bundy]

from a westies die hard.Called black and red,a top reporter.


The house was warm and the Mens Olympic road race was on TV so why would any sensible person venture out on a freezing cold and wet winter's day to watch a football match. Well, it was just the conditions that might make for an upset and, after a long and frustrating season, you wouldn't want to miss that would you?
Unfortunately for those loyal Bloods supporters who braved the elements at Richmond oval today their team let them down by failing to adapt to the conditions as well as their opponents. Westies made far too many errors especially the way they were able to deliver the ball so efficiently to a black and white jumper.
Westies never gave up and attacked the contest with gusto but they were too often second to the ball and too often their tackles were clumsy resulting in cheap kicks to the opposition.
Tippett didn't play and Giles was left out. Robbie Gray played as did Caire who played back most of the game. Ferguson started at CHF with Cupido at CHB.
Westies scored their first goal at the 13 min mark of the 3rdQ - that's right, they failed to kick a goal in the first 2 Qs. They had plenty of the ball but turned the thing over so often that their ineptness became predictable and it came as a suprise when they eventually found a team mate.
1Q PA 0.3, WA 0.4
The contest was hard, bruising and scrappy as it was played in wet and slippery conditions but, make no mistake, the game was there to be won and at half time, despite not kicking a goal we were only 2 goals behind.
2Q PA 2.4, WA 0.5
The 3rd Q saw Slattery kick our first major from a free and a 15m penalty and there was only 2 kicks in it at 3Q time. PA 3.6, WA 1.6.
The last Q saw Cupido at FF, Ferguson at CHB with Martin playing back and Gray forward. AhChee kicked a quick goal for Port and they added 2 more but we never gave up with Cupido booting 2 (and missing a sitter from a set shot) and Ferguson drifting down to get another.
Final score PA 6.10, WA 4.7
It was hard to pick best players as everybody fought hard but our finishing was so poor and our skills so seriously bad. Piasente, Cupido, Brown and McCormick put in their normal consistent and solid performances. Caire played his best game for the season and benefitted from his time in the 2s. Kurt Thompson, Greg Rowe and Ryan Anderson were best of the others. Fisher, Martin and Ezard struggled to get into the game and Robbie Gray put in a dissappointing effort for an AFL player.
Greg Rowe went down with what looked to be a knee injury late in the game.
It's hard to find positives when your team only kicks 4 goals in 100 minutes of footy and, it must be said, the game was close to the low point of the season.

[redandblack]

Anyone know the underage results?

Port won both 17's and 19's.

West's best were Morris, Caire, McCormick, Clark.

Port's were Murray and Elstone. Jeremy Clayton was well held most of the day and wouldn't have been in Port's best 6 or 8.

Although not affecting the result, anyone who thinks SANFL umpiring is in good shape is seriously deluded. After a reasonable exhibition for 3 quarters, all interpretations suddenly changed to sudden death in the last quarter, resulting in an 11-3 count to Port. Players were going for holding the ball in a split-second on a wet day when making the play.

PS: Bundy - the Westies diehard who wrote that report on the bloodntars' forum is usually excellent, but I think that was his worst report and lowest point of the season. Understandable, but he should have stayed to watch the road race.

[pipers]

The Port support was concentrated at the southern end and along the front of the food stalls in the NW corner.

The West support was holed away in the fishtank, or high up in the grandstand.

1260 sounds about right - looked like 600 at times though... and sounded like 120 for most of the day though...

Jeremy Clayton was well held most of the day and wouldn't have been in Port's best 6 or 8.

A quiet day for Jezz, but I thought he got the better of his opponent. Also took a freakish mark at the southern end.

Mercer was good on debut.

Highlight for me was the Westies bloke who played on from a mark on the goal line in the final term only to canon the footy off the behind post... summed up Westies' whole day really...

Although not affecting the result, anyone who thinks SANFL umpiring is in good shape is seriously deluded. After a reasonable exhibition for 3 quarters, all interpretations suddenly changed to sudden death in the last quarter, resulting in an 11-3 count to Port. Players were going for holding the ball in a split-second on a wet day when making the play.

I think it wasn't too bad all the way through really. They made decent allowance for the conditions, but you did have to hold it to get the mark paid. I can only recall one decision in our favour during the final term where it probably wasn't warranted. That was when the grandstand came to life for the first (and only) time during the match.

[bundy]

Red and black agree 100%

[redandblack]

I inadvertently left Greg Rowe out of West's best, but he was outstanding.

I thought Murray was very good for Port, with his tackling a lesson in how to do it effectively.

[am Bays]

And I understand today was spoon day - with four games to go West can not lose the spoon now.

[eaglesfan]

That must surely be one of the lowest ever crowds for a Port Adelaide match.

[Booney]

Eichner and Summerton telling the Port Cheer squad to get of Cupido's back anyone?

[redandblack]

That's interesting, Booney.

I believe the Port Cheer Squad's behaviour towards Cupido has been disgraceful in each game this year.

[wycbloods]

Eichner and Summerton telling the Port Cheer squad to get of Cupido's back anyone?

Eichner and Lokan i think it was telling them that they were being idiots with their racist comments towards Cupido they said it was embarrasing . Which is a shock coming from a club that has had so many indigenous players for such a long time.

How would these racist comments go on the Eyre Peninsula?

I believe that the WAFC may be making a formal complaint about it.

[Macca19]

Eichner and Summerton telling the Port Cheer squad to get of Cupido's back anyone?

Which is a shock coming from a club that has had so many indigenous players for such a long time.

I believe that the WAFC may be making a formal complaint about it.

sh

Not wrong. And so they should. Kick out the ******* idiots and tell em dont come back.

[bosvit]

Good to see the Port boys saying something.

Would have been much easier for them just to have said something to Cupido but they had the guts to say it to their own supporters, good on 'em IMO

[spell_check]

That must surely be one of the lowest ever crowds for a Port Adelaide match.

I do have a couple of estimated figures from the early 1900s and one from 1941 which are lower, but apart from those, it is the lowest. Previous was the meeting between the same clubs in Round 23 last year (1,487)