BELLIGERENTS
PORT ADELAIDEYear to date: WWLWWWW
Last five at ground: WWWWW
Currently ranked: 1st
HAWTHORN
Year to date: WWWWLWWL
Last five at ground: not played
Currently ranked: 2nd
HEAD TO HEAD
Power 15 v 12 Hawks
PLAYBILL
2014 AFL Premiership Season - Round 10Port Adelaide v Hawthorn
Saturday 28 May
First bounce 7:10pm (ACST)
Hashtags: #pafclive #aflpowerhawks
BUY TICKETS
BROADCAST GUIDE
YOU’RE INVITED
Official Port Adelaide pre-game eventMarch from the Mall
Cnr Rundle Mall and Stephens Place
Adelaide SA
Meet: 5:40pm
March commences: 6:00pm
Official post-game event
William Magarey Room
Level 3, Riverbank Stand
Adelaide Oval
Commences after the game
Selected players and officials in attendance
TIME MACHINE
Round 16, 2013. Despite beating Sydney and Collingwood in the three weeks prior, Port Adelaide wasn’t able to hold off a strong Hawthorn side in the wet at AAMI Stadium. While the Power closed within two goals at half time, the Hawks kicked away to post a comfortable win.HAWTHORN 6.0 10.4 16.6 19.10 (124)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.2 8.4 10.5 12.7 (79)
Best: Boak, R. Gray, Wingard, Cornes, Lobbe
Goals: Monfries, Neade 2, Butcher, Schulz, R. Gray, Thomas, Brad Ebert, Wingard, Boak, Cornes
at AAMI Stadium
NUMBER CRUNCH
Points For: Power 899 v 982 HawksPoints Against: Power 599 v 600 Hawks
Kicks: Power 1740 v 1874 Hawks
Handballs: Power 1306 v 1420 Hawks
Marks: Power 752 v 799 Hawks
Disposals: Power 3046 v 3294 Hawks
Contested possessions: Power 1157 v 1159 Hawks
Frees: Power 117 v 133 Hawks
Tackles: Power 559 v 425 Hawks
Clearances: Power 310 v 337 Hawks
Inside-50s: Power 456 v 443 Hawks
Rebound 50s: Power 298 v 254 Hawks
FINAL SAY
The Hawks may be depleted but their resolve will be as determined as ever and the Power knows it.And while the Power will come out of the bye with a refreshed team, it does so knowing there’s a massive challenge against the Hawks.
The Power has a similar setup to the Hawks in terms of having an even spread of forward line contributors – look no further than the spread of contributors up forward like Gunston, Breust, Hale and Smith.
The plus for Port Adelaide is the absence of the Hawks’ dynamic attack components in Jarryd Roughead through suspension and Cyril Rioli through injury.
That blunted firepower is a small win for the Power, but it must still contend with the mix of elite brown and gold midfielders and a strong defensive lineup.
Skipper Luke Hodge and fellow premiership stars Liam Shiels and Brad Sewell are in the selection mix for Hawthorn and will provide a much-needed boost if named.
But the beauty of good sides like Hawthorn, is the ability for players to almost seamlessly fill the void left by injured and suspended players.
With Rioli, Sam Mitchell, Brian Lake and Josh Gibson out through injury, the opportunity for some of Hawthorn’s fringe campaigners to step into the side and bed down a position is one too good for a competitive AFL player to resist.
The Power must stick to its routine preparation and game plan more than ever this weekend, particularly with the promise of its largest non-Showdown crowd coming to see them take on the reigning premiers under lights.
There have been few, if any passengers this year – it’s difficult to notch seven wins from eight games with hangers-on – and the entire Port Adelaide playing group has found strength and success in its united team performance on game day.
That will again be the focus against the Hawks, and ensuring plenty of run and carry from the centre and ample forward line supply that has been the key to its success this year will be crucial.
Matthew Lobbe is a chance to return after being slated for assessment at the beginning of the week and he trained fully at the well-attended open training on Wednesday night at the Adelaide Oval.
If selected, his ability as a mobile and defensively strong ruckman will be a significant boost for the team.
As another top-of-the-table clash, this is a must-win game for the Power if it wants to hold its place with the league’s best; while Port Adelaide may be top, it has a lot of work to do before it earns the permanent respect held by the most consistent clubs – like Hawthorn, Geelong, Fremantle, Sydney and Collingwood – in the league.
