On a dour day at Alberton Oval, Port Adelaide was downed by Central District by 25 points in what was an inaccurate display.
Despite leading at both quarter and half time, the Magpies were unable to hold on to their advantage as the Bulldogs stormed home with eight goals to three in the second half. Port Adelaide was able to hit the scoreboard in the last quarter, but the Bulldogs’ six-goal third quarter blitz proved too big a challenge for the young Magpies side.
A wet and extremely overcast day at Alberton Oval impacted Port Adelaide’s ability to convert their scoring opportunities, registering 11 behinds across the match. The Magpies had 41-31 inside 50s, however the extra opportunities went to waste whereas Centrals made the most of their chances.
The Magpies started the game well, kicking the only goal of the first quarter against a strong breeze, while restricting the Bulldogs to just two behinds. Port Adelaide’s effort was also rewarded in the second quarter as it piled on another three goals.
Although the Bulldogs broke away in the second half with eight goals to three, the Magpies maintained their pressure throughout the day, laying nine more tackles than their opposition (96-87).
Coach Hamish Hartlett praised the resilience and persistence of his side, while lamenting the inaccuracy which ultimately cost them.
“I thought [the pressure] was fantastic. I challenged the players from an individual perspective to focus on one area of their contest that they wanted to nail and be consistent at throughout the whole game… it seemed to resonate with the players”, Hartlett praised.
“I was really happy with the effort and the endeavour. I thought we played a really tough brand of football today.”
While the result didn’t go Port Adelaide’s way, Hartlett was pleased with the intensity and effort that his players showed across the match.
“We lacked a little bit of polish in our forward third of the ground… but the main parts of the game where you give yourself a fighting chance were there”, Hartlett said. “Our tackle numbers were really good, our contested possession, our ground ball gets were all around the mark”.
SANFL-contracted player Murphy Short shone, finishing with 18 disposals, 10 tackles, and one goal as reward for his efforts, while also being recognised among the best players afield by the coaches.
Hartlett also praised the efforts of AFL-listed players, lauding the performances of Dante Visentini (44 hitouts, one goal), Francis Evans (15 disposals, two goals), and Jed McEntee (15 disposals, nine tackles).
Port Adelaide will search for its second win of the season next week against North Adelaide at Prospect Oval.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 1.3 4.6 4.9 7.11 (53)
CENTRAL DISTRICT 0.2 4.4 10.5 12.6 (78)
GOALS: F. Evans 2, Szust, Jackson, Short, Visentini, Anastasopoulos
BEST: F. Evans, McEntee, Visentini, Short, Jackson
