Round 16 – Fremantle v Port Adelaide: Mid-game Power lapse proves costly

Fremantle v Port Adelaide

3:20pm, Sunday July 3

Perth Stadium

 

 

Port Adelaide Power coach Ken Hinkley uses the adage ‘living in the moment’.

 

But after a heart-breaking eight-point loss to finals (and likely top four) -bound Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium on Sunday night, in reality, Port’s season is ‘living in what could have been’.

 

Again, the Power dug deep from 40 points in arrears, after a fast three-goal to zip start, to get within striking distance and even an unlikely victory had Robbie Gray and Todd Marshall converted gettable set shots late.

 

In fairness, the talented pair are not to blame for the loss which sees Port two games out of the top eight.

 

It was the middle period of the game in which Freo had anchored its port city counterparts to the canvas courtesy of Sean Darcy’s dominance in ruck and Rory Lobb’s eventual five goal haul.

 

Ollie Wines and Travis Boak again flew the midfield flag against the trend, combatting a Dockers midfield that had outstanding contributors – none better than Andrew Brayshaw and winger James Aish.

 

Fremantle’s Hayden Young took a Mark of the Year contender but the Power’s Mitch Georgiadis rose above a pack to rival Young’s brilliant grab minutes later.

 

Port Adelaide’s forward-cum-ruck Charlie Dixon had a horrid first three quarters before his brace of goals at the start of the fourth had ignited a Power surge. Dixon’s first of his pair was a classic checkside while Connor Rozee joined Wines and Boak to orchestrate a late Port midfield dominance.

 

However the hosts did what it had done most of the season and that is cashing in even when not at its best.

 

Hinkley said post-game that there is still finals hope despite late injuries to Lachlan Jones (hamstring) and who’ll miss a month, Xavier Duursma (late omission with a quad strain) and Dan Houston who suffered a knock to his leg.

 

Port are also two games plus percentage out of eighth place (held by the Sydney Swans).

 

‘It’s incredibly tough, let’s not be silly, but it’s incredibly tough from 0-5 and we stuck at it and we haven’t lost sight of what we’re doing. We won’t start that today,’ Hinkley said.

 

‘The players believe and I believe that next week is the most important week for us. We’ve just got to keep ticking away. Footy does crazy things at some stages.

 

‘I think we’re in pretty reasonable form, but we’re starting from a long way back. No reason for us to give up.’

 

The Power are at Adelaide Oval this Saturday against Greater Western Sydney Giants.

 

 

FREMANTLE     4.2   10.4   14.8   15.9 (99)

PORT ADELAIDE   4.2   6.3   9.4   14.7 (91)

 

GOALS

Fremantle: Lobb 5, Aish, Taberner, Schultz 2, Brayshaw, Frederick, Fyfe, Serong

Port Adelaide: Dixon, Georgiades, Rozee 2, Amon, Bergman, Boak, Burton, Farrell, Marshall, Mead, Powell-Pepper

 

BEST

Fremantle: Lobb, Darcy, Aish, Clark, Serong, Brayshaw, Young

Port Adelaide: Wines, Boak, Rozee, Dixon, Byrne-Jones, Burton

 

 

 

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