Port Adelaide was outplayed by a strong Woodville-West Torrens side at Woodville Oval on Saturday, finishing the contest with 7.10.52 to the Eagles’ 12.5.77.
In beautiful sunny conditions, the Magpies rued their inability to make the most of early opportunities with the breeze, dominating the inside fifty count but peppering the goals.
With an AFL heavy backline featuring the likes of Ryan Burton, Rory Atkins, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Dylan Williams, the Magpies impressed with their link up play from the back half of the ground. However, a combination of Eagles pressure and a lack of polish left the Magpies wanting on the scoreboard.
“We certainly had our opportunities early on the game to put some score on the board, which we missed, and the Eagles were able to kick a few early on against the wind and maintain that lead for the rest of the game,” coach Hamish Hartlett said.
“All in all, there were definitely some positives with the way we moved the footy, we just lacked a little bit of polish in the front third of the ground, especially in the first term.”
One player who did make the most of their opportunities in front of goal was young key forward Jack Whitlock, who kicked a bag of three majors for the second consecutive game.
“Jack was great. He competed really hard up front, which he has done all season for us,” said Hartlett.
Despite the loss, Atkins showed off his class on the wing and at halfback, finishing with a game-high 31 disposals and serving as the quarterback of the Magpies’ forward thrusts. Hartlett also singled out the work of defender Burton, who alongside Jez McLennan, worked tirelessly to subdue the Eagles’ forwards.
Speaking on giving his side the freedom to be creative with their ball movement, coach Hartlett was pleased with how his side showed initiative in some nice moments.
“We knew that setting up the ground was going to be important with our shape, and then I didn't want to put any restrictions on the type of ball movement that we needed to play with. So I think that freedom and that flair sort of came to the fore a little bit,” said Hartlett.
“Did we overdo it? Potentially at times, because the Eagles' pressure was really good around the contest, and it probably hurt us a little bit. But you know, it was exciting in patches. So I think that's a step forward for the group.”
The SANFL Showdown looms next weekend for the Magpies, who will look to soak in the exciting build up during the week, and bounce back from today’s loss.
W-W Torrens 2.2 7.4 10.4 12.5(77)
Port Adelaide 1.7 2.7 4.9 7.10(53)
Best: Atkins, Weidemann, Whitlock, McLennan, Burton, Barrett
Goals: Whitlock 3, Jackson 2, Charleson, Linke
