AFL Round 3

[Booney]

Friday :

Sydney v Collingwood

Saturday :

North v GWS
Richmond v West Coast
Geelong v Melbourne
Port v Adelaide
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs

Sunday :

St Kilda v Brisbane
Carlton v Essendon
Gold Coast v Hawthorn

[woodublieve12]

Friday :

Sydney v Collingwood

Saturday :

North v GWS
Richmond v West Coast
Geelong v Melbourne
Port v Adelaide
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs

Sunday :

St Kilda v Brisbane
Carlton v Essendon
Gold Coast v Hawthorn

Wouldn't be surprised this week if we dropped this one

[amber_fluid]

Showdown time!
I love going to these games as a neutral supporter.
I've been too many Carlton v Collingwood and Carlton v Richmond games but the showdown brings out those very 'special' supporters that both teams have!

[stan]

Showdown time!
I love going to these games as a neutral supporter.
I've been too many Carlton v Collingwood and Carlton v Richmond games but the showdown brings out those very 'special' supporters that both teams have!

Special being the key word there.

[Booney]

There’s always a Showdown early in the year, there’s nearly always a story leading into it. Whether it’s one teams misfortune with injury or suspension, or the other with a summer of discontent following a poor year the year before, there’s always a story. Never been a story about 1 v 2 on the ladder and neither team having tasted defeat though as it is this weekend when the Portress opens the doors to the cross town rivals. ( I know, it’s round 3 but there’s got to be some poetic licence. )

Adelaide come in on the back of victories over flag favorite GWS and then Hawthorn at the G. Two impressive scalps to start the season, not only the end result would please Crowbots but the method in which they did it. They ran GWS off their feet with the likes of Cameron, Milera and Atkins joining in on the party Laird, Smith and Sloane have been having for the last 12 months. It’s given Adelaide some real pace on the outside of the contest and with a very smart coach they are creating running patterns from the big men up front that create space for the young blokes who are running into open paddocks across the midfield and half forward lines. Adelaide, under Pyke, have become the measure of turning defence into attack.

It was a different story line against the Hawks though. The Hawks, doing what they’ve done like no other team in modern times, possessed the ball early, played keepies off with the Crows and looked as though they’d been taught another master class by Clarkson on how to beat the opponent they are facing. It was working, until Adelaide got their hands on it and opened the Hawks up. 11 goals to 5 in the second half and massive games from Jacobs and Sloane led Adelaide to a well earned victory. Not much love for Lynch though, not sure why, 31 touches with 14 marks and he bridged the gap left by Jenkins. Thought he was important.

Across Port Road at Alberton the unexpected away win over perennial premiership fancy Sydney was followed up with a trouncing of the deplorable Dockers. While the win over Sydney was more than pleasing to Port fans with the welcome return of Paddy Ryder showing the midfield they’ve got someone working for them and the exciting debut of Powell-Pepper some Port fans would have seen a couple of other pleasing signs. Captain Boak and wingman Polec have both started the season in fine fettle. Both of them are covering ground, getting reward for the effort and most importantly they’re using the ball ( 78% and 89% DE on the weekend ). Port were the turnover kings in 2016, stopping the rot there is critical. More of the ball in the hands of these two will be, well, a good thing.

With Powell-Pepper giving the midfield some extra grunt the likes of Gray and Wingard can spend time forward when things are going well and when it’s not players of their calibre can go in the middle and get their hands on the ball. Defensively there’s been some developments too. Two Tom’s Clurey and Jonas have made the key defensive posts theirs. Clurey the one who has taken the full back spot and made it his allowing Hinkley to play Trengove wherever the match up suits. Back if the opposition has more talls, forward if they don’t, rucking to chop out Paddy. Throw in an excellent start to the year by Wines and Ebert and Port’s midfield is looking like one that can match it inside with the best and perhaps outside now too.

As always the experts will tell us that this one will be won in the midfield. I’ll take a different approach here, I think this one will be won or lost in Port’s forward half and not all of it will be kicking it through the big sticks. The hard work will be restricting Adelaide’s exits from defence, this is where the Crows make space for their forwards and we’ve seen once they’re in space they score and score heavily. The likes of Impey, S.Gray, Young, Trengove and resting midfielders R.Gray, Wingard, Boak and Amon will need to apply serious pressure to the running Crow defenders. If Laird, Smith, Brown, Atkins, Mackay and Knight have the ball across the back half in space then the likes of Hombsch, Clurey and Jonas will be hard pressed to stop the Adelaide side from transitioning the ball from the midfield to the goal square.

