“What happened?”
That’s the question Ollie Florent asked his teammates as they consoled him, moments after his kick at goal fell a couple of metres short, killed on the goal line by Aliir Aliir to ice the game for Port Adelaide.
Fitting it was Aliir killing it. He’d killed it all game long.
Off the boot, the kick looked home, hardly wavering on its trajectory, but Florent must have tried to caress it through like a gentle lover… when what that footy needed was a good, hard shag.
It capped an extraordinary game of footy, where the Power looked gone a couple of times before battling back to pinch the win. Goalless in the first quarter, Port looked lost, as the Swans used run through the middle of the ground to open them up. They made mistakes that cost goals, with Dan Houston pinged for a deliberate rushed behind (he was careless, but I reckon he was within his rights to walk it over) and Kane Farrell, a man with a cannon attached to his leg, opting for crappy little 30 metre passes when he had the capacity to run 15 and kick 60 metres.
It took Port until the 17-minute mark of the second quarter to register their first goal, as Sam Powell-Pepper made up for a poor effort moments before to snap a ripping goal. Of course, a shot by Jackson Mead four minutes before could have easily been their first.
It seemed like Port were hanging on due to hard work and heart. Sydney, really, should have put them away. They had multiple chances, with several misses to experienced players, and a pretty bloody decent run with the umpires, if we’re being honest, but they allowed Port to hang around. And when you do that, you’re playing with fire.
In this one, Port burnt them.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Talking Points.
THE BUDDY STOPPER
Aliir Aliir was a monster in this game. An absolute beast that was unleashed on Lance Franklin and manhandled the 100-goal kicker like he was a second-year player, struggling to find his place in the game.
That may be harsh on Buddy, but is it inaccurate?
Franklin took one mark for the game, had eight disposals, and two score involvements, as everything he tried saw him matched up with a faster, stronger, and more athletic specimen.
Aliir looked like he could take on the world and win in this game. He led Franklin to the footy on multiple occasions, and when Buddy was able to get a little break on him, he was able to close the gap and come over the top to impact any chance the Swan had at taking the mark. He was the best player on the ground from where I was sitting, not only controlling the ball in the air (12 intercepts) but using his pace to show Buddy a clean pair of heels at ground level.
It raises the question about Franklin’s presence in this forward line, with Logan McDonald starved of opportunity as a result, and Heeney becoming the clear second option. I reckon having Buddy – this incarnation of Buddy, anyway – must feel like a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that he will always draw a quality defender and can still beat most of them on a relatively consistent basis. The curse is that when he does draw a crowd, the Swans kick it to him anyway, which leaves a host of frustrated forwards wondering what the hell their purpose is inside 50 when the ball goes to an outgunned Franklin, anyway.
I’m sure it’s not the first time the other forwards would have screwed their faces up and wondered when the mids were going to wake up, but hey… 1000-goal men don’t grow on trees.
DOUBLE MCCARTIN BLOW
You just hate to see this – absolutely hate it.
Initially, I am talking about the substitution of Paddy McCartin after what appeared to be a pretty innocuous (I always misspell that) faceplant on the SCG turf. Watching the replay, I was waiting for some more footage to emerge from just before the incident that saw the former Saint helped off the ground, but none was forthcoming.
Really, it looked like nothing – which is the scary part, because if it was something, it gives a pretty big indication that Paddy is VERY susceptible to even the slightest contact to the head.
Then, to see his brother cop a knock to the head and be relegated to the bench for the remainder of the game, as well… not a great night at the office for the McCartin family. Before moving on, I wish both the boys and their families all the best and hope that both recover quickly.
What the injuries meant to the Swans was that Joel Amartey, who was so potent as a forward just a couple of games ago, was switched into defence, where he looked way out of sorts. I reckon this threw off the cohesion of the Sydney defence, as well as forcing the forward line to make adjustments. It also forced Dane Rampe to turn back the clock and work on stopping Charlie Dixon.
Rampe was incredibly solid all game, with eight intercepts and 11 one-percenters, as he used excellent judgment and his wonderful reading of the play to thwart Dixon, who did his best work when he either moved up the field as the ‘Get out of Jail’ option, or moved into the ruck.
BUTTERS MANIA!
Okay… deep breath.
I hesitate to write this, because my fellow mongrel, Matt Oman, has a borderline unhealthy love for Zak Butters, and will sing his praises irrespective of the way he performs. When he does perform at a high level… well, we all get an earful as to just how great he is.
And we’re all expecting an earful over the coming 24 hours, or so.
Butters was the catalyst for Port getting back into this game. Yes, there were others who contributed solidly, but it was Butters’ attack on the footy, his clean hands, and his overall commitment that dragged Port within striking distance and saw them pinch the lead for a while in the third quarter.
