PORT ADELAIDE withstood wild weather to win a trial match against the reigning premiers, enjoying an 18-point victory over Sturt.
The Magpies looked impressive on Saturday as they repelled the Double Blues’ repeated offensive attempts, while maintaining a consistent buffer on the scoreboard. After clamping the premiers’ run-and-carry in the first quarter, Port Adelaide matched Sturt all over the field, seeing it claim a confidence-boosting 8.14 (62) to 6.8 (44) result.
Spectators would be forgiven for thinking the arm-wrestle at Alberton was a mid-July fixture as grey clouds and heavy rain gate-crashed the trial and stopped either team from breaking the game open in front of goal.
With goals hard to come by, it was versatile midfielder Christian Moraes and inventive forward Tom Anastasopoulos who slotted two goals apiece in the first half, pushing Port Adelaide to a six-point lead at the main break.
Keeping Sturt goalless in the second half until the last breath, the Magpies pulled ahead to seal a three-goal win.
While new head coach Jacob Surjan was pleased with his side’s performance, he saw room for improvement before the season officially kicks off, putting 22 scoring shots for an 8.14 return down to both weather and skill.
“I thought we were pretty good,” Surjan said.
“[We] probably just didn’t take our opportunities in front of the big sticks, the easy shots that we could have scored.”
With 10 SANFL-contracted and two new AFL-listed players taking the field, Surjan was also impressed with the group’s ability to gel and stick to the gameplan.
“I thought all the guys played their roles really well, from the AFL program to the SANFL program,” Surjan said.
“I was pretty pleased with the way we were able to execute what we wanted to do defensively. Their ability to listen to all our coaches’ instructions and then go out and execute after half time is a big tick for them.”
Aforementioned AFL-listed additions Will Brodie and Balyn O’Brien slotted into the side seamlessly, while Esava Ratugolea and Jordon Sweet pushed their cases for AFL selection.
“I thought [Ratugolea] was outstanding… [Sweet] was dominant in the ruck. I thought he was outstanding too,” Surjan praised.
As Port Adelaide looks ahead to the season opener, Surjan wasted no time in setting expectation for his first season at the helm, alerting supporters to a new Magpie mentality.
“It’s about having that winning culture and having the right mentality,” Surjan said.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we keep building momentum into round one.”
Port Adelaide will face West Adelaide at X Convenience Oval on March 14 at 10am in its final pre-season hit out.
SCOREBOARD
PA 2.2 5.8 6.13 8.14 (62)
ST 2.2 5.2 5.6 6.8 (44)
Goals: Anastasopoulos, Moraes 2, Moss, Rigney, Thompson, Weidemann
Best: Ratugolea, Sweet, Brodie, Elbrow, McLennan, Moore
