1. Fighting ugly
Sure, the Power are still searching for their best and appeared to often run themselves into trouble on Friday night, but importantly their intensity was present. Such a statement couldn’t have been said last week against Adelaide and the result spoke for itself. Port looked to physically assert itself against the Bombers and while the game was, for the most part, a rather scrappy affair, the Power’s tackling pressure was solid, they were hot on the ball carrier and attacked the contest hard. Those traits will be crucial next week against Greater Western Sydney - a side renowned for their inside ball-winning capabilities.
2. Polec’s point
Jared Polec looked a man with a point to prove on Friday night. He was kept well below his best in last Saturday’s Showdown, held to just five possessions for the entire match. He’d doubled that total by the four-minute mark of the second term against Essendon and had also booted a goal to go with a brilliant tackle in the opening quarter which led to one of the Power’s seven first-term majors. Although playing his usual outside role, Polec still managed to lay six tackles for the game and ended the night with 23 disposals - a terrific response to a poor Showdown.
3. Darcy’s debut
Darcy Byrne-Jones has been forced to bide his time at Alberton despite some standout form at SANFL level. After being selected with pick No. 52 at the 2013 NAB AFL Draft the 20-year-old might have been starting to wonder whether his chance would come, but on Friday night he was presented with his senior jumper by club great Warren Tredrea, and Byrne-Jones didn’t disappoint. The speedy and aggressive defender played a debut to remember - looking at home in high-pressure situations at the elite level. He finished with 14 possessions and also booted a classy goal, moments after a serious head clash with teammate Sam Gray, which left the debutant with blood pouring down his face.
A bloodied Darcy Byrne-Jones celebrates a goal on debut. Picture: AFL Media
4. Daniher’s trickery
As impressive as it can be, it’s hardly surprising to see Joe Daniher pull in a big contested mark - he’s expected to. What you don’t expect from the 201cm key forward is for him to score athletic mid-air volleys from tight angles. Channeling his round-ball counterpart Peter Crouch, Daniher volleyed home a brilliant waist-high goal in the opening term when the rolling ball popped up a little higher than ideal. There was no scissor kick, but the goal was spectacular nonetheless. Lacking any real help from higher up the field, he never received the opportunities to repeat his sensational effort against Melbourne last week though, and finished the game with two goals and 11 possessions.
5. Dons gallant
As much as Essendon’s fans enjoyed last weekend’s win over Melbourne and perhaps allowed themselves to dream of a brighter 2016, Friday night’s result showcased the honest truth. Against experienced AFL sides, this year’s Bombers outfit is going to struggle. They were unable to handle the heat in the game and turned the ball over too much to offer themselves much hope. In saying that though, at no point did they roll over. They were down by 48 points early in the second quarter but managed to work themselves back into the contest. Essendon’s players applied plenty of pressure themselves and, while the final margin extended beyond the 10-goal mark, Port was forced to earn possession whenever its opposition was in the vicinity.
