Swans Media examines Port Adelaide’s camp ahead of the Sydney Swans’ trip to Adelaide Oval to face the Power on Saturday afternoon.
Recent form
Ninth-placed Port Adelaide kept its finals aspirations alive with a 59-point defeat of Essendon at Marvel Stadium last Saturday.
Dan Houston gathered 29 touches, 10 marks and two goals to earn a game-high nine AFL Coaches’ Association votes, while Robbie Gray finished with four goals from 19 disposals.
Darcy Byrne-Jones (25 disposals, seven marks, five tackles) and first-year sensation Connor Rozee (22 possessions, two goals) also fired.
Ins and outs
The Power has named an unchanged team for Saturday’s clash, meaning co-captain and midfield bull Ollie Wines won’t feature despite having recovered from a broken thumb.
Key match-up
Two elite inside midfielders will square off as Sydney’s Josh Kennedy and Port Adelaide’s Travis Boak wheel out on Adelaide Oval.
Kennedy is a veteran of 243 AFL games, premiership Swan, triple All Australian and three-time Bob Skilton medallist, while Boak has played 261 matches, is a dual All Australian and is a one-time John Cahill medallist.
And the battle-hardened duo have continued to inspire in season 2019, with Kennedy averaging a Swans-high 12.3 contested possessions per match and Boak a Power-high 15.2.
Last time they met
Wines and Gray were prolific for the Power as Port Adelaide surged to a 23-point triumph when the clubs last met in Round 2, 2018.
Wines posted 35 touches, six tackles and a goal in the SCG clash, while Gray tallied 26 disposals, 10 tackles and a major of his own.
What they said
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley: “As a club we’ve had great belief. As much as the ups and downs have been coming, we’ve been great in our belief of what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to continue to turn up and work hard to get the behaviours we need to win. In a tough competition it’s just what happens.”