Preview: Port Adelaide v Melbourne
Port Adelaide's 2013 season gets underway this Sunday where it will travel to the home of football to take on Melbourne.
The Teams
Port Adelaide
Form: Finished NAB Cup with 3/5 wins
Ranked: No ranking
Melbourne
Form: Finished NAB Cup with 1/4 wins
Ranked: no ranking
Last time
Port travelled to Darwin to take on the Demons and ran out comfortable winners in a gruelling affair in the humid heat of the top end. Paul Stewart starred for the Power with five goals to his name.
Round 17, 2012: Port Adelaide 8.8 (56) defeated Melbourne 12.12 (84) at TIO Stadium
Memorable moment: Aaron Young seals the deal with a memorable team goal stemming from an ingenious soccer from Justin Westhoff.
Form guide
Past 5: Power 3 v Demons 2
Past 25: Power 14 v Demons 11
The fine print
AFL Round 1 – Opening Round
Port Adelaide v Melbourne
Easter Sunday, March 31
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Yarra Park, Jolimont, Victoria
First bounce: 1:10pm (local time) / 12:40pm (SA)
Broadcast Guide: Live into SA at 12:30pm on FOX FOOTY and Seven
LIVE WIRE: Starts at 12:00pm
Twitter: #pafclive #afldeespower
Our top three
Travis Boak
Boak will officially captain Port Adelaide for the first time. The club’s 69th captain at either AFL or SANFL level has been a superb performer this pre-season and is set for a big season by his own standards. One of his best performances last year was against the Dees in Darwin and he’ll be looking to get the year off to a winning start.
Brad Ebert
Ebert has again been a standout on track and it probably helps when your 2012 season was as good as the one he had. Supporters will find it tough to recall a game where he wasn’t among the Power’s best. Expect for that trend to continue again this year.
Hamish Hartlett
One of those players who seems to make or break a match, Hartlett has again impressed in the pre-season with he deadly bomb his most damaging asset. His skills and decision-making are at the top of the Port pile and if he can fire on all cylinders against the Demons his teammates will lift around him.
Final word
Game on. The new Port Adelaide is here, and as chief executive officer Keith Thomas reflected in his periodical report to members and supporters “it sounds remarkably like the old Port Adelaide way!”
A side that can play tough, hard, contested and defensive footy is what Ken Hinkley, Alan Richardson and their line lieutenants have been crafting since November. A sneek peek through the NAB Cup – best represented in the final practice match against Sydney at AAMI Stadium – has given supporters a glimpse into what might be expected this year.
There is young talent and improved old.
Melbourne however proposes an interesting first-up challenge for the Power – simply for being in much the same position. Both teams finished bottom 10 last year, and both have recruited heavily during this off-season with a view to clawing their way back up the ladder.
Playing on the MCG is a rare opportunity for Port, but one that it has struggled to win when playing Melbourne. In fact, Port has only beaten the Demons at the MCG once (Round 6, 2007) since joining the AFL.
First round matches are always a hard slog as well when played between evenly matched teams. Selection for both sides, and the health of its best 22 on Thursday, will significantly play into the outcome of the match.
Current odds
Port Adelaide 2 – 1.82 Melbourne