Ant Bear
Swamprat
- Dec 7, 2012
- 37,287
- 86,542
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Port Magpies, Swamprats forever,
VS
WHEN: 1.15, Saturday June 27th. Probably. Depends upon which Vic team breaks Covid protocols this week.
WEATHER: Ports are playing, there will be rain
LAST TIME: Port went over to Perth in round 4 last year, and played on Good Friday night. In a downpour , especially in the second term (very reminiscint of yesterday's win over the Dockers!), Port were too tough and tore the Weagles a new one, leading by 49 points at half time and resticting the woeful Big Birds to only 2 goals. After the long break, it was relatively even, and Port ended up saluting by 42, with Duursma, Ebert and S Gary booting 2 each.
Prior to this, Port had lost 6 of the previous 7 to the Eagles, including several heartbreakers where we led all game, dominated all statistics and looked the better team, only to be overtaken at the death LUKESHUEYISACUCKINGDUNT
TEAMS: With the unfortunate injury to X-Man, we will need to make a change. It is almost unfathomable how important Duursma's ceaseless run has become to Port and I expect that either Bergman or Mayes will be his replacement. Otherwise, our structure looks pretty spot onand I can't see too many other changes.
West Coast will probably regain McGovern, it seems his ankle isn't too bad. A few of their stars looked banged up against Brisbane - Yeo, LUKESHUEYISACUCKINGDUNT and Liam Ryan at various stages all received treatment for injuries but played the game out; however, the form of the team may force them to look at some unforced changes. Jackson Nelson, Jake Waterman and Bailey Williams are some names mentioned as being close to selection.
PREVIEW: It all starts in the middle. Nic Nat is back for the Eagles, and possibly no-one in the country has rucked against him and knows his game as much as Scott Lycett. It is likely that Natanui will jump all over big Slyce, but we hope that he knows enough to ground the big Eagle's leap and get his share of the taps. If so, our midfield, led by Boak and now Wines, have the big, bullocking bodies to win the ball out of the centre, against the likes of Tim Kelly, LUKESHUEYISACUCKINGDUNT and Redden. On the outside, Andrew Gaff is in some form, getting lots of possessions, and this is where the loss of Duursma will be felt.
In defence, we have been very solid for a while now, with a good balance of dour defenders, flair and running players and driving kicks, but this is our biggest test for a while. Josh Kennedy has had a slow start to the season, as has Jack Darling, but theoir ability hasn't left them and Two Toms will have to be on their best defensive mindsets to stop the Eagle twin towers. The Eagles have also been playing Oscar Allen as a third tall; McKenzie will get that job, but apart from Ryan, who looked dangerous against Brisbane and booted 3, the Eagles' smaller forwards in Cripps and Petrucelle may find themselves up against one of Hartlett, Bonner, Houston or Byrne-Jones, who all have attacking mindsets.
Our tall forwards have started to really hit their straps. Dixon, Marshall and Westhoff have combined beautifully since the resumption, rarely flying against each other, holding marks and kicking straight. They will be matched up by Barass, McGovern and possibly Schofield, but the most interesting tactical ploy will be on whoever plays on McGovern, as he likes to float away and be the intercept marker. Which we have allowed him to do without competition in the past; however, I feel that this has changed. We now play a forward line; there has hardly been a single occasion in the past two weeks of a long ball into a vacant forward half. We need to look for McGovern and Hurn's opponents, as this can be their weak link. Our smaller forwards, Robbie, Rozee and Butters, will need to compete against the likes of Hurn and Duggan, and especially Brad Sheppard, who has been in subline form.
Overall, the Eagles look unhappy and a little disinterested. It is the first time that they have played more than 2 consecutive H&A games away from Perth, and they haven't handled it well publicly, complaining about minor annoyances and issuing ultimatums about going home. A couple of losses to the Queensland teams has them sitting in the bottom 4, and they only average 58 points per game, whilst we have scored freely, albeit against ordinary opponents. This is our biggest test so far, but the formline and the vibe will see us go in as heavy favourites.
TIP: We still owe these mofos, we'll always owe them. Port by 24 points.
Oh, and LUKESHUEYISACUCKINGDUNT
