PORT ADELAIDE and Essendon will meet for the first time this year in a Sunday afternoon match in Melbourne. 

While the Power has won 16 of its 28 games against the Bombers, its record when those games are at Etihad is not as good. 

Essendon has won seven games to six against the Power at the Docklands venue, including four of the last five. 

The last time the Power played at Etihad Stadium was against Essendon in a disappointing 70-point loss in Round 12, 2017 but it has had some recent success there with four wins from seven games since the start of 2015. 

Port Adelaide is the only unbeaten side in the AFL in 2018 and sits on top of the ladder after three rounds. It’s the first time since 2007 that only one club is unbeaten after three rounds. 

The Bombers sit 13th, having beaten Adelaide in the opening round before losses to Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs. 

Teams

Port Adelaide has made two changes to its line-up for the match with midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper to serve a club-imposed one-match ban, and powerful runner Dom Barry to sit out. 

Former Gold Coast Sun Trent McKenzie will play his first AFL game for the club while wingman Karl Amon will return to the side for the first time in 2018. 

Barry, midfield bull Joe Atley, defender Jarrod Lienert, and small forward Jake Neade have been named as emergencies. 

Suspension has forced Essendon into a change of its own, with Irishman Conor McKenna to miss three games after being banned over his controversial biting incident. 

Young midfielder Matt Guelfi will make his AFL debut, but Michael Hartley, Kyle Langford, Shaun McKernan and Jackson Merrett could also come in for the Bombers.

Coaches

Ken Hinkley

“We won't bring in a ruck, that's the simple answer, we'll make do with what we've got currently in the team.

"We know Essendon are a significant challenge.

"We watched them only two weeks ago at Etihad take on Adelaide and beat them there.

"We're not confused by the challenge we've got in front of us and as a club we're really desperate to get it right."

John Worsfold

“We know that Port have started the season very well and have a very good squad, so the challenge is definitely there.

“They’re a pretty well balanced team now.

“They’ve got a very good midfield, a star-studded forward line lining up and a backline that really defends strongly together, so overall we’ve just got to play our best footy and see how we measure up against them.”

“We’re not in the sort of form we’d like to be in, but that’s off one or two games, so the challenge is to get back playing our best footy and let’s see what the result is from that.”

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