The final analysis
“We’re just learning as a side and we’re growing up pretty quick” says Cats skipper Joel Selwood. He looks like he’s been king hit, a moustache of congealed blood caking his upper lip. “I was blowin’ me nose by the end to take a bit of time off the clock,” he jokes of his frequent trips to the bench for treatment.
As far as team stats go you can barely split these sides but where you’d expect this better-fancied Port side to show some composure at home, the young Cats really stepped up. It was players Josh Caddy, Cam Guthrie, Rhys Stanley, Shane Kersten and Darcy Lang - not just the old hands - who got them over the line tonight. They lost James Kelly to a knee injury and the excellently-performed Rhys Stanley too but held firm even when they were down an interchange rotation. In an intense game they simply used the ball better when it mattered and never lapsed for prolonged periods.
For the winners, Corey Enright was masterful across half back with 29 composed possessions, Caddy had 26 and 2 goals, while Rhys Stanley’s 17 touches, 24 hit-outs and 2 goals all came by the half-way mark of the third quarter.
Best for the P0wer were livewire Chad Wingard, who had 27 possessions and 4 goals (one of them a classic banana from the boundary) to keep his side alive when they were struggling and Robbie Gray with 28 and 2 goals.
We had hopes that this would be a decent game of footy but it was even better than that; a high-tempo, bone-jarring contest between two hungry sides on the fringe. Thanks for joining us for all the action and make sure to stop by next week for more live football from this 2015 AFL season.
Geelong win it by 23 points
Port Adelaide 11.3 (69) defeated by Geelong 14.8 (92)
There’s a momentum-breaker for Port when Joel Selwood cops another whack in the gob and has to be sent off for more treatment from his own personal team of doctors, who follow him around on a daily basis to stem and lance his various wounds. We’re approaching Leigh Matthews hour now; goals vs minutes stuff. Port need four in six minutes. That’s a task.
Then another minute passes. Then another. There’s near-miss passes. Robbie Gray gives away a free kick near goal. Justin Westhoff is all thumbs. Still they press. Still Geelong hold firm. Boak snaps at goal but 299-game veteran Corey Enright takes his 8799th interception mark. That means there’s 3 minutes left. “They needed to take a big scalp” says Cameron Ling of his former club and he’s right.
Port fans are leaving with 2:30 left on the clock. Geelong go forward again but a holding decision goes against the Tomahawk, who’s been more like a glove-gun tonight. That won’t bother him at all while his side’s winning and finally they do, the siren sounding as players chests heave for air. This is a huge win for the Cats and a real blow to Port’s Top 4 credentials. The Cats are home by 23 points in a superb game of Friday night football.
Port goal! 4th quarter (9:32 remaining) Port Adelaide 11.3 (69) vs Geelong 14.8 (92)
A poor clearance from Murdoch gives Chad Wingard a sniff of a goal from 50 metres out on a standing start and that’s all he needs to send a looping shot through the middle. Port live to fight another 9 and a half minutes.
Geelong goal! 4th quarter (10:30 remaining) Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 14.8 (92)
Port Adelaide is making a hash of this, to be absolutely sure. Steve Motlop has an opportunity to all but finish it when runs around the back to receive a handball from Stokes but his running shot from 40 metres hooks to the left. Soon Tom Hawkins has the chance to ice it and from 40 metres out I think he might have. Do Port have anything left? The next 10 minutes will have a huge bearing on their season.
Geelong goal! 4th quarter (15:57 remaining) Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 13.7 (85)
Well, Rhys Stanley is in fact done for the night, so Geelong is down to two bench rotations and a significantly depleted presence from the mobile ruckman because he was putting in a superb game. Accordingly, if Port can’t haul themselves back in the next 30 minutes they can’t blame bad luck.
There’s much congestion and faffing but eventually Geelong trap it in their forward pocket and after big Matt Lobbe is slung to the ground in a tackle the ball bobbles free for Darcy Lang to swivel into an accurate snap. That feels like a double-goal for the Cats but the scorers only give them one.
