Leader board

Disposals leader: Matthew Broadbent (26)
Marks leader: Brett Ebert (8)
Tackles leader: Brad Ebert (7)
Clearances leader: Brad Ebert, Matthew Broadbent (4)
Hitouts leader: Jarrad Redden (16)
Scores leader: Jay Schulz (19 points)
Dreamteam leader: Matthew Broadbent (107)

Headlines

Schulz Remains In Hospital

In his own words - Matthew Primus

"We had a lot of players down (injured) but it was no issue for us [with] the way we played," Primus said.

"I thought it was our worst effort all year. We've had some poor quarters, one or two, but I've been pretty proud of the way the guys have gone about their footy all year. But today I thought it was just a really poor total game for us.

"[There were] probably three or four quarters for the year [where] I could say they hadn't really had a full-blown effort at the opposition. But apart from that they have been really consistent with their effort and competitiveness.

"Today, I just thought we were a long way off it. And if the Bulldogs had've kicked straight it probably would have really shown up how far we really were off it."

What it means

Port Adelaide enters the bye with a 4-8 record and faces another wave of challenging matches after its mid year break. Whilst its record is an improvement on last year's three wins, the Power needs to establish a level of consistent performance if it is to challenge higher ranked teams across the rest of the season. The encouraging sign to come out of the first twelve rounds is the resilience of the Port Adelaide defence and its ability to withstand the pressure of frequent inside 50s. Similarly, Jay Schulz has been a tall marking beacon up forward and has provided leadership in attack. The Power is still a way from the top eight however, and will continue to struggle if it cannot bring four quarters of intense, skilful effort to games.

The future

Port Adelaide’s bye weeks will provide an opportunity to recover from three months of minor round football. There will be little opportunity for relaxation however, as the Power travel to Simonds Stadium next week to face Geelong, before hosting top four contenders Adelaide and Essendon at AAMI Stadium. Wins will be tough to find looking forward, with opportunities against Melbourne (in Darwin) and Fremantle at home providing some opportunity for the Power to get wins back on the board.

Injury list
Jay Schulz has been added to the injury list with four other key players from Saturday’s game after being hospitalised post-match. Schulz took a hit to the stomach in a mid air collision with teammate Justin Westhoff and is reported to be recovering well after internal bleeding was identified at a Melbourne hospital. His injury adds to those of Hamish Hartlett (hamstring), Jacob Surjan (suspected concussion), Jackson Trengove (dislocated finger) and Paul Stewart (corked thigh). 

The Black and White

Port Adelaide pushed Central District to the limit in Saturday’s round twelve SANFL match but was unable to deliver the goods at Playford Alive Oval. Contributions from captain James Meiklejohn and club champions Steven Summerton and Jeremy Clayton helped maximise the Magpies’ opportunities up forward with Luke Harder booting four goals straight.

Coming Up

Sunday 1 July, 1.10pm (local time)
Geelong v Port Adelaide
Simonds Stadium, Geelong 

Saturday 23 June, 2.10pm
Port Adelaide v Woodville-West Torrens
Alberton Oval, Alberton