In the latest edition of Opposition Watch, Swans Media scouts the Port Adelaide camp ahead of Saturday’s clash at Adelaide Oval.
Recent form
Port Adelaide are on top of the AFL ladder and have been one of the most consistent teams of 2020.
The Power set their season up with a successful stint in the Queensland hub early in the year and have since cemented their spot at the top of the table with a run of success at home in Adelaide.
Port have won four of their last five matches and although challenged by Hawthorn last week, they were able to pull out enough in the final term to secure a 10-point win.
Ins and outs
Port came through last week’s win over Hawthorn with a clean bill of health and won’t be forced into any changes at the selection table.
However, with a healthy list, there appears a number of players pushing for a return to senior action.
Forward’s Todd Marshall and Connor Rozee are both fit and ready to be called up, and so too defender Ryan Burton. With Power coach Ken Hinkley admitting his team has not been at its best in recent weeks, expect to see at least one of those players recalled for Saturday’s game.
Key match-up
Charlie Dixon is clearly the danger man up forward for Port.
He is the leading contested marking player in the competition and sits sixth in the Coleman medal race with 23 goals for the season.
With no Dane Rampe available for the Swans, the 2-metre tall Dixon is likely to cause some matchup headaches for the Swans coaches box. Expect Lewis Melican or perhaps Alirr Aliir (if selected) to get the all-important job on Dixon.
A major part of Dixon’s success in 2020 has been his ability to link in to the midfield dominance of Travis Boak.
Boak is one of the leading possessions winners in the competition and also sits among the top tier for score involvements and goal assists. He is currently second in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award and is in a rich vein of form, averaging 30 disposals per game over the last three weeks.
Last time they met
Round 21, 2019 @ Adelaide Oval
Sydney Swans 7.14 (56) def. by Port Adelaide 15.13 (103)
Port have dominated the Swans in recent times, winning the last three encounters by an average of over five goals.
Despite a tight first half last time they met, an eight goal to three second half saw Port Adelaide pull away to score a comfortable 47-point victory.
It is was fierce contest however, with just shy of 150 tackles laid in the match.
Port dominated the inside-50 count (+31), clearances (+7) and hit-outs (+25).
Charlie Dixon booted three goals, as did Connor Rozee in a best on ground performance that included 20 possessions.
What they said
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley port match after last week’s win over Hawthorn:
“We had a big battle and Hawthorn were giving their all, we’ve had a challenging week and continued the challenge with 9.14 and gave ourselves an opportunity to potentially lose the game.
“But it was one of those great opportunities for us because we’re not playing our best footy — which is clear and obvious to everyone — but we’re finding a way to get through and like today we challenged ourselves, Hawthorn challenged us and we still found a way to get the four points which was really important.
“I thought some of our hunt and pressure was a bit off and to Hawthorn’s credit they were coming after us, and we need to make sure we are doing the challenging.
“And that’s our DNA, the way we play, we are nothing if we don’t pressure and that’s what I want our team to be — pressure, and when we turn the ball over I want us to be able to play exciting footy.