Three-quarter time - Geelong lead a belter by 16 points at the final break
Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 12.7 (79)
Finally the siren sounds and not a moment before time for the Power because Tom Lonergan was cracking in with another forward entry as time expired. Port captain Travis Boak is livid with his team, doing his best Henry Rollins impersonation as he barks some very aggressive instructions at them post-siren.
At the final break Geelong lead by 16 and it’s going to take a far more polished and composed effort for the home side to pinch this one back. It’s a truly cracking game of football.
But this is a real development, potentially game-shaping in fact:
Geelong down to two on the bench - Rhys Stanley is out of the game with what appears to be a right foot injury. pic.twitter.com/1cIx4poviv
— James Coventry (@JCoventry) June 12, 2015
Geelong goal! 3rd quarter (0:51 remaining) Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 12.7 (79)
Motlop goals! Oh my word. Port are dropping their bundle in the closing stages of a quarter for the second time in this match as the skilfull midfielder gets on the end of a handball from Hawkins and thumps a snap around the corner for a high, swirling goal. From nowhere they’re 16 points up with under a minute remaining.
Geelong goal! 3rd quarter (2:25 remaining) Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 11.7 (73)
This is madness. Now Caddy goals, soccering it through for his second after Geelong had artlessly pummeled the ball forward. It was ugly but extremely effective. This game remains a happy, entertaining drunk. It’s just brilliant.
Port goal! 3rd quarter (2:46 remaining) Port Adelaide 10.3 (63) vs Geelong 10.7 (67)
Okay, I spoke too soon. Port get one straight back through Justin Westhoff, who pops it through from point blank range after Chad WIngard had eluded an oppponent and handballed over the top. “It’s like tackling smoke” says Dennis Cometti.
Geelong goal! 3rd quarter (3:46 remaining) Port Adelaide 9.3 (57) vs Geelong 10.7 (67)
Port’s had the best of the last five minutes and that continues when they harry Andrew Mackie into hand-balling it out of bounds deliberately 50 metres from the Power goal. Nothing comes from that entry but the crowd’s really getting involved now and you can sniff a definite momentum change. Against that flow of play Rhys Stanley nearly pulls in a massive pack mark but not even his superhuman efforts tonight can get the Cats going.
For all that, Port’s not really capitalizing on its ascendancy and indeed run the risk of squandering it altogether but Guthrie misses a running shot on goal after stiff-arming his opponent to the chest in lovely, old-school style. I believe they called that a “ward off” in ‘How to play football Australian style’.
Ouch. Murdoch does goal in the end and it’s a huge, huge moment in this game you’d think. He receives a handpass from Gregson, waltzes inside 50 and threads it from 40 metres. Hinkley might have collapsed watching that.
Port goal! 3rd quarter (10:42 remaining) Port Adelaide 9.3 (57) vs Geelong 9.6 (60)
WIIIIINNNNNGAAAAAAARRRRDDDDDDD!!!!! The Power magician has done it again, producing two moments of genius in the one play to goal for Port. The first is a patently arsey juggled, one-handed mark overhead near the boundary and then from the tightest angle possible he snakes a set-shot banana straight through the middle. It’s bonkers, much like this game.
Geelong goal! 3rd quarter (12:00 remaining) Port Adelaide 8.3 (51) vs Geelong 9.6 (60)
I’ve got some jumper news for you: not content with souveniring Chris Judd’s guernsey a few weeks back (and how timely that proved), Cam Guthrie has donned a long-sleeved Cats one for the second half. He’d never get away with that at Hawthorn. Apparently Clarkson hasn’t let anyone wear one since Mark Williams. They think it’s a sign of weakness. I just think it’s - in the words of David Bowie - oooowoooo, FASHION!