I have to admit – I love the way Butters goes about it – for an average-sized bloke, he puts his body on the line and never takes a backwards step. When I’ve watched him in the past, he has always been willing to both dish it out when the opportunity presents, or put his head over the footy when it’s his turn to go. There are so many who could learn a thing or five about how to apply themselves by watching the way Butters plays footy.
He finished with 27 touches and a goal, but I am a bit worried about his effectiveness with the footy, as he seemed content to throw the ball on his boot and hope for the best a bit it too often. It paid off in this game, but he did lack a bit of polish when he was released into space.
THE DEFENSIVE WINGMAN
I’ve been a bit critical of Xavier Duursma over the last 12 or so months. Ever since he had that combined knee injury and head knock in the same motion, he has been less of a player. I hope that doesn’t come across as harsh, but that’s how I have seen him.
There have been moments where it’s appeared as though that cocky, brash young man with the arrows at the ready was ready to burst back into prominence, but it has been a long road back for him.
Tonight proved that he was, at the very least, following the right path.
Duursma’s defensive run was exquisite. Twice in the first quarter, he was drifting back with the flight of the footy to take big intercept marks inside defensive fifty, and his work rate to get up the field to provide another option once he disposed of the footy were exactly the type of hard run and carry we loved when he burst onto the scene.
With Karl Amon out the door, Duursma has a golden opportunity to re-establish himself as the pre-eminent wingman at Port, and with games like this one, he should be well on the way to doing so.
ROZEE V ROWBOTTOM
Not a tag, by any stretch, but when James Rowbottom sets his sights on you, you know you’re in for a tough night at the office.
At three-quarter time of this game, it appeared as though the points belonged solely to Rowbottom. We’re all aware of how dangerous Rozee is when he gets time to work into space – Rowbottom gave him none of it. Through quarters two and three, Rozee was a non-factor, but there is a very good reason the Port star is held in such high regard.
Whilst several stood up for Port down the stretch, the work of Rozee to get forward and provide an option and his work to pump the Power into attack made a real difference. When he was able to get out and goal, it gave Port just enough to get them thinking they could pinch this, and if there were any doubts, his reaction eradicated them.
Rowbottom was not on song with the footy, but by god, he was a demon in the sack… err, I mean when he was tackling. He registered 13 for the evening (I’d love to know how many of them were on Rozee) as he refused to allow anyone free passage out of the stoppages.
This was a terrific battle all game long, with Rozee answering the call late for Port, and Rowbottom working all game long like the soldier that he is. These one-on-one battles are part of what makes the game so great, and when you watch these two in isolation at stoppages, you get a real sense of how hard both of them worked.
THE RUCK BATTLE
Can I float something? It’s dumb, and I know it’s dumb.
Would it be the worst thing in the world if we just allowed ruckmen t grapple, hold, and throw each other out of the way at stoppages if they were strong enough to do so? Half the time, I hear the whistle blow, and I sit there wondering who will be getting the free kick and what it will be for, because these lumbering blokes and physically trying to get the better of each other, and inevitably, they’re gonna step outside the rules.
They’re like walking dumb free kicks waiting to happen! Between them, Scott Lycett and Peter Ladhams got nine free kicks awarded, mostly in ruck contests, and mostly against each other.
Lycett started fast, working around the ground at a higher rate than his opposite numbers, but Ladhams came roaring back into the contest in the second half to even it up.
With the Swan having more hit outs and kicking a goal, but Lycett having one more clearance to his name (he had eight for the game, which is a fantastic result) I reckon this was about as close as it gets to a time-limit draw between the big man.
But yeah… I’d love to see the AFL grab all the big blokes together, put them in a room and say “as long as you don’t grab each other around the neck or head… go bloody nuts in the ruck contest, boys.
It’d stop those pissy free kicks where the big men look confused as to whose kick it is. If they’re confused, how must everyone else feel?
WARNER, BROTHER!
Had the Swas won this game, all the talk would have been about how good Chad Warner was and how brilliant the Swans looks when he grabs the footy and runs through the middle.
That’s because when he does grab the footy and run through the middle, it is good, and the Swans do look brilliant!
Warner is all damage. Whilst some others gather a tonne of possessions and opt to go back and to the left, like they were JFK’s head in the Lincoln Continental, Warner is high-octane, and loves to sew the seeds of chaos by dropping the hammer, running hard through the centre of the ground, and going loooong inside 50.
As a forward, you’d love to see Warner streaming through the centre – you know he is not gonna stuff around with the footy, and if you’re good enough, you’re gonna get a chance to get on the end of the next possession.
He finished with two goals to go with his 30 touches, nine clearances, and nine inside 50s in another performance that demonstrated just how much he can influence a game of footy.
