Port Adelaide have flexed their midfield muscle in a stunning 69-point demolition of Essendon on Friday night – the club’s eighth straight win over the Bombers.
Skipper Connor Rozee led the way with a three-goal, 20 disposal opening half before Zak Butters (26 touches, seven tackles) and Jason Horne-Francis (with a career-best 31 disposals and 10 clearances) got in on the act as well at Adelaide Oval.
The trio put the Bombers to the sword to set up the 17.9 (111) to 6.6 (42) victory.
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The only downside for the Power was the injury to Travis Boak that saw the veteran subbed out at half time.
For the Bombers meantime, they coughed up 11 goals from turnovers on a dirty night for Brad Scott’s men.
And they were without Archie Perkins for the final time with the youngster sidelined by a hamstring complaint.
QUARTER BY QUARTER MATCH REPORT
Port captain Connor Rozee helped his side to an early lead – albeit after a bizarre goal review that clearly showed no player got a touch on the footy.
“There was a review – I have no idea why!” commentator James Brayshaw said.
“The players on the line’s hands were about a metre and a half away from the ball. It was always a goal.”
But the Bombers wouldn’t be overawed as Jade Gresham had two early goals down the other end.
“Gresham’s the guy who when he gets up and going, he can be hard to stop in a game,” commentator Matthew Richardson said.
Jake Stringer gave the visitors the lead in promising signs, but Mitch Georgiades showed why he was brought back for the Power with a big goal from outside the arc.
“349 days he’s had to wait to play his 50th game – it means a lot to his teammates and the packed house here,” Brayshaw said of Georgiades’ goal.
“Moments like that make it all worth it,” Luke Hodge added.
At the first break it was Port leading 24-21.
The two sides traded blows in the second term, before Port completely turned the tide to leave Essendon with “no answers”, according to Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon.
Jeremy Finlayson got on the end of a brilliant passage of play that started in defensive 50.
“This should never happen – Port had (Charlie) Dixon by himself,” Hodge said.
“That ball should have stayed in the (Essendon) forward 50 and this is the result.”
And the margin continued to grow from there as the Power landed three late goals with Essendon defender Jayden Laverde off under an injury cloud.
Willie Rioli’s snap cleared the goalpost by millimetres to extend Port’s lead, leaving Essendon coach Brad Scott “concerned”.
And it only got worse when Connor Rozee capped off his brilliant half with a third goal from 20 touches.
“This is a clinic from Rozee,” Richardson said.
“It’s getting out of hand now.”
By the main break, Port Adelaide held a 63-28 advantage with the only concern seeing veteran Travis Boak come from the field late.
Confirmation came at half time that Boak was subbed out of the match, but it did little to slow Port’s momentum.
Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis got in on the act with Rozee as Port’s midfield trio took complete control.
Only a late goal to Harrison Jones kept Essendon with a chance heading into the final change as they trailed 85-41.
But the night didn’t get any better for the Bombers with Archie Perkins put on ice with a hamstring complaint early in the last term.
Described as “comprehensively belted” by Lyon, Essendon didn’t put up a fight as the margin grew to 69 points at full time.
“After quarter time they completely disappeared,” Nathan Buckley added of the Bombers.
THE 3-2-1…
3. ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ ROZEE EXPLODES, ASCENDS STATUS
Connor Rozee is some sort of special player, fast ascending in the list of the absolute best superstars in the AFL.
The Port Adelaide skipper was on fire at Adelaide Oval on the Friday night Gather Round stage including a particularly scintillating first half.
Rozee racked up 20 of his 36 disposals in the first half with three goals to really separate the game in a dominant performance.
“I came away from last night thinking (Christian) Petracca might be the best player in the competition. He’s got some competition,” Demons great Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy at half-time in a nod to Rozee.
Perhaps most impressively, the 24-year old was doing it on both ends, working hard defensively and consistently finding space forward of centre to create offence for his side.
“He’s not just going one way, he’s putting the pressure on the opposition and doing that work,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said on Fox Footy.
“Nearly 450 metres gained through 20 disposals in a half a footy – that’s a lot of damage. And to take your chances – three shots on goal and three great finishes – he’s created so much for his team.”
