After taking heat all week, Port Adelaide applied a bit of their own in the Semi Final, sending the Hawks into their off-season.
You heard all the criticism of Ken Hinkley, and it is likely you’ll hear more of it for different reasons over the next 24 hours, but as far as I am concerned, winners are grinners, and losers can please themselves.
The Power booked their place against Sydney in the Preliminary Final on the back of pressure. There was no Hok-Ball to start this game. If anything, it was Power-Ball… except this time there were winners everywhere for Port. The Power strangled the Hawks, preventing them from kicking a goal until halfway through the second quarter, and even when they came, they came as a result of… can we call it “generous umpiring decisions”?
More on them later.
The Hawks worked their way back, but as the last quarter commenced, it was Port Adelaide looking the better team, kicking three of the first four goals courtesy of Mitch Georgiades, Jason Horne-Francis, and Jase Burgoyne, before James Sicily, Jack Ginnivan, and Finn Maginness brought the Hawks back to within a kick.
A late shot from James Sicily hit the post, and Port managed to lock the footy away until the final siren to silence a host of their critics and move into the final four.
There is a heap to cover in this one, including some extra-curricular activities, featuring Sicily and Hinkley after the siren.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Loves and Hates.
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