A LOOK at five of the biggest talking points from Port Adelaide's three-point loss to Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.
Tom Rockliff is renowned as a ball magnet but he can also do a job as a stopper. With Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell racking up 21 touches in the first half to go with two goals, three clearances and seven marks, Power coach Ken Hinkley decided to make a change and tag the midfielder. He sent Tom Rockliff to Mitchell and kept him to just seven touches for the second half.
Port Adelaide paid the price for poor discipline. On a day the umpires were hot on the whistle, six of Hawthorn’s nine goals were the result of free-kicks. Umpires Gavine, Nicholls and Hosking awarded 54 free-kicks – 31 to Hawthorn and 23 to Port Adelaide – and they set a new record for 50m penalties with eleven awarded during the match. By half time there had been nine awarded. Coach Ken Hinkley lamented his side’s discipline for giving away the momentum the Power had built in a dominant first quarter.
Port Adelaide has continued winning the contested footy. After having 20 more contested possessions against Adelaide and five more against Gold Coast, the Power finished +4 in Launceston. Leaders Ollie Wines and Travis Boak were best in this category with each racking up 10 contested possessions, while Paddy Ryder gathered nine.
Port Adelaide’s efficiency with the ball is costing it dearly. The Power ranks second in the AFL for clangers, averaging 61.3 per game. Only Gold Coast is worse with 64.4. The club is sixth worst in the AFL for effective disposals with a total of 71.8%. Tom Jonas was Port Adelaide’s worst offender against the Hawks, going at just 46.7% for efficiency with five clangers, but he wasn’t alone with 12 of his teammates being below Port’s season average for efficiency.
While the Power won the contested possession count and dominated clearances by 40-27, Hawthorn did the damage through weight of possession. Hawthorn had 46 more uncontested marks than the Power as part of its short passing game, which they used to great effect after trailing by four goals early in the contest. That possession translated into 21 more forward entries and two more marks inside 50. Had it not been for some late inaccuracy the margin might have been greater.