But I digress. Port go inside 50 again and Schulz launches himself so absurdly high for a speccie that he can’t even hope to haul in the mark. Motlop and Selwood kick behinds for the Cats but they’ve barely had it inside their forward 50 until then.
Tom Hawkins has had a ‘mare tonight and that continues with a shambolic attempted snap on his left but after a mad scramble in front of goal Young’s been pinged again within range. This time Caddy is the tackler and doesn’t he let the umpire know he thinks he should have a free kick. He converts the simplest of chances and the local crowd is filthy with him and the umps.
Port Adelaide goal! 3rd quarter (19:07 remaining) Port Adelaide 8.3 (51) vs Geelong 8.4 (52)
The second half is now under way and Port go straight into attack through Stewart and then an agricultural punt from Pittard, which somehow ends up in the hands of Robbie Gray. Gray gathers, spins, pirouettes, smiles to the cameras and then snaps a brilliant goal to ignite his side. Great stuff.
Some stats and hair news
Bugger it, I’m going with the hair news first, which comes to us via reader Brendan Brown. “Michael Hurley waited until raising $14K for charity before shaving his man bun yesterday,” says Brendan, who always has the scoops. “I’d throw in $50, nah make it $100, to end the misery and take the clippers to Port’s Aaron Young’s atrocity.”
Bryce Gibbs, you can also consider yourself on notice.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. The stats are predictably even at half time. Clearances are tied at 29-all, Port’s winning the inside-50s by 26-23 and Geelong the tackles 45-42. Otherwise it’s almost a dead heat.
The injuries are the bigger issue. James Kelly has been subbed out with a knee injury that might cost him 6-8 weeks and for Port, Matt White has done his right hammy and faces some serious time on the sidelines. I also get the feeling that the MRP will have a close look at the niggle in this game. Joel Selwood gave an opponent a nice open-hand to the back of the head.
In individual stats, Matt Broadbent and Robbie Gray have 15 touches for the Power and Chad Wingard 2 goals. For Geelong, Rhys Stanley has made a huge impact with 14 possessions, 15 hit-outs and 2 goals. He’s playing out of his skin.
Stat of the first half
Port trails 45-52. At half time this game is the postcode of Bald Knob. #AFLPowerCats pic.twitter.com/WYIJP3lOHo
— Gigs (@AndrewGigacz) June 12, 2015
Half-time - Geelong lead an intense game by 7 points
Port Adelaide 7.3 (45) vs Geelong 8.4 (52)
What a half of footy. This is a street fight at the moment, both teams donning the knuckle-dusters and steel capped boots and just going each other. There’s counter-attack on top of counter-attack, tacklers tackling tacklers and the ball pings from end to end like it’s a game of air-hockey. I’m getting whiplash just watching it. It’s the best footy we’ve seen on Friday night all year. “This is so intense” says Bruce. He’s definitely stopped thinking about the horse now.
There’s no goal in the final 7 minutes of the half but it’s absorbing stuff. Rhys Stanley is playing the game of his career (am I damning him with faint praise there?) tonight. That’s how good it is.
Geelong goal! 2nd quarter (6:51 remaining) Port Adelaide 7.3 (45) vs Geelong 8.3 (51)
Young’s been on the ground for about 12 seconds for Port and he’s already cost them a goal, the poor kid. Stanley tackles him inside Geelong’s attacking 50 and wins the free before converting the set shot. The tempo of this game will just not let up. Matt White almost looks relieved on the bench.
Port Adelaide goal! 2nd quarter (7:51 remaining) Port Adelaide 7.3 (45) vs Geelong 7.3 (45)
It’s on! It’s a not-quite-mellee-they’re-sort-of-pushing-each-other... It’s Jonas vs Johnson. Stevie J didn’t like the treatment his skipper received and remonstrated with the Port players. Or was it Selwood? Either way they’ve given away a 50-metre penalty and Justin Westhoff goals from point blank range.
