Belligerents
PORT ADELAIDEYear to date: LWWWWWWWLWLWL
Last five at ground: LLLLW
Currently ranked: 1st
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Year to date: WWLWLLLWLLLWLWWW
Last five at ground: WLWWW
Currently ranked: 7th
HEAD TO HEAD
Magpies 84 v 54 Bulldogs (Drawn: 2)
LAST FIVE
Magpies 3 v 2 Bulldogs
PLAYBILL
SANFL IGA League – Round 16Central District v Port Adelaide
Saturday 9 August
First bounce: 2:10pm
Hashtags: #dogsport
Academy: 11:25am
Broadcast: RPH Adelaide, 1197am, RPH Digital
Tickets: $10 general admission, $8 concession, children under 18 years free
TIME MACHINE
Round 9, 2014 A comprehensive first-term performance set up this Magpies win, but not without a scare. Kicking just eight goals after quarter time, the Magpies were forced to hold off a fast-finishing Bulldogs at Alberton and only just held on to victory thanks to a late goal to Ben Haren.PORT ADELAIDE 7.1 10.3 13.5 14.7 (91)
CENTRAL DISTRICT 1.0 5.2 8.3 12.6 (78)
portadelaidefc.com.au's best: Logan, O'Shea, Krakouer, Summerton, Biemans
Goals: Krakouer, Harvey, Neade, R. Young 2, D Butcher, Haren, J Butcher, O’Shea, Shaw, Biemans
at Alberton Oval
FOUR POINTS
Super Saturday at ElizabethThe SANFL's Super Saturday will allow all spectators to get into Round 16 games for just $10. Combined with free secure parking at Elizabeth Oval next to the Elizabeth Bowling Club, access to this weekend's game will be cheap and easy.
Beware the Dogs
Central District is in hot form and a genuine chance to crack the top five by the end of the season. The Bulldogs are just a win away from matching fifth-placed South and a win this weekend will be high on the agenda of Roy Laird's men. The Magpies have a chance to all but seal top spot on the ladder with a win as well, and after dodging a bullet last week with the Eagles and Sturt dropping games, they're well placed to secure the week off and a double chance with a win this weekend.
Stocking up
The late withdrawal of Darcy Byrne-Jones last Saturday and the absence of John Butcher with viral meningitis threw a spanner in the works of the Magpies lineup. Zac Hawkins, having played a best-on-ground performance for the Academy just minutes earlier, was called in to replace Byrne-Jones and with just nine AFL-listed players on the field, this was a side much unlike any Port Adelaide had used in 2014. With Cameron Hitchcock, Tom Clurey and Byrne-Jones back in the side this weekend, this slightly healthier Magpies lineup will be better placed to resist the stiff Bulldogs challenge.
The run home
Against a seasoned competitor in Central, the Magpies are set to face one of the toughest two tests in SANFL football in as many weeks. After this weekend's contest against the Bulldogs, Port will host Norwood at Alberton Oval in the final home game of the season. These games will show the true grit of this Magpies team. Wins will come off the back of good, hard, honest football that sticks to the club's defensive team values. Losses will happen if the black and white deviates from these attributes and lapses into individual-focussed footy.