EVERYTHING BUT THE CHERRY ON TOP
You have to feel for Ollie Florent – he was huge in this game right up until the crescendo. His run from half-back was potent all evening as he racked up 33 touches and gained a massive 890 metres for the Swans.
However, it will be the couple of metres he did NOT gain that will be remembered most, and that is a damn shame.
Though he got a little sloppy in the last quarter, missing targets he would normally hit, and picking up three turnovers as a result, for a rebounding defender to have more inside 50s (8) than rebound 50s (6) indicates that he was taking the game on and completely willing to take a risk when the opportunity presented. He was beaten once cleanly all game long – when Jason Horne-Francis pushed forward and found himself matched up on Florent, who he the took to the goal square and marked against him like he was Nat Fyfe and Florent was Kane Cornes, but for the most part, Florent did very little wrong.
Hell, he may have even been in the votes until three quarter time. Sadly, those turnovers were costly, and the last shot at goal… well, he asked “what happened”, but I reckon he knew. Perhaps he was fatigued. Perhaps he didn’t have anything left in those legs after such a massive evening. Or perhaps he tried to guide the footy through and babied it. Alas, we won’t know and but for a couple of metres, the result could have been very different.
CHARACTER
I’ve saved this one til last, because I reckon Power supporters may enjoy it.
This was the type of win that makes a season. Down and seemingly out, in hostile territory, and with things going completely awry, for Port to stick at it and somehow eke out a win, it shows that this team has a hell of a lot more heart than anyone gave them credit for.
Looking at their fixture prior to the season, I thought that the Power were in real danger of being in a similar situation to last season – their first five games this season are damn tough! And reading the media… you know the ones… always running with the “prophet of doom” stuff, you could tell they were salivating at the prospect of burying Hinkley and the team had they lost this and fell to 1-3.
Hell, in the preseason, I floated that Port emerging from the first five games with a 2-3 record would be enough to build a season on. Now, at 2-2, they could be sitting with a winning record after that first five games, and from there, anything is possible.
Most of you know, I am not a Port supporter, but there was a large part of me that was actually proud of the way they gritted their teeth and refused to lay down in this game. That is how you build a winner, and that is how you stick it right up those who want to see you fail.
This win had multiple facets contributing to it, some of which I’ve covered, above, but the one that stood out most was something that is not evident in stats, or even in footage. It was something intangible that starts inside each and every player wearing the colours – it was character, and this mob from Alberton has plenty of it.
Onto bigger and better things!
QUICKIES
Travis Boak on the wing – is this where you want to see him played? He did not attend one centre bounce for this game, with Wines, Drew, Rozee, and Butters in there for most of them. I’m just not sure Port are getting bang for their buck with him at the moment.
The play on call on Peter Ladhams… horrid. Absolutely horrid. Umps are obviously being told to call play on as soon as a player even farts in a direction that is not in line with the mark, but the big man was not off, and that was a clear screw up by the umpire…
… which means the AFL will tick it off, because that’s what they do.
I’ve never been a huge Jeremy Finlayson fan – I have always found him to be temperamental and churlish on the field, but given recent events, it was hard not to be rapt for him as he played a huge role for the Power late in the game.
Interesting to watch the game of Jason Horne-Francis. It may not be the best comparison, but I was continually likening him to Matt Rowell during this game, inasmuch as he doesn’t pick up much easy ball, but when the contest is there to be won, he is the first in. He was responsible for Warner at times, which was fraught with danger, but he did enough going the other way to make me think he could do some real damage if they are able to fabricate matchups where he can drag his opponent forward and isolate. It will make an interesting watch.
Charlie Dixon worked incredibly hard down the stretch in this game. Pushing all the way into defence to take a big intercept mark, and then playing an instrumental role in the goal that put the Power in front for the last time with a big ruck clearance… it was nice to see the reward for effort for him.
That said, if I see him go for marks one-handed again… I know he’s bringing the footy to ground, or attempting to, but too often, he engages first and then resorts to going at the footy with one hand. Frustrating…
Had a Sydney mate suggest Buddy should play on a wing. At this stage, I have a one-word response to that – TWANG!
And that may just do me, people. Aside from the poor conversion, the pressure and the drama made it an enjoyable watch.
A fantastic result for the Power, who can really use this to launch int the season, now. They have the Dogs next week in what should be a cracker, before they get the Eagles in a game they should win. 4-2 beckons.
As for Sydney, I am not jumping off just yet. They’re a very good side and should have put more distance between themselves and Port early in the piece. Misses to Papley and Heeney… they were costly in the first half and really came back to bite them. The Tigers and Cats over the next two weeks will either see them settle, or have the pearl clutchers screaming about hangovers.
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