Now Darcy Lang limps off for the Cats and Matty White is gone for the night with that hammy. He’s been subbed off.
Geelong goal! 2nd quarter (9:18 remaining) Port Adelaide 6.3 (39) vs Geelong 7.3 (45)
Walking emergency ward Joel Selwood is back on the ground now and he has an immediate impact, marking a rushed clearance that might not necessarily have been intended for him, flicking it on to Murdoch and then Murdoch follows suit to Josh Walker. Walker really should convert from 40 metres out but he butchers his set shot.
Moments later Chad Wingard has a shot at goal under pressure and with the entire forward 50 empty but his long-range running attempt dribbles out of bounds in the right pocket. From there Port trap it inside 50 and Sam Gray misses a set shot from an unkind angle to level the scores. “It’s not like it’s boring or anything,” says Bruce, which kind of makes me wonder whether it is a bit boring.
It’s not boring for Shane Kersten. Having been stapled back together he gets himself another open goal from close range, this one ending in the youngster cannoning into the post thanks to a push from Carlisle. Veteran move, that one.
Injury update: Matty White has just been carried off with what looks a leg injury.
Port Adelaide goal! 2nd quarter (15:44 remaining) Port Adelaide 6.2 (38) vs Geelong 6.2 (38)
Joel Selwood is forced off under the blood rule after fulfilling his contractual obligation to have at least some part of his face split open in the course of the game. He can probably apply stitches himself at this point. A university somewhere should give him an honorary degree in medicine.
If Brad Ebert ever recieves a doctorate it will be in ruthless efficiency. Here Schulz taps a ball into his path where the 50 meets the boundary and he just carresses it to the top of the goal square for Chad Wingard to mark and goal. Port needed a steadying goal there and now Shane Kersten’s off with the blood rule. There’s even more of it gushing out of him than Selwood before.
Geelong goal! 2nd quarter (19:43 remaining) Port Adelaide 5.2 (32) vs Geelong 6.1 (37)
As the second term gets under way, I can let you know that Robbie Gray was Port’s major possession winner in the first with 10, Broadbent had 9 and Boak 8. Enright had 9 for the Cats and Selwood 8.
Meanwhile. Geelong’s also had a perfect start to the second term after Rhys Stanley roved his own ruck contest, pumped it long and allowed Shane Kersten to loot an open goal off the back of the pack. All that in just 17 seconds. Nicholas Cage wasn’t even gone that quickly.
Quarter time at Adelaide Oval - The Power lead by 1 point
Port Adelaide 5.2 (32) vs Geelong 5.1 (31)
That is that for the first term. Port threatened to run away with it when five minutes remained for the quarter but Geelong kept at it admirably. Can either side keep up this pace all night? I’m tired watching them.
Geelong goal! 1st quarter (0:51 remaining) Port Adelaide 5.2 (32) vs Geelong 5.1 (31)
Well, Ken Hinkley will be fuming at the break. Now his side concedes another late one when Hawkins toe-pokes it through after a bit of a wrestle and having done two-thirds of eff all until that point. Hinkley might lay a few tackles himself in the quarter time huddle.
Updated
Geelong goal! 1st quarter (3:24 remaining) Port Adelaide 5.1 (31) vs Geelong 4.0 (24)
Relief for the Cats here as they bomb it long inside 50 and Steve Johnson out-positions his man to mark inside the goal square and then convert a simple chance.
Port Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (4:22 remaining) Port Adelaide 5.1 (31) vs Geelong 3.0 (18)
“He’s like a big, wild animal” says Bruce McAvaney in classic Alan Partridge style. He’s talking about Ollie Wines I think, or perhaps that horse from earlier, I’m not completely certain. Anyway, Port’s taking this game by the scruff of the neck at the moment, tackling feverishly and playing on at every opportunity.
