Port Adelaide

The Power (2-5, 94.6%) have won consecutive matches after their horrific 0-5 start to the season and could be just one win outside of the top eight at the end ...

This has been a bit of a consistent theme for the Bulldogs. “We know Port Adelaide when they’re at their best whaat they look like. “A lot of injuries for the Dogs across the board to key players,” Tim O‘Brien’s injury in the third term added to the pain, but the ease of entry and conversion rate for Port Adelaide was a problem for Luke Beveridge long before. “They‘ve kicked five of the seven goals coming from the back half of the ground, which you’d hope the Dogs would be able to reconcile that and make the adjustments because that’s a really high number from one end to the other.” The Dogs weren‘t able to reconcile the issue and it looms as a large one if they aren’t able to get reinforcements back in rapid time. “Three wins on the trot, not overly convincing in any of them but bank the wins and hope the form starts to turn week by week by week.” Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades may not have finished with huge hauls on the scoreboard, but they had a stack of opportunity in front of the goalface. A mark in the goalsquare to Sam Powell-Pepper was followed by a kick that put the side in front for the first time, but the Dogs quickly regathered themselves to hit back on the scoreboard. “It’s too hard to make a case, they’re too reliant on Aaron Naughton, obviously they were missing some key players tonight in English and Bontempelli, but there’s not a lot to like about the Bulldogs. In a huge blow to the Dogs, Tim O’Brien was subbed out of the game with what appeared to be a calf concern, adding more pain to a backline already without Alex Keath. The Dogs kicked the first goal of the second quarter via Buku Khamis (his first AFL major), but Port Adelaide continued to showcase a brilliant conversion rate from inside 50 entries.

Follow all the Friday night AFL action live as Round 8 kicks off with a double-header that sees Port Adelaide host the Western Bulldogs and high-flying ...

A lot of it was defensively and blokes were just OK, admitted it and understood what needed to change and I think that’s what happened, honest conversation. We were able to do that over a couple of weeks and knuckle down on some of the actions in-game that weren’t our style of footy. You have to evolve with the game and continue to get better. Q: What were you saying as a senior person to the other guys at 0-5? But will is so much to do with it, and the mind is the biggest thing and that is the one thing that’s changed it for me. What were you saying as a senior person to keep thing composed? There is a lot of stuff you are not doing right but the biggest thing is to have honest conversations. We probably just weren’t getting in there enough and Toddy in particular has just gone another level over the last few weeks and I couldn’t be more proud of him. A: It’s better than the first five weeks when we couldn’t get a mark in there. At half-time we were down contested possession by 10 or 16 or something like that, I think that we turned that around in the second half and that was the main message. They are a great side and we were able to get on top of that area in the second half. You’ve had to adjust but tonight we really saw the adjustments come to fruition with Finlayson.

Injuries to three Bulldogs rubs salt in the wound as Port Adelaide continues climb.

The 22-year-old kicked truly and was absolutely mobbed by his delirious teammates in a moment the South Sudanese refugee will never forget. With Alex Keath (hamstring) already injured, the Dogs lost Tim O'Brien (hamstring) and it was often left to undersized Hayden Crozier and Ed Richards to battle bigger bodies. He limped off with what appeared to be a calf injury, but that was only the start of the problems. The Bulldogs managed to generate more inside 50s (49-44), but it was Port's tall forwards that proved the difference. Shortly after it was speedster Laitham Vandermeer hobbling off with a hamstring concern – a problem he only recently returned from – and then early in the last quarter Cody Weightman came off second best after trying to lay a big bump on Port ruckman Sam Hayes. He left with a shoulder injury and did not return. After taking a four-point lead to half-time Port blew the game open in the third quarter, kicking five goals to two on the way to a 12.14 (86) to 10.9 (69) triumph.

Port Adelaide defeated the Western Bulldogs 86-69 on Friday night at the Adelaide Oval.

Early on there were similar fears as Logan McNeil and Bailey Smith kicked the first two goals by the sixth minute of the opening term, however four straight majors to the Power had the writing on the wall. The night was further soured by a nasty toll on the injury front, Cody Weightman, Laitham Vandermeer and Tim O’Brien all finishing the game on the bench. Jack Macrae was one of the only Dogs that could hold his head high with all facets of his game, finishing with 32 disposals (20 contested), 10 clearances and six marks. In the lowest of times when Port Adelaide was 0-5, Ken Hinkley famously declared that the Power could win their next five. He finished with two majors and 13 possessions, however he was one of the most important players on the field and showed signs of the form Power fans have been crying out for from the 23-year-old. Ken Hinkley’s troops have not once looked like the side that entered a Preliminary Final as convincing favourities last year, but the win at Adelaide Oval was trademarked by smooth ball movement and a Port Adelaide team that was playing like their former selves.

The Western Bulldogs have suffered a 17-point loss to Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.

Port Adelaide: Lachie Jones (replaced Bonner at three-quarter time) Western Bulldogs: O'Brien (calf), Vandermeer (hamstring), Weightman (shoulder) Port Adelaide: Bonner (ankle)