- May 15, 2013
- 13,781
- 16,814
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
Round 5 is upon us and both sides have had indifferent starts to the season. Port Adelaide were 3-0 until their loss to Essendon in Round 4, but their final half against Brisbane showed a lot. Geelong snuck home against Melbourne in Round 1 thanks to an offline Gawn kick, but losses to Hawthorn by 1 point and West Coast by 15 followed, before downing the sorry Saints by 47 points last week at Kardinia Park.
Going into this game, Port Adelaide's list is in much better shape than Geelong's. Missing only Ryder and possibly Rockliff from our best 22 is manageable given the depth of the Port Adelaide list, but the Cats are missing superstar Gary Ablett and important defenders Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson, with their return dates still unconfirmed, has hurt them in recent weeks.
Despite these injuries to key players, it has given the opportunity for young Cats and young Power players to make their name. Ablett's injury meant that former Power Aboriginal Academy player Brandan Parfitt had a career best game against St Kilda with 28 disposals and 3 goals, while Jack Henry, Tom Stewart and Jake Kolodjashnij are stamping their name as ideal replacements for Taylor and Henderson when they miss.
For the Power, the absence of Ryder saw youngster Dougal Howard take the reigns as first ruck against Essendon. He thrived collecting 13 disposals and 21 hitouts to highlight his ability to play anywhere on the ground. This performance comes just weeks after he equalled his own AFL record of most spoils in a game playing down back. Highlighting even more how much he is rated by the coaching staff, he is holding the ever reliable Jack Hombsch out of the side.
Recent Games:
Round 10, 2017 - Geelong 11.15 (81) def Port Adelaide 11.13 (79) at GMHBA
Round 5 2016 - Geelong 16.11 (107) def Port Adelaide 8.11 (59) at Adelaide Oval
Round 11 2015 - Geelong 14.8 (92) def Port Adelaide 11.3 (69) at Adelaide Oval
Players to watch:
Port Adelaide
Robbie Gray - Our superstar was struggling with groin issues in 2017 and he had a down year. But he looks back to his best this year after a 39 disposal performance against the Bombers. Gray's ball skills and game smarts were sorely missed by us at stages last year around stoppages, but it is highlighted by his rove and goal to down the Saints in Round 18 last year.
Charlie Dixon - The big brute forward should be licking his lips given the state of the Cats backline. No Taylor, no Henderson. Kolodjashnij is the tallest defender standing at 193cm, 7 shorter than Dixon and 11kg lighter. Tom Stewart (190cm) and Jack Henry (191cm) will give support, but an undermanned backline should mean Dixon will kick a bag this week.
Riley Bonner - Had a couple of down games after starting with a career best game against Sydney in Round 1. Will be looking to bounce back and give the Power the run and carry he provides, plus his lethal left boot.
Geelong
Patrick Dangerfield - Has been a bit quieter in the past couple of weeks, but will be looking to get back on track and show the world he is over his hamstring injury. Disposal is still iffy, but he is one of those players who doesn't need many to hurt you with his explosiveness around the contest. A known goal kicker as well, so watch for him to be thrown forward at times.
Brandan Parfitt - Can he back up a career best game? Parfitt was best on ground in the Cats win last week with 28 disposals and 3 goals, but his pressure and game smarts stood out the most. 7 tackles and 16 contested possessions shows that he isn't afraid of getting down and dirty.
Tom Stewart - Another Cat who has exploded out of the blocks to start the season. Stewart is a mature ager from Geelong who in his 2nd season, seems like the general of the backline. Will have a big task ahead of him as I see him going to play on Jack Watts.
Crownbet Odds (as of 17/3)
Port Adelaide $1.52
Geelong $2.55