Shane Kersten is out of the sub’s vest for the Cats and manages to slow the tempo down in the only way currently available; sending a high, speculative but entirely bizarre handball ballooning into the night air like an alley-oop pass that nobody wanted to jump for. A little more polished is Port’s ball movement inside 50 when Boak arrows in a pass for Schulz to mark and convert from 15 metres out. Danger signs for Geelong at Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (8:35 remaining) Port Adelaide 4.1 (25) vs Geelong 3.0 (18)
Back to back goals for Port. Now Monfries gets in on the act, running around the man on the mark and snapping accurately after he’d been taken high. The end-to-end intensity of this game is really something.
Port Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (9:27 remaining) Port Adelaide 3.1 (19) vs Geelong 3.0 (18)
Now Wingard replies for Port, winning a holding-the-ball decision and then dobbing his set shot from 35 metres out. James Kelly is gone for the night, meanwhile. Looks like a knee injury and he’s not happy.
Geelong goal! 1st quarter (10:22 remaining) Port Adelaide 2.1 (13) vs Geelong 3.0 (18)
Motlop literally produces a goal out of thin air! What a goal! How to explain that? Well, Geelong trapped it deep inside their attacking fifty and in attempting to strip Robbie Gray of the ball, Motlop booted his opponent’s misfired handball through on the volley. It was a moment of superb improvisation.
Geelong goal! 1st quarter (12:07 remaining) Port Adelaide 2.1 (13) vs Geelong 2.0 (12)
To say I’m having technical difficulties is a slight understatement, but I can assure you that for all my effing and blinding and shaking of my laptop, there’s also plenty going on on-field too. Cory Gregson’s just dobbed a goal from 30 metres out. Before that Travis Boak kicked one for Port and before that Rhys Stanley snapped one over his head for the Cats. He probably didn’t even mean it but it was brilliant. Much more brilliant than my laptop.
Port Adelaide goal! 1st quarter (17:25 remaining) Port Adelaide 1.1 (7) vs Geelong 0.0 (0)
The match gets under way after the now traditional singing of Pseudo Echo’s Funky Town. Or was it ‘Never Tear us Apart’ by INXS? Either way, Chad Wingard almost blows the roof off the new members stand when he hits the post while attempting a snap from the impossible angle.
Robbie Gray also pumps it long inside 50 but Harry Taylor holds firm with a big defensive mark. He can’t deny Gray moments later though. He latches onto a defensive error from Joel Selwood to romp into an open goal. Port’s all over it in the opening moments of this clash.
3 minutes until the opening bounce
“They scare me,” says a magnanimous Port coach Ken Hinkley of his opponents. “I hope tonight we can just slow them up.” Is he foxing just a tad when it comes to his old club, managing expectations a little? Geelong, meanwhile, have finished their warm-up and now engaged in a sort of high-five session, which is presumably the end product of some kind of expensive corporate leadership program.
Let’s do this.
Oh and another thing...
While we’re waiting for the first bounce, take a read of Jon Horn’s fabulous tribute to Chris Judd, this week’s retiree. What a player he was in his pomp. I also remember seeing Judd play footy as a schoolboy but was there anything more exciting than his first few months of league games for West Coast? He looked like he was playing on fast-forward.
Meanwhile, I can’t publish any of the suggestions I received for whiling away the time before this game starts.
A little note on the start time for this game
...and by virtue of that, a little note on me being a bit of a pillock. The start time is in fact 7:20pm Adelaide time, which is 7:50 pm over my way. So I haven’t abandoned you, we’re still 20 minutes from the opening bounce.
I’ll take email suggestions as to how I should spend that time because at present Bruce McAvaney is talking about a horse, Wayne Carey is narrating golf videos from YouTube and so the chance to clear the roof gutters or give my bathroom a scrub is currently looking more appealing than Seven’s coverage.
Port on the march
I’m not sure how many Geelong fans have made the trip down the Western Highway, but the locals have certainly turned out in droves. It’s a perfect night for football in Adelaide too, no hints of rain 13 degrees Celsius with very little wind.
