Belligerents
PORT ADELAIDEYear to date: LWWWWWWW
Last five at ground: LLWLL
Currently ranked: 1st
WEST ADELAIDE
Year to date: LLLLWWLWLL
Last five at ground: LWWWL
Currently ranked: 8th
HEAD TO HEAD
Magpies 187 v 98 Bloods
LAST FIVE
Magpies 2 v 3 Bloods
PLAYBILL
SANFL IGA League – Round 11West Adelaide v Port Adelaide
Sunday 22 May
First bounce: 2:10pm
Academy: 11:25am
Hashtags: #westport
Broadcast: no broadcast
Tickets: $14 general admission, $8 concession, children under 18 years free
BUY MAGPIES MEMBERSHIP
YOU’RE INVITED
Official post-game eventUpstairs at the Port Club
Queen Street, Alberton
Starts after the conclusion of the game
Selected players and officials in attendance
All welcome
TIME MACHINE
Round 4, 2014. The Magpies blasted out of the blocks.PORT ADELAIDE 6.1 8.3 15.4 21.8 (134)
WEST ADELAIDE 2.4 6.6 6.9 11.10 (76)
portadelaidefc.com.au's best: Summerton, Logan, Hawkins, Colquhoun, Newton
Goals: J. Butcher 5, Newton 3, Hitchcock, Moore, Harvey, Mitchell 2, Haren Bruggemann, Heath, Renouf, Young
at Alberton Oval
FOUR POINTS
Critical winsIt goes without saying both sides will be hunting a win this weekend, but for both the Magpies and Bloods there's plenty riding on this match with just seven games left in the season. For Port Adelaide, a win would continue to supply breathing space between it and closest-ranked rivals Sturt and Woodville-West Torrens. The Magpies are two games clear of those sides and with the Double Blues and Eagles playing one another this weekend, there's a chance that will be whittled down again if the black and whites can win. For the Bloods, the arithmetic is simple: win, and you stay in touch with the top five. While it sits eighth, Westies are just two wins shy of the five and still genuine finals contenders given some of the scalps they've managed this year.
Big artillery
We've been speaking about it for a few weeks, but Port Adelaide's tall forward trio of John Butcher, Mason Shaw and Mitch Harvey is starting to look ominous. Butcher, the elder statesman of the forward lines, is playing quality, dangerous football, but he isn't the club's most damaging forward right now. That's probably because he draws the opposition's key defender. Mason Shaw bagged six last week and Mitch Harvey has been an evergreen presence in attack, particularly for a bloke who had played a handful of SANFL Under-18s games last year. This potent trio can mix it up and stretch a defensive line and will be very dangerous to any side going forward this year if all three are firing.
Wax and wane
Port Adelaide has bolted in the starts of games lately and been slowly reeled in over the course of the game. Against both Central District and the Eagles last week, the Magpies got out to respective 37 and 30 point advantages and only just held on to eventual wins. It's something Garry Hocking has taken issue with and is demanding his team remedies sooner, rather than later. If the Magpies can start well again this week, they know what the need to do in the second quarter - their coach has them on notice.
It's a Sunday game
If you look at your original season fixture card, chances are it's wrong. This weekend's game was originally scheduled for a Friday night, but was changed a the request of West Adelaide. Just remember, it's a 2:10pm fixture on Sunday with no television or radio broadcast, so it's a perfect opportunity to get down and support local footy just off Milner Road at Richmond.
