by Booney » Mon Apr 03, 2017 9:16 am
One swallow does not make a summer, like one win does not make a winter but on the back of the Sydney win the thumping of Fremantle would have given the playing group some much needed confidence that the game they want to play, when they play it, works. Works well. Now the challenge. The standard has been set early in the year and what we've seen in the last two weeks must now be the bare minimum every week. From the pressure on the ball carrier, to the structure behind the ball, to the defenders coming up and locking the ball in the forward half, to the big man up front clunking some marks. This is the standard.
30 touches and 6 goals, I'm scratching my head thinking who may have achieved that double in recent memory. You'd have to think the day Fanning kicked 18 he might have had 30 touches, maybe not. Dunstall kicked 17.5 one day, I doubt there was many handballs. Either way, Robbie Gray yesterday stood out head and shoulders below all the other midfielders, bar one, on the field. Gray was simply brilliant. He's been top shelf for a couple of years now, yesterday confirmed he's a bone fide A grader of the AFL.
One bloke who is doing his best to join him is Ollie Wines. He's been outstanding in the first two matches. 31 touches ( 19 contested @ 74% ), 4 I50's, 2 goals, 2 goal assists. Took a pretty special effort from Gray to bump him for BOG honors. Powell-Pepper in his second game, 25 touches ( 14 contested 92% DE ) 4 tackles, 1 goal. Ebert, 28, 10 I50's. The big boys in the middle were the difference.
Some reward up front for the big man too. Dixon, in perhaps his best game in Port colours, 12 touches, 7 marks ( 4 contested, 5 I50 ) and 4 goals. Finally took some clunkers where he got both hands to it. Took a couple of strong grabs in Sydney, took a couple yesterday in front of the eyes. The type of marks you expect the big key forwards to take. Excellent. Hope to see more of it through the year.
Honorable mentions to Polec who again carried the ball, broke lines and used it with precision ( 19 @ 90% DE ), Sam Gray and Amon who keep the selection panel thinking about who is next out, Dan Houston for again showing his cool head across the back half and last but most certainly not least to Ross Lyon. Thanks Ross for bringing a sub-AFL standard group to Adelaide Oval. We were looking for some road kill to build our confidence on the back of the Sydney win and you, you brought it. Cheers, Rosco.
Note - No Port supporter will be getting carried away with yesterdays win, no Sir, it was a game we should have won, did win and won comfortably against an absolute rabble. Nothing more than confidence taken out of that one.
PAFC. Forever.
LOOK OUT, WE'RE COMING!