Lions champion Jonathan Brown noted Rozee probably already had the three votes locked in at half-time.
“Connor Rozee has been unbelievable, it’s been a pleasure to be here to watch him. And his work rate is absolutely phenomenal. How many times did we see him turn up on his own in the forward half,” Brown said.
Though Rozee was the standout, it came in strong performances from both skippers, with Essendon’s Zach Merrett battling hard for the visitors as their clear best on the night.
“Merrett is leading really well, he just doesn’t have the same level of brilliance Rozee has. (Rozee is) getting his hands dirty … he just continues to grow,” Lyon added.
“Merrett gives his heart and soul and we all have great admiration for him. He probably doesn’t have the same offensive damage Rozee has in his game.”
Buckley pointed out that Rozee’s extra impact to Merrett was “a little bit about the team and how they’re going,” adding “the two respective captains are turning them inside out for their teams.”
Rozee wasn’t doing it alone in the engine room, with Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis also shining – a star-studded midfield group labelled by Brownlow medallist Mark Ricciuto “one of the best we’ve seen for a very long time.”
Lyon said the emerging on-ball group “at various stages looked like they were playing at a different level, an U18 against an U14.”
This very much Rozee’s night though in a special, special outing in front of his home fans.
2. BOMBERS FADE IN UGLY SCENES
The night started with a lot of promise for the Bombers before they fell away badly in what ended in ugly scenes.
While a lot of credit rightfully goes to Port Adelaide, who’s looked as good as any side at its best, Brad Scott will be left searching for answers as his side fell to 2-2.
It included Essendon kicking only three goals after quarter-time in a game that turned one-sided quickly
The Bombers were well beaten in the midfield as the game was primarily played in Port’s forward half, dominating the inside 50 count (+20).
“Brad Scott would be really disappointed with how quickly this has fallen away … some concerns in the last hour of football,” Channel 7’s James Brayshaw noted in the third term.
Further souring the loss was a hamstring injury to Archie Perkins that ended the breakout gun’s night early in an untimely setback.
While Zach Merrett fought valiantly in the middle, the Bombers midfield simply couldn’t compete with Port Adelaide’s star-studded crop.
“It did expose an issue for the Bombers – I think they are a bit tardy in there with their leg speed,” triple-premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy.
So where to here for the Bombers?
Essendon next week faces a team perhaps more evenly matched with it in the Western Bulldogs where we’ll get a better idea of where Scott’s side is at.
1. ’OLD SCHOOL’ SHIFT SPARKS POWER TO LIFE
It was the clear shift that sparked Port Adelaide to life in the second quarter, setting up a dominant performance and statement to the rest of the AFL.
Ken Hinkley went “old school” by enforcing a man-on-man defence on the Bombers to stop their run and spread and clamp the visitors.
Boy was it effective.
The Power stacked on six goals to Essendon’s one in the second term to completely change the feel of the game after Brad Scott’s side appeared capable of mounting a challenge earlier.
“They went old school. They went from a zone – the traditional form of defence in the modern game – to one-on-one,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said of Port’s tactical shift on Fox Footy at half-time.
“They said: ‘We’re not going to give your bodies any time and space to be able to transition the ball.’ They decreased their uncontested marks and uncontested possessions.
“In the first quarter, Essendon players were making the ground big and Port Adelaide players were just protecting the corridor. They said: ‘OK, you’re kicking it through us and around us and going end to end. So we’re just going to make it a one-on-one game’.”
With it, the Power improved to 3-1 (and could very easily be 4-0 if not for falling apart late against Melbourne last week) ahead of a friendly fixture over the next few weeks.
Hinkley’s side faces Fremantle (home), Collingwood (away), St Kilda (home) then Adelaide in the Showdown.
“A lot of the credit must go to the Port Adelaide coaching staff and the way they’ve been able to implement a plan that second quarter, which has left Essendon with no answers,” Demons great Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.
Triple-premiership Lion Jonathan Brown added: “It’s old school … we don’t see it in the modern day AFL as much these days. It really slowed up the Bombers.”
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