Preview Gameday Thread. Hawks Vs Port

[grizzlym]

Round 18
Hawthorn vs Port

Where and when: AAMI Stadium, Saturday, July 31, 2.40pm ACST
Head to head: Port Adelaide 14 wins, Hawthorn seven wins, no draws
Last time: Hawthorn 10.14 (74) d Port Adelaide 8.15 (63), round 11, 2010 at MCG

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Nick Salter
HB: Nathan Krakouer, Troy Chaplin, Matt Thomas
C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak
HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan
F: Justin Westhoff, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert
Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Robbie Gray
I/C: Mitchell Banner, Matthew Broadbent, Andrew Moore, Jack Trengove
Emg: Jasper Pittard, Danny Meyer, Scott Harding

In: Krakouer, Trengove
Out: Tom Logan (concussion), Josh Carr (retired)


Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy
HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton
C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young
HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne
F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne
Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C: Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Wayde Skipper, Brendan Whitecross
Emg: Shane Savage, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling

In: Ladson
Out: Campbell Brown (suspension)

FORM
Port Adelaide: LLLLW
Hawthorn: WWLWD

Port Port?

So Port again, but over there. Don't know why (perhaps because they've got a great win/loss record against us) but I don't like playing them. Except this time around they look a vastly different side, and they're without Chocco who's gone loco, so all of that bodes well. Take 'em Hawk and let's get marching towards them finals.

We've speculated on the team changes here.

And discussed the merits of the actual team selected here.

Thanks Scrads for his preview.

So without any further ado, it's on with the gameday thread, Go Hawks!

 

[Scrads]

Preview

People may be surprised, but the rivalry between PAFC and Hawthorn is actually quite a strong, healthy one. The two teams have shared many significant moments since the home team’s inception, however both sets of supporters have moments they would rather forget. Overall, we hold a paltry 7-14 win-loss record against these guys and a 6-17 one from all matches played at Footy Park. Lets take a look at some of the notable occasions these two teams have met in the past:

2001 Semi-Final, Footy Park.
Hawthorn: 10.12. 72 Port: 10.9. 69
What an absolute thriller this one was. I was only 10 at the time so cut me some slack if my memory is hazy. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think we were losing when Johnny Barker kicked the winner for us, after being injured and off the ground for a portion of the game(…?). Either way, as little of the game as I remember, I remember how excited I was- jumping up and down in my dad’s lounge room, his port-supporting friend with his head in his hands. That was definitely one for the times.

2003 Round 18, MCG.
Hawthorn: 11.14. 80 Port: 12.12. 84
Another thriller, (again, this is if I am remembering correctly) we had this one sewn up with some players in the middle of the ground maintaining possession of the ball through handball when BAM !! A running Byron Pickett intercepts a handball, runs through the centre, collects the ball and lands home his 4th goal with bugger all time left on the clock to give the power the lead and leaving every single Hawk player and supporter stunned as to what had just happened.

2004 Rounds 3 (AAMI) and 16 (MCG), 2005 Round 13 (AAMI), 2006 Round 11 (AAMI).
<No records of matches found. They don’t exist. Nothing to see here.>

2007 Round 10 (AAMI).
Hawthorn: 17.7. 109 Port: 10.15. 75
Now this may not have been an epic battle played to the death, but it was my first ever Hawks game I went to so I can remember it as vividly as anything. Port got off to a cracking start, they lead by 3 or 4 goals at quarter time and I was feeling a little unsure of this whole ‘going to the footy’ thing. Much to my delight however, the Hawks turned it around to run away comfortable winners. Here are some of the moments I remember: Ben McGlynn slotting 3 goals. At least two of which were 50m running bombs- he was really good this game. Tim Boyle slotting one from an impossible angle on the point post with a casual drop punt (and finishing with a bag of 5). Robert Gray and Justin Westhoff making their debut. Youngy getting crunched late in the game and having to be assisted off. At the end of the game me running down to the fence where Sammy was giving out one of them mini footy’s to a little kid and me scoring a high five out of him before he left. Add to all this, the fact that we finally looked like we were a team on the march and we had broken our hoodoo over the Power and Footy Park (for now).

2007 Round 20 (Aurora).
Hawthorn: 12.10. 82 Port: 12.15. 87
Now if the Byron Pickett charade was devastating, it doesn’t compare to this epic. Again, as long as my memory is working properly, we were both top 4 sides at this stage and a win would almost certainly secure our top 4 spot. As I remember, it was a close-ish tussle all day, with the hawks being up by 13 points with 3ish minutes left (did the irony of that situation just hit you aswell ?). Anyways, two quick goals to (I think) Daniel Motlop and the ledger was just one solitary point with an exceptionally small amount of time left. The power managed to get it forward to Brett Ebert who marked on a very tight angle just 10m out. At this point, I remember one of my dad’s mates turning around and bellowing ‘its either a win or a draw!!’ and my sense of deflatedness at how we had managed to drop it. Ebert kicked truly and the power won with neither team able to score again. You could argue this game cost us our top 4 spot that year, with us winning a thriller over the Camrys in the elimination final then losing in very disappointing fashion the week after against North in the semi final.