Whilst I see this area of the match up the most critical across the 4 quarters there’s no doubt the Ryder v Jacobs battle will be crucial. Ryder has literally leapt back into AFL action with two super impressive performances and his tap work is thoroughly enjoying the no 3rd man up rule. Ryder doesn’t want to engage the other ruckman in a physical battle, no, he wants space to approach and leap over the grounded ruckman. On the other side lumbering Sauce wants to engage, use his big frame and ability to read the ball to win his fare share of hit outs to advantage. An interesting battle looms as typically Jacobs has owned Lobbe in recent times. Different beast he faces this week.

So, can Port win enough ball in the middle to get it forward and, more importantly, keep it there or at least slow Adelaide down from defence?

Adelaide are a genuine top 4 fancy and Port are looking for the consistency required to play finals football again. I’m not getting seduced by Port’s start to the season against a I side who I see as a real premiership threat.

Adelaide by 21 points.

[amber_fluid]

Nice write up Booney!
But as you'd know form and stats are irrelevant leading into a showdown.
How many times has the favourite won a showdown?
I'm sure someone has that stat?

If Westhoff plays his usual game against the crows(generally 1 of his 3 good games he plays per year) and the midfield get on top, I can see the Power winning this one in a very close game.

[MW]

First 15 minutes are huge Booney. Will decide the result IMO.

[Rik E Boy]

"The Hawks, doing what they’ve done like no other team in modern times, possessed the ball early, played keepies off with the Crows and looked as though they’d been taught another master class by Clarkson on how to beat the opponent they are facing. It was working, until...."

......Smith went off injured.

regards,

REB

[MatteeG]

"The Hawks, doing what they’ve done like no other team in modern times, possessed the ball early, played keepies off with the Crows and looked as though they’d been taught another master class by Clarkson on how to beat the opponent they are facing. It was working, until...."

......Smith went off injured.

regards,

REB

Dont let facts ruin it REB. Totally outclassed by the preeemiership faves..

[MW]

Never knew Smith was the only reason you win games.

[Booney]

Hombsch to miss 3-4 with slight medial strain. Big loss.

[Booney]

I had Jonas > McGovern, Clurey > Walker and Hombsch spare while Houston (188cm) might have been the man for Lynch (191) with Trengove roaming around helping out.

Now I see Jonas > McGovern, Trengove > Walker, Clurey > Lynch.

[PatowalongaPirate]

I had Jonas > McGovern, Clurey > Walker and Hombsch spare while Houston (188cm) might have been the man for Lynch (191) with Trengove roaming around helping out.

Now I see Jonas > McGovern, Trengove > Walker, Clurey > Lynch.

I think I read somewhere that Trengove's shadow was looking after Jenkins.

[Rik E Boy]

Never knew Smith was the only reason you win games.

Hawthorn have a possession based game plan that relies a lot on one or two outside line breakers. Last year it was Smith and Hill that provided the outside run and this year it's Smith and Shiels (who went down as well). Smith is an absolutely critical component of Hawthorn's ability to win football matches as the Hawk squad isn't blessed with outside run. I think this is fairly obvious and often spoken about in football circles and Smith's importance to Hawthorn was mentioned during the game as well.

Adelaide outplayed the Hawks but I would not be parading my ignorance so blithely. It's hardly a new concept Smith's importance to Hawthorn.

regards,

REB

[bennymacca]

Probably shows how slow the Hawks have become, that one or two players provide all of their run.

[nuggety goodness]

In the past though their ability to make good decisions and their excellent footskills to hit targets under pressure enabled them to slice teams open so pace wasn't as necessary for them to beat sides.

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[The Bedge]

In the past though their ability to make good decisions and their excellent footskills to hit targets under pressure enabled them to slice teams open so pace wasn't as necessary for them to beat sides.

Sounds like you're describing yourself during your footy days mate

[Fricky]

I've got $50 on Port 1-39 @ $3. They'll come into this game with a heap of confidence, not that the Crows are lacking any, but Port's early has been good and something they've lacked the last few years - as Booney pointed out re turnovers. Add to that the 49000 of the 50000+ crowd being Port fans that will be cheering on their boys will lift them a gear and I see Port winning their first Showdown in 2 years.

[nuggety goodness]

In the past though their ability to make good decisions and their excellent footskills to hit targets under pressure enabled them to slice teams open so pace wasn't as necessary for them to beat sides.

Sounds like you're describing yourself during your footy days mate

I was blessed enough to have everything... blistering pace, genius decisions making, eagle eyed vision and sublime skill*









*when compared to the other div7 footballers i played against...

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[am Bays]

No matter what happens, these blokes are always right