Match

Port Adelaide vs Adelaide Crows

Commentary / 11 May 2019

Pre Game

00:00
Port Adelaide''s forward press game has been strong in 2019. The Power has averaged 28 forward half intercepts per game (ranked first) and has averaged 47 points per game from chains starting in its forward half (ranked third).

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
04:55
It''s hot in the kitchen early on, with neither side able to generate a chance at goal nor even an effective kick inside forward 50. The Power have won the first four clearances of the match, setting up 70 per cent time in forward half.
09:04
Still no score after nine minutes with neither side managing a realistic shot at goal. Port Adelaide recorded three of the first four forward 50 entries of the match, however Adelaide has controlled field position since then with the last seven entries of their own.
09:06
Power Interchange - Ryan Burton and is possibly out for the game.
12:02
The pressure in this match is particularly high, with both Port Adelaide (2.08) and Adelaide (2.14) recording large pressure factor ratings (encompassing multiple pressure categories). The league season average in 2019 across all teams is 1.80.
12:25
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Tom Rockliff)
14:35
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Lachlan Murphy)
15:03
Port Adelaide has already applied 14 spoils in 15 minutes of playing time. The 2019 season average across the league in an entire game is 37.9 per team per match. The Crows have spoiled on five occasions.
17:34
SCORE GOAL - Crows (David Mackay)
17:38
The deadlock is broken after almost 18 minutes, with an intercept in their attacking midfield ending in a goal to the Crows through Mackay. Adelaide has scored from 29 per cent of its possession chains beginning in its attacking midfield this season (ranked third).
19:05
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Karl Amon)
24:29
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Rory Sloane)
25:03
Houston slipped over and Sloane has pounced, winning the Crows'' 11th forward half intercept with this the second resulting in a goal. The Power has won 14 forward half intercepts but these have just resulted in one behind.
26:49
Adelaide hold the ascendancy after a short quarter, kicking two goals scored with the only two effective kicks inside forward 50 for either side for the quarter. For comparison, across the league this season in first quarters, on average teams record 3.8 effective kicks in this zone.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:17
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Powell-Pepper)
00:28
Sam Powell-Pepper has done in 17 seconds what Port Adelaide were not able to do within a quarter, winning the centre clearance and kicking truly from outside 50 metres. This was his ninth goal kicked from outside 50 metres in his 46 career games.
03:09
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Eddie Betts)
03:49
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rory Laird)
05:12
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Rory Atkins)
05:17
Since Powell-Pepper''s goal, Adelaide has controlled field position with five forward half intercepts and 74 per cent time in forward half. The Crows have capitalised on the fifth, kicking their third goal from forward half intercepts for the match.
05:36
Crows Interchange - Matt Crouch off due to an injury.
07:43
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Scott Lycett)
09:17
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Gray)
11:29
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Tom Lynch)
12:09
Tom Lynch now has a goal to go with his eight disposals. The Adelaide forward averages 19.5 disposals per game across his career against Port Adelaide, his second-highest average against any side.
13:17
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Lachlan Murphy)
13:19
Two successive indiscretions from Port Adelaide defenders have gifted dual majors to Adelaide. Since the score was deadlocked at one point apiece, the Crows have retained 50 per cent of their kicks inside 50, while the Power have retained 36 per cent.
15:03
SCORE GOAL - Power (Connor Rozee)
15:40
One area the Power is controlling is at the stoppages, holding a 17-10 advantage in clearances, with Tom Rockliff winning the latest to set up a Connor Rozee goal. All but one behind of Port Adelaide''s score has been launched from clearance wins.
16:41
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Justin Westhoff)
20:35
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Connor Rozee)
21:56
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Tom Lynch)
23:15
A key difference in the game is that the Crows far more efficient from their forward press, now 5.2 (32) launched from 19 forward half intercepts. Conversely, the Power have won two more intercepts in their forward half (21) but these have resulted in just three behinds.
23:39
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Willem Drew)
25:58
Power Interchange - Scott Lycett off due to an injury.
27:02
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Powell-Pepper)
27:39
An indicator of the dominance of back lines in this game is that both teams have combined for just three marks inside forward 50 this half, while there have been 22 spoils applied by defenders in the same zones.
28:15
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rushed)
29:24
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rory Sloane)
32:52
Both sides have recorded seven scores from general play, but in the slippery conditions and under immense pressure it''s been Adelaide capitalising with 4.3 (27) in comparison to just seven behinds by Port Adelaide.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
02:44
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rushed)
03:04
Crows Interchange - Matt Crouch and is possibly out for the game.
03:30
Port Adelaide has begun 23 sets of possession chains from inside its defensive 50 and has only transitioned one inside forward 50 (four per cent), well down on their season average of 16.8 per cent success rate (ranked 16th).
04:03
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Taylor Walker)
06:43
SCORE GOAL - Power (Karl Amon)
06:53
Karl Amon has kicked his first goal at senior level since Round 5 2018, slotting a set shot from the forward flank. In his 46th career game, the Power player has recorded a game-high six forward 50 entries off the back of two clearances and five intercepts.
07:45
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Gray)
08:43
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Kane Farrell)
13:32
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Brad Crouch)
15:40
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Riley Knight)
16:41
Adelaide''s efforts this quarter are being rewarded, not only with four more ground ball gets but also 12 additional tackles than Port Adelaide. Across the match, Rory Sloane leads all comers with 11 tackles laid.
20:50
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Elliott Himmelberg)
21:36
Elliott Himmelberg has won a free kick inside 50 for holding the ball and kicked truly. Inside forward 50, the Crows have applied 39 tackles and have won 24 intercepts, with a quarter returning in goals.
22:08
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Brodie Smith)
23:09
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
26:08
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Dougal Howard)
27:04
Port Adelaide has managed only six behinds from eight shots within 30 metres of goal, while in comparison Adelaide has also generated eight shots within the same distance but instead has returned 5.2 (32).
29:28
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Hugh Greenwood)
30:04
Yet another (seventh) goal to Adelaide launched from a forward half intercept, this time Reilly O''Brien with his second. Rory Laird leads all players on the ground with five forward half intercepts.
31:11
Port Adelaide has only managed three goals to three-quarter time, its lowest tally to the final change in any Showdown. This return has come from 50 forward 50 entries from the Power (six per cent), a fraction of their season strike rate of 21 per cent (ranked 14th).

