Port Adelaide 2020

[daysofourlives]

Where's the match write up?

Start a clock mate
3 days and counting

[Booney]

Where's the match write up?

Cmon man, on company time.

Absolutely, don't even have a PC at home.

[Booney]

Outcoached when preparing for the match. Outplayed by a team who executed their plan better than we did. The End.

It was apparent early that Geelong had a game plan devised to counter the one Port play. In the opening term we saw Geelong exit sideways from defence, one, this gave them space to move it through the midfield and, two, meant they went around our zone instead of trying to pick through it as sides often do, that’s a hard ask and Geelong knew it, so they went around and it worked a treat. To execute this though means good ball use by foot and the Cats went at 75% disposal efficiency on Friday night, up from their season average 71%. Not a huge difference but it makes all the difference to creating space in the midfield.

Not that Port had much forward 50 entry early on ( only 37 for the night, -10 on season average ) but when they did the Cats backs crowded space 30-40m from goal, the zone where Port like to drop the ball, it gives Dixon a run at it and the smalls know where to gather. A lot of our attacks get set up with the midfield having possession 70-80m from goal, as such our attacking spot is around 30-40m out and that zone was filled with Cats jumpers. The midfield, under pressure more often than not couldn’t execute and the ball, as mentioned above, came out with ease.

When the defence of any team moves the ball without pressure the midfield have a field day, 60 more uncontested possessions and 103 marks to 53, if you can’t isolate your big full forward one-on-one with those numbers you’re doing something wrong. Geelong didn’t do much wrong in that sense, not only did Hawkins have the ball delivered to his advantage Clurey was powerless to do anything about it in one-on-one contests. With 6cm and 15kg on his opponent coupled with a midfield moving uncontested into the forward half and delivering it on a platter you could say Hawkins was unlucky to only end up with 6 such was the delivery he was getting.

Typically Port get Jonas up as the third man in the contest to help out on the big key forwards, that’s only when the zone slows play down and he has a chance to get across to the contest. Neither happened and the move of Jonas onto Hawkins was futile, he’s smaller and lighter than Clurey and wasn’t going to fare any better in the one-on-ones, it had to be pressure up the field and that never came.

But, oddly enough and despite the total dominance of the Cats in the opening half it was just 15 point at half time and it was 7 scoring shots a piece. How? If not for Boak and to a lesser extent Powell-Pepper in the first half the margin would have been much, much more. I’ve mentioned it plenty of times, get the ball forward, pressure the defenders, lock it in, win the territory. We did a couple of them, 50 tackles and 10 inside 50 would normally see Port hold ground, but not against the bigger bodies of Geelong’s back half. Stewart, Touhy and the rejuvenated Henderson broke tackles when they were under pressure and that was rare, 37 uncontested possession between them and 23 marks.

From here they dish it up on a plate to Guthrie who had a night out, Dangerfield, Menegola and Miers who makes me vomit every time he goes to kick the ball. Not since Paul Northeast has there been a bloke whose played at the top level and can’t kick. And they made up the word Gryan to use as a name. Fair dinkum. Anywho defence moves it out with ease, midfield get space to work in, forwards get one-on-ones. The End.

Boon’s best – Boak, Houston, Amon, Powell-Pepper.

Hopefully a blip on the radar, but more of a reflection of a perennial contender flexing their muscle against a side still off challenging for the title.

Onto the Hawks at home on Saturday where a bounce back is required to hold onto top spot. Getting tight at the top with 1 game between 1st and 5th and the Tigers another game back.

[Rik E Boy]

We've been a blip on Port's radar for 13 years. One of the major reasons we weren't further in front earlier was poor shooting for goal. Any team that kicks it high into our defence isn't beating us.

regards,

REB

[Boyohboywowee]

We've been a blip on Port's radar for 13 years. One of the major reasons we weren't further in front earlier was poor shooting for goal. Any team that kicks it high into our defence isn't beating us.

regards,

REB

Thanks for the insight REB - have forwarded one to Kenny!

[Arch44]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

[Booney]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

[Jim05]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Investigated for Covid breach.
Invited some guests over to their house allegedly

[Trader]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Ladhams invited 'guests' over after the bulldogs game, Houston was there too.
Likely they'll be sitting out a game or 4...

[Eagles2014]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Apparently both out for COVID breach, idiots these players I tell ya!!!

[Booney]

Dumb arses.

[Jim05]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Ladhams invited 'guests' over after the bulldogs game, Houston was there too.
Likely they'll be sitting out a game or 4...

If another 20 get somehow tied up in it we are a huge chance next week

[Trader]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Ladhams invited 'guests' over after the bulldogs game, Houston was there too.
Likely they'll be sitting out a game or 4...

If another 20 get somehow tied up in it we are a huge chance next week

Early thought is the club knew as soon as it happened, sat on it until after the 'tough' games were over, and reported this week knowing we 'only' had Essendon this week.

[Booney]

Fines like Buckley and Sanderson and we move on. Easy.

[Jim05]

[quote="Arch44"]Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Ladhams invited 'guests' over after the bulldogs game, Houston was there too.
Likely they'll be sitting out a game or 4...

If another 20 get somehow tied up in it we are a huge chance next week

Early thought is the club knew as soon as it happened, sat on it until after the 'tough' games were over, and reported this week knowing we 'only' had Essendon this week.[/quote]Only missing 2 players still won’t make it a contest. Surely Ken will rest a few in the lead up to finals

[Jim05]

Fines like Buckley and Sanderson and we move on. Easy.

Am I right in saying that all players guilty so far have missed at least 1 game?

Maybe get the lads to say they invited Cotchin’s wife over or they were having a hit of tennis with Molik

[Wedgie]

Remarkably, only six teams are yet to officially breach the league’s rules: Geelong, West Coast, Gold Coast, St Kilda, Brisbane and GWS.

[Trader]

Am I right in saying that all players guilty so far have missed at least 1 game?

Bailey Smith got a $1500 fine from memory.
The crows lads all got a game but that suspension was suspended.

[Armchair expert]

Dan Houston and Peter Ladhams. Oops

Huh?

Investigated for Covid breach.
Invited some guests over to their house allegedly

They better have been hookers or this story is boring

[Dutchy]

And probably only one in 10 are getting caught