Port Adelaide vs Bulldogs

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.

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.