1. Devastating Gray stays at home
He’s one of the competition’s most elite clearance players, but Port Aelaidee now has the luxury of being able to use Robbie Gray as a virtual stay-at-home forward when it chooses. Big-bodied rookie Sam Powell-Pepper has emerged quicker than anyone could have hoped, and coach Ken Hinkley has improved overall confidence in his midfield thanks to the return of ruckman Paddy Ryder. It is allowing Port to play Gray deep and it worked to devastating effect on Sunday against the Dockers. Gray barely contested a centre bounce to half time on Sunday, instead playing deeper up the ground and giving Fremantle defenders nightmares with his one-on-one prowess. He finished with six goals in a best afield performance and could be a seriously dangerous player in 2017.
2. Ditch the bounce
The umpires trialled throwing the ball up after every goal on Sunday, due to a soft centre area and the result was smooth. Romantics would lament the loss of the bounce down, but few appeared to even notice its absence on Sunday. What was noticeable was the absence of frustrating re-bounces, and the smoothness of re-starts after goals. It again begs the questions as to whether the bouncing of the ball by umpires at stoppages has a place in the modern game.
3. Dockers fail in front of goal - again
Across the competition, the early trend in 2017 has been increased scoring but the craze hasn’t caught on at Fremantle. The Dockers were the third lowest scoring team in the league last season and appeared caught between the dour brand of football which has made Ross Lyon coached teams successful in the past, and a desire to move the ball faster. The trend to start 2017 has been even more concerning with Fremantle having scored 24 points less than any other side in the league through two rounds. Against Port the Dockers kicked just 3.3 to half time, marginally worse than their 4.6 against the Cats in round one. They appear devoid of a reliable avenue to goal.
4. Dixon’s clunking them
Charlie Dixon was a 'nearly man' in his first season at Alberton. He regularly got his hands to the ball in 2016 but did not complete enough marks. But someone has done some work with Dixon over the off-season because he now appears to have some of the best hands in the league. The big Port forward has started 2017 impressively, and his performance against the Dockers at Adelaide Oval on Sunday evening was punctuated by strong marking on the lead and in contests. The former Sun finished the match with seven marks and four goals and could prove to be the big target Port hoped for when it traded a first round draft pick to acquire him at the end of 2015.
5. Ryder nullifies Sandy
The statistics say Aaron Sandilands won the duel between two of the game’s ruck aerialists, but the reality was different. Sandilands had a distinct advantage in terms of hit-outs and Fremantle came out on top in the clearances. But the reality was that the Fremantle giant rarely helped the Dockers generate the telling clearances he has made a name for over the past decade. Port coach Ken Hinkley will feel more content than at anytime in 2016 with his midfield and ruck set-up, thanks to the return of Ryder, who missed 2016 due to the Essendon supplements scandal. Ryder’s contest against one of the game’s giants drove home just how much Port missed having a recognised ruckman in 2017. He will be pivotal in a much anticipated Showdown next Saturday. It is the first time ever Adelaide and Port have both started a season 2-0.
