A resilient Port Adelaide side overcame North Adelaide in its Round 14 clash at Prospect Oval on Sunday afternoon, going home 32-point winners.
It was a sombre occasion pre-game, with flags at half mast and a minute’s silence observed to commemorate the life and legacy of North Adelaide and SANFL icon, Barrie Robran.
The opening quarter of the match was a tight tussle with scores level at the first break. However, North Adelaide threatened to get on top and run away with the contest, controlling the play and taking a three-goal lead into half-time.
Ruckman Ivan Soldo didn’t return from the main break after experiencing quad tightness, leading coach Hamish Hartlett to shuffle the magnets and flick the switch. And flick the switch he did, with his side kicking 10 goals to two in the second half of the game to come home with a wet sail, and secure the Magpies’ fifth win of the season.
“My message to the boys at half-time was, if we can find an opportunity to find a mark and control the ball, the rest of it will take care of itself,” Hartlett said.
“I wanted our defenders and the guys behind the ball to get more aggressive with their positioning so we could lock the ball in our front half a bit more and it worked really well for us in the second half.”
Jack Whitlock (three goals, 15 hitouts) being thrown into the ruck was one of the main positional changes after half-time, with the young key-forward showcasing his adaptability and athleticism, and earning himself a spot amongst the Magpies’ best players.
“I thought Jack (Whitlock) was outstanding in the ruck when he got his chance in that second half. For a young guy that hasn’t done much rucking, I thought he showed a lot of promise for us, which is really exciting,” said Hartlett.
“There were things going on that were a little bit out of our control, but the guys handled every situation really well. I thought we kept working really hard all the way to the final siren. Good reward for effort for how hard we fought throughout the game,” said Hartlett, praising his side’s resilience.
Sunday’s game marked the first SANFL appearance of the season for Willie Rioli (13 disposals, two goals), while Lachie Charleson (7 disposals, three goals) and Rory Atkins (25 disposals, 8 marks) both had solid impacts.
Asked about the addition of Rioli, coach Hartlett praised his attitude and his positive influence on a young Magpie’s change room.
“He (Rioli) was great. He’s come back with an outstanding attitude, as he always does when he plays SANFL, and the boys get a real kick when he’s in the change rooms and doing his stuff on field,” Hartlett said.
“I think it energises everyone, and he's a good man to have around the place and did some nice things for us today.”
Another shining light from the Port Adelaide victory was young key defender and mid-season draftee Harrison Ramm, whose defensive positioning and effort helped nullify the Roosters’ experienced forward line.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Hartlett said.
“Obviously, Mitch Harvey (Ramm’s opponent) is one of the premier key forwards in the competition, and for Rammy to halve most of the battles, if not win his fair share of them, was outstanding. For a young kid, he’s got a great attitude. He loves working on his game, loves competing, and he’s an athletic specimen, too. So we think Rammy’s got a really bright future ahead of him.”
While next week’s SANFL Showdown presents a tough matchup for the Magpies, going against a Crows’ side who are perched third on the ladder, Hartlett looks forward to the challenge.
“The Crows, along with Sturt and Glenelg, have shown that they’re probably a level or two above most others, but we’ll take a lot of confidence out of what we’re able to do in the second half of this game. We’re going with a positive attitude and lots of optimism around what we’re capable of doing, and we’ll give it a red hot crack.”
Port Adelaide will take on Adelaide in the SANFL Showdown next Saturday, with the first bounce of the curtain raiser at 4:10pm at the Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide: 4.1 (25) 5.4 (34) 11.7 (73) 15.10 (100)
North Adelaide: 4.1 (25) 8.5 (53) 9.6 (60) 10.8 (68)
Goals: Finlayson 4, Whitlock, Charleson 3, Rioli 2, Barrett, Berry, Moore.
Disposals: Watkins 31, Atkins 25, Anastasopoulos 23, Berry 22.
Best: Finlayson, Ramm, Whitlock, Watkins, Berry, McLennan, Anastasopoulos.
