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Must capitalise on momentum
You’ve got to kick straight to win games. 1.7 in the third quarter could very easily have gone the other way. The Eagles struggled to get the ball out of the Power’s forward 50 at times during the match, but Port failed to capitalise on its possessions. Yes, a bit of bad luck with three shots hitting the post, but when you finish the game with 68 inside-50s and your opposition only has 39, you’d hope the scoreboard finished up a lot different to how it did. Certainly, that’s what Kenny said after the game.
Brad Ebert - New dad, new hair… same star
He’s set for early mornings and late nights, but his new role as a parent didn’t seem to affect the preparation of new dad, Brad Ebert. The star midfielder was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing end result. He got involved in almost everything and finished up the game with 30 possessions, second only to recent midfield addition, Chad Wingard, and 5 clearances.
Winning the contest vital
Despite being down by eight points at half time, Port was leading the stats in almost every area, with the Eagles only besting them in the tackles and contested possessions. The Power upped their pressure in the second half, flipping the tackle count to finish 62 to 58 but still struggled to match the Eagles in contested possessions.
Pressure counts
The Power struggled in their defensive 50 all night with the Eagles freely running in at points throughout the game. A few shining moments with intercept marks and spoils from the likes of Clurey and Hombsch weren’t enough to restrict the Eagles from what turned out to be a fairly free scoring game, scoring 22 times from 39 inside-50s.