2010 Round 11 (MCG).
This brings us to our most recent encounter. Hawthorn breakout leaders for most of the day, until Jason ‘I used to play for Geelong’ Davenport kicked a couple to give us a scare, however we held our nerve and due mainly to one single passage of play from Burgoyne which pretty much won us the game. We took home the 4 points.

Oh am I meant to be writing about this week ? I suppose I will get onto that

Hawthorn
The Hawk’s form lately has been nothing short of outstanding. In the last 10 games we have had 8 wins, a draw against almost-premiership favourites and an incredibly narrow loss against premiership favourites. The team deserves a lot of credit for a lot of hard work put in over this period of time, recovering from a very unhealthy 1-6. Some of the key factors in the Hawks resurgence include:

Shaun Burgoyne- This man is everything we wanted him to be… and he is just warming up !! He is STILL getting better with every game. His disposal under pressure is just immaculate and whenever he gets the ball, his composure and ability to just waft through a raft of players unscathed never ceases to amaze me. Has all the time in the world by the looks of things.

Tom Murphy- Has really thrived in these months of success, his defending is the best its ever been and the same goes for his disposal in pressure situations. He is making fewer and fewer clangers and when he does, he puts it behind him straight away and makes up for it. Has a new found confidence and really has, cemented a Best 22 spot.

Sam Mitchell- Game-saving tackle v Richmond put us where we are now, he has been outstanding this season and his leadership is the same. We definitely would not be where we are without him, he is a consistent performer week-in, week-out.

Cyril Rioli- OP…? Keep dreaming. Nothing can stop this guy, we all know what he can do (or do we ??) and he really looks like he is in top notch form. You can’t help but get excited when he goes near the ball, because he does something miraculous almost every time.

Lance Franklin- Now, we all know this man is an absolute superstar. But he is actually in exceptional form. If it weren’t for 2008, he would be in career best form right now (arguably, he is anyway). He has kicked 39 goals in his last 10 games, only once in those games has he scored less than 3 (he finished with 2 on that occasion, against Richmond). He can kick them from anywhere and has a devastating effect on the game (round 13 anyone…?). With this guy switched on, we really are a team to be feared.

Now unfortunately, I don’t have the time or space to write about the other players (Hodge is a legend, Youngy, Stratton and Guerra have been fantastic) because every one of them deserve to be written about, but now we cross to the other side of town.

Port Adelaide
The Power are almost a stark contrast of us at the moment. Last weekend they had a win against cross-town rivals, Adelaide. It was Josh Carr’s last game and they played well to make sure he went out with a win. The Power had lost the previous 11 games they had played in however, and looked to be in an absolute mess. Their longest-serving coach ‘Choco’ Williams had resigned, meaning ex-ruckman Matthew Primus was elected as an interim for the remainder of the year. Primus becomes a bit of an unknown for the game. Will he stick to a similar procedure as Williams ? or is he willing to loosen up a bit and try a few things out ? His only 2 games of football have not been spectacular, but definitely passable- 2 good quarters against the Bulldogs and the Showdown victory. The Power have also added several youngsters to their side of late. Names such as Matthew Broadbent and Andrew Moore have added some youth to the team. The side has copped some flak over the years at the perceived view of some of their players being ‘downhill skiers’. Some of the names to pop up include Rodan and Pearce. These players are not to be underrated. Whilst they may be sometimes inconsistent, they also have the ability to turn games on and really become a headache for opposition teams. The players they have which are always dangerous no matter what the situation is includes: K.Cornes, Cassissi and Boak. Arguably the Power’s best player in history, Warren Tredrea this week announced his retirement from the game. Tredrea had been trying to recover from an ankle injury for 2010 but unfortunately for the Power, has been forced to make this decision. He will be making a lap of honour around AAMI Stadium before the game in tribute of his highly-successful career.

The Game:
As poor as the power has been the last 10 rounds, they definitely have the firepower to cause an upset, especially at a venue which has in the past not been a particularly successful one for us. As has been the case in the past 10 rounds for us, our constant pressure and hard running need to be executed in a professional fashion. Shaun Burgoyne will hopefully be pumping himself up for a big one against his old club who will no doubt be doing the same for him. The retirement of Tredrea is also going to be a motivating factor for the Power. Our bigger-bodied players should be looking to bump, tackle and crucnch some of the smaller, younger bodies of the Port team at every contest. The Crows probably didn’t do this enough last week (being a mostly outside team doesn’t help) and it is an area in which we need to capitalise. Overall, the Hawks will go into the match as favourites and should be able to bring home the 4 points.

Prediction: Hawks by 20.

 

[Booo!]

Can anyone recommend a Melb pub / venue to watch the game? Am a bit worried that my local will switch the 'big tv' to the other game, so need a dedicated Hawks nest...

 

[Henry Jr]

Its grey and miserable over here in adelaide.... and thats just N24

Locals saying it will be very windy with some late showers.

Hopefully Crawford doesn't win the toss and kick against the wind again

 

[b0ydman]

Great preview post Scrads.