Another massive #MarchfromtheMall pic.twitter.com/RyzlkpqMGr
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) June 12, 2015
Our teams tonight
With the first bounce now 20 minutes away I can inform you that there’s no late changes for either side.
Port Adelaide
Jack Hombsch, Alipate Carlile, Jarman Impey, Matthew Broadbent, Tom Jonas, Jasper Pittard, Sam Colquhoun, Travis Boak, Brad Ebert, Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard, Paul Stewart, Jay Schulz, Angus Monfries, Matthew Lobbe, Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines, Tom Clurey, Matt White, Sam Gray
SUB: Aaron Young
Geelong
Jared Rivers, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright, Jackson Thurlow, Tom Lonergan, Jed Bews, Andrew Mackie, Joel Selwood, Steven Motlop, Cory Gregson, Josh Walker, Steve Johnson, Jordan Murdoch, Tom Hawkins, Mark Blicavs, Darcy Lang, Josh Caddy, James Kelly, Mathew Stokes, Cameron Guthrie, Rhys Stanley
SUB: Shane Kersten (who is demoted from the forward pocket in Geelong’s team sheet, which shows how useful those things are these days. They never would have pulled that stuff in Mark Bairstow’s day. If you picked Mark Bairstow in a forward pocket he arrived at the ground with that task in mind. He would have been wearing overalls from his morning duties on the farm, but he’d definitely have his mind on the job)
The preamble
Hello everyone and welcome to this 11th installment of Friday Night Football for season 2015. I’m the aforementioned Russell Jackson, here to sort the wheat from the chaff and the Matthew Lobbe from the Rhys Stanley. You can get me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com throughout the night, but I won’t be offended if you just grab yourself a beer, stand well back from the stage and bitch about this new alt-country direction I’ve taken.
What can we expect from Geelong tonight? This season they’re a bit like that Beta Band album, Heroes to Zeroes, either whipping their opponents or copping a hiding themselves. The upshot is that a few of the whippersnappers have started performing. Jordan Murdoch has a murderous left foot and will make up for this encounter’s sad lack of Jared Polec. Mark Blicavs is a gun. Jed Bews looks okay and to be fair, even Rhys Stanley’s doing his bit as a mobile ruckman.
Port, on the other hand, go into this game as favourites. They’ve got Geelong on their home turf tonight, then Carlton, then the bye. That’s an attractive schedule. I’ll be back in a minute with the team line-ups.
Roast those chestnuts, get the percolator dripping - it’s Friday night and it’s LIVE (and unexclusive) AFL coverage, on your favourite recently-imported-from-England website.
In the chair tonight is the one, the only, Russell Jackson - your compère for the game. Until Russ gets here, here’s a snippet from his round 11 preview for Port Adelaide v Geelong:
Still a way off their blistering best, Port Adelaide have at least done a decent job of pulling themselves up off the canvas in the past two weeks, firstly against Melbourne a fortnight ago and also in running away from the Bulldogs in the final term last week.
At home against Geelong tonight, Ken Hinkley’s side has the chance to set up the second half of the season because following this one they have Carlton and then the bye, which is about the most comforting schedule in football right now.
The pleasing thing for Port last week was the way that Travis Boak, Brad Ebert and thunder-thighed game-breaker Ollie Wines tore through the Dogs midfield when the game was there to be won. When Wines is in one of those moods he’s a fearful sight, like the lovechild of Ivan Drago and Greg Williams.
A little harder to peg are Geelong, who embarrassed Essendon in the first half before running out 69-point victors last week. Away against the Power they’re just as likely to get pummeled at Adelaide Oval. In the last month they’ve alternated between dishing out and receiving thrashings. Could that trend continue tonight?
Read the rest of Russ’ weekend preview, here. Obviously, you don’t have to. It’s a free country, innit.
Plenty there to get excited about - first bounce is just around the corner.
