Ant Bear
Swamprat
- Dec 7, 2012
- 37,287
- 86,542
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
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- Port Magpies, Swamprats forever,
2017 FIRST ELIMINATION FINAL
Port Adelaide Power vs West Coast Eagles
Where: Adelaide Oval
When: Saturday September 10th 7.20 pm ACSTWhere they finished: Port 5th, 14-8, 129.7% --- West Coast 8th, 12-10, 105.7%
PORT ADELAIDE RETURNS TO FINALS ACTION!!! OK, we knew this last week, but our position and opponent have now been determined - an Elimination Final at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, September 10th, against the West Coast Eagles. Fresh off a 115-point humiliation of Gold Coast, who at least had the courtesy to dress up as witches hats, and on a three game winning streak - something we have not achieved since 2014 - Port are confident, healthy and will be keen to avenge the Eagles' last two visits to us, which have resulted in frustrating losses that destroyed our confidence last season and seemed to derail this one. However, the 2017 version of Port Adelaide is made of sterner stuff, and we returned the favour to the West Coasters in round 16 by recording a comfortable 32 point win. After scores were level at 3/4 time, the Power booted 8 final term goals, with Dixon (5) and R Gray (3) leading the way, Ryder dominant in ruck and SPP showing his courage by shaking off a shoulder injury scare. Since then, we've dropped Trengove, Hombsch, Atley, Impey and White (although the first two may return this week), whilst the Eagles have only shuffled Karpany, Wellingham and Lycett out.
The Eagles have now played their last game at Subiaco/Domain Stadium and move to the new Perth Stadium next season. It looks like a gigantic cake tin...
Pictured: The new home of the West Coasters, Perth Stadium
Midfield: Shapes as a titanic battle. Wines, Ebert, Boak, Wingard, Gray, SPP vs Priddis, Mitchell, Shuey, Sheed and Redden. We seem to run deeper with quality, and will be fed by a dominant ruck in Ryder, and our mids have more pace than the Eagles. Their outside run comes from Gaff and Jetta, but we have good matchups for them in Polec and AJ/Broadbent
Defence: Kennedy looms large as a vital player to be stopped. He didn't play against us in Perth, and this is the reason that Hombsch should be recalled. Darling and LeCras have poor finals and away records, but always seem to play well against Port, so Doogs and DBJ have big jobs as well.
Possible Lineups:
PORT
B: Byrne-Jones - Clurey - Hombsch
HB: Hartlett - Howard - Pittard
C: Polec - Ebert - Westhoff
HF: S Gray - Trengove - Boak
F: Wingard - Dixon - R Gray
R: Ryder - Wines - Powell-Pepper
Int: Neade - Broadbent - Amon - Houston
In: Trengove - Hombsch - Broadbent
Out: Marshall - Bonner - Johnson
B: Byrne-Jones - Clurey - Hombsch
HB: Hartlett - Howard - Pittard
C: Polec - Ebert - Westhoff
HF: S Gray - Trengove - Boak
F: Wingard - Dixon - R Gray
R: Ryder - Wines - Powell-Pepper
Int: Neade - Broadbent - Amon - Houston
In: Trengove - Hombsch - Broadbent
Out: Marshall - Bonner - Johnson
I think that selectors will opt for experience. Trengove has done all that could be asked of him at the Magpies for the past couple, and at this point in time is still a better, more battle-hardened selection than Marshall. And we ill need his ruck backup against two experienced, if similarly limited, ruckmen. Shoring up our tall defence with Hombsch is necessary, because the Eagles do play at least 3, sometimes 4 tall forwards, and McGovern may start there given his matchup paucity in our forward line. I'm sure that Hombsch would have replaced Bonner last week but for the lack of imposing Suns forwards. And Broadbent has been an automatic selection when fit, and has done little wrong this year, so AJ will probably make way.
WEST COAST
B: MacKenzie - Barass - Sheppard
HB: Hurn - McGovern - Yeo
C: Gaff - Priddis - Jetta
HF: Redden - Darling - Cripps
F: Petrie - Kennedy - LeCras
R: Naitanui - Shuey - Mitchell
Int: Sheed - Duggan - Masten - Cripps
In: Naitanui - Masten
Out: Partington - Vardy
The big intrigue is NicNat. Listed on their website as a "Late 2017" return, it doesn't get any later than this. If he's ready, he'll play (I'm not too across the Eagles updates, so happy to be corrected here) Otherwise, they've run happily with Vardy all season, along with Petrie's support. They had Chris Masten and Sharrod Wellingham out of their round 23 team, so may want to add their experience, and the inexperienced Partington could be unlucky to lose his spot
Key Matchups: Ryder/Trengove vs Petrie/Vardy - Ryder has too much leap for the Eagles rucks unless Naitanui plays, which is unlikely, and his hitting skill is far greater than Petrie or Vardy. I expect Paddy to dominate here, and give the likes of Boak, Ebert, Wines, SPP, R Gray and Wingard first look at the ball.
Howard v Darling - Doogs has the pace and endurance to go with Darling, who is a perennial finals and away game underperformer anyway
Clurey v Kennedy - TC's biggest test yet, on the big stage against a dual Coleman Medallist who is coming off an inaccurate performance vs the Crows. JK rarely puts in 2 bad ones in a row, and never misses against Port, so the challenge is to make sure he has to get the ball at distance or at width. This is why I would expect Hombsch to be recalled, to help Tommy quell the biggest danger to progressing.
Wines/Ebert/Boak v Mitchell/Priddis/Shuey - The inside midfield war. Clearances are so vital in finals, and with Ryder in career-best and AA form, it is so vital to get the plans and timing perfect around ruck contests. The Eagles trio are all experienced, tough finals players who read a game well, and can make adjustments on the fly, so it will be important for our group to not become too predictable as the game wears on.
Wingard v Yeo - Potentially the most exhilarating matchup on the field if it eventuates. Both go midfield at times, and both are clean, influential and brilliant. It will benefit us if Wingard, or whoever is Yeo's opponent, takes him deep to keep his damaging rebound in check.
Tale Of The Tape:
Tip: Port by 24 points. At home, healthy and confident that we've gone through our flat spot and begun climbing again, Port's pressure game and firing small forwards to kick us to a comfortable win easing back against the mentally bedraggled Eagles, and moving on to a semi-final against the loser of the Crows and Giants. A Showdown semi-final at Adelaide Oval, in front of an equal gallery of Crow and Power fans, will be the dream.
Pictured: West Coast cheer squad assist their skipper in determining wind direction
Pictured: Eagles veterans Priddis, Mitchell and Petrie bow out with their heads held high
