Round 10 – Geelong v Port Adelaide: Port wilt to Pussy Pressure

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port Adelaide’s status as a legitimate top-eight contender took a hit against Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium in a 11.16 (82) to 7.5 (47) loss.

 

The Power missed a massive opportunity to cash in during the second quarter but just held a one-point lead at half time.

 

Port started brightly with the first two goals of the game and Kane Farrell was looking dangerous as a high half forward.

 

However, as the game wore on, Geelong smashed Port in contested possessions despite the Cats not having genuine ruckman Rhys Stanley.

 

While Port Adelaide ruckman Sam Hayes did well in the hit-out stakes, it was the Cats’ midfielders, led by Cam Guthrie, with 37 possessions and emerging Brandon Parfitt (25 touches), who thrived in this Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

 

Dan Houston was by far Port’s best with his sure handedness and intercept marks across halfback while captain Tom Jonas and fellow key defender Tom Clurey had their moments in defence.

 

Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines had the ball 29 times and took seven marks but was not as influential as in previous weeks.

 

Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron, who was brilliant in the second half, struck a huge screw punt for his second goal from close to 55-metres out on the three-quarter-time siren.

 

Despite Robbie Gray’s second major to start the final quarter, it was all the Cats as Tyson Stengle nailed his third and Tom Hawkins drilled his second to the adulation of the adoring Cats home crowd.

 

Power coach Ken Hinkley said the Cats looked the better side overall.

 

However he also kept a positive light in that the best is yet to come.

 

“You reflect on the whole game and see that Geelong were the more solid team out there,” Hinkley said.

 

“They were better around the ball and stronger in the contest. We weren’t able to combat that.

 

“In the last four weeks we’ve got some wins we needed but the reality is we weren’t good enough today.

 

“I certainly believe our best footy is coming, but against Geelong we certainly didn’t see much of our best footy.”

 

Port host Essendon next Sunday in a twilight game at Adelaide Oval.

 

 

 

GEELONG                     3.6       4.8       9.11     11.16 (82)
PORT ADELAIDE          2.1       5.3       6.3       7.5 (47)

 

GOALS
Geelong: Stengle 3, Cameron 3, Hawkins 2, Close, Kolodjashnij, Selwood
Port Adelaide: Farrell 2, Marshall 2, Gray 2, Finlayson

 

BEST
Geelong: Guthrie, Stewart, Close, Duncan, Stengle, Cameron
Port Adelaide: Farrell, Houston, Wines, Butters, Boak

 

INJURIES
Geelong: Dangerfield (calf)
Port Adelaide: Marshall (eye)

 

LATE CHANGES
Geelong:
 Rhys Stanley and Quinton Narkle replaced in selected side by Francis Evans and Cooper Stephens
Port Adelaide: Nil

 

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Gryan Miers (replaced Patrick Dangerfield in fourth quarter)
Port Adelaide: Martin Frederick (used)

 

 

 

Read more from Nick Kossatch HERE

 

 

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About Nicholas Kossatch

Tall and intelligent and athletically built who calls a spade a spade. Love sports writing and sending letters and texts to the editor about AFL and the Port Adelaide Power - win, lose or draw. I do not sit on the fence. Soon to be 40! I play basketball and over 35's supers football. Have played amateur footy and a bit of cricket and basketball when living in Adelaide. Do some writing for the Murray Pioneer,

Comments

  1. Wouldn’t be the first bunch of blokes to wilt under the sort of pressure in your headline! But I digress.

    This may be a hobby horse and I get sick of saying it, but we lose these games at the recruiting table I reckon. Geelong have too many big bodied players, all over the ground, compared to Port. When push comes to shove, we lose. You can see it on every TV game and I see it through the binoculars at home games. We recruit lighter framed blokes who may be skilful and fast, but they get exploited. Watch the TV before the centre bounce if they focus on opposed players standing adjacent, ours are almost always smaller. With the exception of Wines and SPP, it is almost universal. End of rant.

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