PORT ADELAIDE defender Ryan Burton is feeling bullish about his side’s depth after it managed to find a way to win against the Western Bulldogs in Whyalla on Saturday despite having three players go off with injury in the second half.
The Power fought back to win by ten points, having trailed by 20 points with less than ten minutes to play.
The win came after Dan Houston was taken off at half time after a heavy tackle, and then talls Charlie Dixon (adductor) and Scott Lycett (achilles) limped off the ground.
They are each expected to be fit to play in Port Adelaide’s Round 1 clash against the Gold Coast on March 21, but Burton says winning in their absence showed the side’s resilience and depth.
“They’re very key players to our team – Scoot in the ruck, Charlie down forward and Dan doing his thing in the midfield - so the boys had to step up,” Burton told portadelaidefc.com.au.
“We had three boys who came on after half time and really played their role really well.
“It just goes to show the depth we have at Port – one man goes down and another steps up.”
The match at Whyalla’s Bennett Oval was a see-sawing affair with a strong wind favouring one end and both sides making the most of it.
Burton was part of the defensive unit which withstood 21 entries for four goals by the Bulldogs in the first quarter, keeping the Power within five points at the first break.
It was that effort which coach Ken Hinkley credited with the win.
“As a back six we defended a lot of entries and were really resilient in that area,” Burton explained.
“As a team we managed to keep the scores pretty similar in that quarter.
“Obviously, the wind was really strong and they used it in the third quarter really well but we managed to get over the top with it in the end.”
It was a nervy last quarter which saw a scoreless opening 13 minutes and the Bulldogs extend their lead after that.
“It was probably a bit of our own doing,” Burton said.
“We didn’t use the ball well, we were a bit fumbly and we made it go all the way back to the last line of our defence before we stopped it.
“In the second part of that quarter we managed to stop the ball a bit higher up the ground and get a few repeat entries and then really late be damaging on the scoreboard.”
Burton has enjoyed a strong pre-season in his second year at the club and after seeing his side remain unbeaten in three pre-season hit-outs is excited to see what it can achieve in 2020.
The 23-year-old said coach Ken Hinkley was pleased to see the side build momentum going into the club’s 150th anniversary season.
“Just really happy with how we put everything we’ve been working on in the pre-season into the last two games because we’ve had a really big pre-season, it’s been tough, and we’ve tried a few different things and they’ve come out in (the) game.
“He’s just really happy to get a couple of wins and build a bit of momentum going into round 1.”