Good luck, hope its a solid game. If it is half as intense as last week we'll all enjoy it

Don't mind if you lose/ you win, just want to see an honest effort.

Hopefully that will be a good workout for you guys going into the finals too. Love to see you beat Dogs Cats Saints or Pies especially

 

[Hodgepodge]

I'm not looking forward to to the next two games. Port at AAMI and Sydney at SCG . . . boring games if you ask me.

Just hope we get the 4 points and no injuries.

 

[lazy toad]

Can anyone recommend a Melb pub / venue to watch the game? Am a bit worried that my local will switch the 'big tv' to the other game, so need a dedicated Hawks nest...

I went to The Harp in Kew to watch the Hawks Lions game when there was also Pies and Saints on. Great venue, big with multiple 'big tvs', so u will still get a good look at the hawks game. It even had the pies, saints live, so I wouldnt be surprised if they had blues pies live aswell.

And if that all goes belly up, there is a TAB so u can punt the afternoon away

 

[Booo!]

I went to The Harp in Kew to watch the Hawks Lions game when there was also Pies and Saints on. Great venue, big with multiple 'big tvs', so u will still get a good look at the hawks game. It even had the pies, saints live, so I wouldnt be surprised if they had blues pies live aswell.

And if that all goes belly up, there is a TAB so u can punt the afternoon away

Many thanks lazy toad.

 

[jacqui9]

I have an uneasy feeling about today.

Our record over here is terrible and Port are coming off a great win last week.

Will head over to AAMI in about an hour to sit with the Hawks faithful and hopefully cheer the Mighty Hawks on to a victory. (after last night's debacle, I want nothing less than a crushing win!!).

Carn Hawkers!!

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Here's hoping we can bring home the Stuey Dew Cup

 

[Off The Couch]

I have an uneasy feeling about today.

Our record over here is terrible and Port are coming off a great win last week.

Will head over to AAMI in about an hour to sit with the Hawks faithful and hopefully cheer the Mighty Hawks on to a victory. (after last night's debacle, I want nothing less than a crushing win!!).

Carn Hawkers!!

Agreed, really need to get off to a good start and get them questioning themselves early. Really important that the job is done on Danyle Pearce right from the get go and don't let ebert anywhere near the ball - he seems to destroy us everytime.

 

[macdaddio]

I have an uneasy feeling about today.

Our record over here is terrible and Port are coming off a great win last week.

Will head over to AAMI in about an hour to sit with the Hawks faithful and hopefully cheer the Mighty Hawks on to a victory. (after last night's debacle, I want nothing less than a crushing win!!).

Carn Hawkers!!

Buddy and Gibson did not play last time we beat them, they are missing some good players, we should win with out a doubt...

 

[scout]

Thomas is a late withdrawal for Meyer. Good luck tomorrow I don't mind your mob.

That could be because we've pinched a few from your club, this is almost an intra-club.

 

[macdaddio]

Ports missing 7 off its top players who played last time we beat them

No Motlop, surjan, salopek, davenport, logan, chad, hartlett

We have Buddy and gibson who did not play last time, i can pretty much say based on our team and their team we will win.

 

[Off The Couch]

Ports missing 7 off its top players who played last time we beat them

No Motlop, surjan, salopek, davenport, logan, chad, hartlett

We have Buddy and gibson who did not play last time, i can pretty much say based on our team and their team we will win.

What we should do and what we do are two different things. The last game was at the MCG our home game, this one is at their's and our record is not good. While we should win based on form and teams on the ground I'm not as confident as most people seem to be as Port are one of those teams that are fast becoming similar to North - they love to beat us.

 

[macdaddio]

What we should do and what we do are two different things. The last game was at the MCG our home game, this one is at their's and our record is not good. While we should win based on form and teams on the ground I'm not as confident as most people seem to be as Port are one of those teams that are fast becoming similar to North - they love to beat us.

Cats love to beat us, Bombers love to beat us, Saints love to beat us, Dogs love to beat us, Swans love to beat us, Crows love to beat us, yet we have shown over the year that we can beat all of our bogey sides.
Im so conivnced that we will win that if we lose it will hurt more than the Draw againts the Saints and the 3 point loss to the Cats..

 

[go hawks!!!]

On the way to the ground radar looks ok should not rain but a little windy lots of drinks and fun at berkley bar before the game especially if u can pack a punch!

 

[Hawker_Ant]

I'm getting excited.

Go Horks!!!!

 

[Hawker_Ant]

Sammy won the toss again. Glad he's the captain.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

First two goals to Port. Soudns far too easy, repeat of last week's beginning.

Kane Cornes of Luke Hodge.

 

[Hawker_Ant]

Grief. Like the Saints game. Early easy goals before we get started.

 

[Hawker_Ant]

Well kicked Ozzie. Reliable player.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Ozzie kicks our first (so reliable with set shots - 17.4 this year!)

1 goal to 2.1

 

[grizzlym]

Port had two goals on the board before we even touched the ball.

 

[Pessimistic]

Nice amount of noise from the Horks fans - good work !