Round 21 – Port Adelaide v Richmond: Port check out

 

It’s official.

 

After a season of missed opportunities, Port Adelaide Power have clocked out with two regulation games of the season remaining.

 

Conversely, the Richmond Tigers have almost assured itself of a finals berth after dismantling the Power at a wet and windy Adelaide Oval 16.13 (109) to 10.11 (71) as power forward Tom Lynch and the mercurial Shai Bolton booted four goals apiece.

 

The first half was a typical Port v Richmond tight affair but it was the third quarter when the Tigers effectively clocked into finals mode and the hosts checked out with ‘downtime’.

 

The 2017, 2019-20 premiers kicked 7.4 to 3.3 in the premiership term.

 

Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines and lion-hearted Travis Boak were the Power’s best players by far while Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson alternated between being key forward pillars – in the absence of Todd Marshall (Covid-19 protocol) – and stints in ruck against an impressive Toby Nankervis.

 

Midfield gun Connor Rozee’s knee injury impacted his game after he had strung together two months of ‘top three best player games’ for the Power.

 

It was the lack of height and the Tigers’ superior wet-weather ball handling skills that was the massive difference between the teams.

 

The home loss again puts mounting pressure on Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley after the team lost its fourth game on the trot and fifth Power failure in six games.

 

He indicated that Richmond feasted on the big moments while the Power wilted.

 

‘There were some critical parts of the game that we were beaten badly in,’ Hinkley said.

 

‘We had plenty of opportunities but in the contest itself, they were cleaner with the ball, they were certainly more effective away with the ball, they were able to take territory off us, which is a really big part of our game and we usually do it reasonably well.

 

‘Richmond was able to be stronger and better organised around the ball than us.

 

‘We played a game that was pretty good until half time and then they were able to dominate the game to take the game away from us.

 

‘They gave us some turnovers but they had more polish and they were certainly able to put more scoreboard pressure on us.’

 

Port play Essendon Bombers under the roof at Marvel Stadium next Sunday in the penultimate game of the regular season.

 

 

PORT ADELAIDE     3.1   6.4   9.6   10.11 (71)
RICHMOND         4.4   7.6   14.10   16.13 (109)

 

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dixon, Finlayson 2, Duursma, Gray, Burgoyne, Bergman, Butters, Rozee
Richmond: Lynch, Bolton 4, D. Rioli, Cumberland 2, Ross, M. Rioli, Riewoldt, Pickett

 

BEST
Port Adelaide: Wines, Boak, Dixon, Houston, Finlayson
Richmond: Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton, D.Rioli, Lynch, Nankervis

 

 

 

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