Belligerents
PORT ADELAIDEYear to date: WWL
Last two at ground: WW
Currently ranked: 5th
BRISBANE LIONS
Year to date: LLL
Last five at ground: not played
Currently ranked: 16th
HEAD TO HEAD
Power 12 v 14 Lions (Drawn 2)
LAST FIVE
Power 1 v 4 Lions
PLAYBILL
AFL Premiership Season - Round 4Port Adelaide v Brisbane Lions
Saturday 12 April
First bounce 1:40pm (ACST)
Hashtags: #pafclive #aflpowerlions
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BROADCAST GUIDE
YOU’RE INVITED
Official Port Adelaide pre-game eventMarch from the Mall
Cnr Stephens Place and Rundle Mall
Meet: 12:00pm
Depart: 12:20pm
Official Port Adelaide post-game event
William Magarey Room
Level 3, Riverbank Stand
Commencing after conclusion of game
Players, coaches, directors and staff in attendance
TIME MACHINE
Round 18, 2013. Brisbane surged late against a carnally inaccurate Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, but the Power, inspired by a Travis Boak masterclass, recovered to pull away in the final quarter and clinch an important late-season win.PORT ADELAIDE 3.4 5.9 8.16 9.17 (71) def
BRISBANE LIONS 1.4 4.5 9.6 9.8 (62)
Best: Boak, Schulz, Cornes, Carlile, Ebert
Goals: Schulz 2, Mitchell, Butcher, Wines, Westhoff, Wingard, Moore, Monfries
at AAMI Stadium
MATCH NOTES
CELEBRATION TIMEYou'll want be in your seat from 12:50pm to make sure you catch all the action on the ground, with the Power's warmup at 1:00pm and plenty of 2004 premiership commemoration activity taking place just after 1:20pm.
There won't be any blue, red and yellow in town this weekend as Round 4 marks the first time since 2011 that Port Adelaide has played at the Adelaide Oval as the standalone local team.
Both camps have been hit hard by injuries - the Power will miss Angus Monfries (hamstring) and likely Chad Wingard (ankle), while the Lions will be hurt by the omission of Daniel Rich with a long-term ACL injury.
NUMBER CRUNCH
Score: Power 337 v 220 LionsKicks: Power 647 v 580 Lions
Handballs: Power 447 v 418 Lions
Marks: Power 274 v 244 Lions
Disposals: Power 1094 v 998 Lions
Contested possessions: Power 432 v 412 Lions
Frees: Power 46 v 53 Lions
Tackles: Power 214 v 212 Lions
Clearances: Power 108 v 125 Lions
Inside-50s: Power 156 v 135 Lions
Rebound 50s: Power 112 v 125 Lions
FINAL SAY
The loss of key players to the Lions, including Daniel Merrett through suspension, won't be the free kick to the Power some might think it is, with the home side suffering its own fair share of first-choice player outs.
While Angus Monfries and Chad Wingard are important and elusive small forwards who are difficult to shut down, Port Adelaide has talent in its ranks to fill the void left by the pair.
Aaron Young is one of those talents - he's been in great SANFL form (28 touches and 13 clearances last week) and has been best of ground for the Magpies twice in the last month.
But there are several other candidates too, like Cam O'Shea and Tom Logan who, while defenders, could be used to push more versatile players further up the field.
Having players to step up is one thing, executing a successful game plan is another.
The Power played two strong quarters in a tough battle against the Kangaroos last Sunday, but a late game surge ensured that the blue and whites were able to stick with it and overtake Port Adelaide in the dying stages of the game.
Teams will challenge Port Adelaide's fitness - it alone cannot win games - and its second quarter and late-game ball use against the Roos played a part in its eventual seven-point loss.
Improving its efficiency across a whole game is important, because the Power has a dynamic forward line of three talls that is challenging for most teams to control.
Equally, it has an incredible competition for spots down back and in the midfield - there are far fewer injuries challenging those lines - so there is some surety that the back two thirds of the ground will work hard to deliver a result.
The Lions will be looking to chalk up their first win for the 2014 campaign. Their current ledger masks the reality of the top eight fancies they've played - Hawthorn, Geelong and the Gold Coast - so the Power will be wary of a the Lions after their challenging start to the year.
ODDS
Power 1.13 v Lions 6.00