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:53
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Tom Lynch)
00:59
A consistent trend across each quarter has been the difference in dividends from each side''s forward press. The Crows have now returned 51 points from 28 forward half intercepts, while the Power have realised just three points from 35 forward half intercepts.
02:52
SCORE GOAL - Power (Kane Farrell)
02:55
Port Adelaide hits back almost straight away with its ninth clearance within its forward 50, this time won by Aidyn Johnson. Unfortunately for the Power, the goal to Kane Farrell was the first from this source for the match.
07:20
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Dougal Howard)
07:45
Crows Interchange - Daniel Talia off due to an injury.
09:13
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Xavier Duursma)
09:43
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Powell-Pepper)
09:57
Port Adelaide has controlled most of this final term, winning double the clearances (six to three) and ground ball gets (16 to eight) of Adelaide. This has helped the Power control field position and record a 61 per cent time in forward half.
11:21
SCORE GOAL - Power (Dougal Howard)
11:23
In the last ten minutes, Port Adelaide has won four more clearances than Adelaide, recorded 13 more disposals, applied five more tackles and committed two fewer turnovers. In this time the Power have scored five times from eight forward 50 entries.
13:15
SCORE GOAL - Power (Xavier Duursma)
13:22
Four consecutive goals to Port Adelaide after it only managed three goals in the first three quarters of the game. 71 per cent of this quarter has been played in the Powers'' forward half, and all of their scores have been launched from forward of centre.
18:55
SCORE GOAL - Power (Dougal Howard)
19:42
Dougal Howard has switched forward in the final quarter and has been significant. In this term he has taken one mark inside forward 50 and kicked 2.1 (13) from three shots at goal.
20:51
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Rushed)
23:32
SCORE BEHIND - Crows (Elliott Himmelberg)
23:58
Power Interchange - Todd Marshall off due to an injury.
26:06
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Taylor Walker)
26:15
Adelaide has been able to steady since Port Adelaide kicked its fifth successive goal. In those seven minutes the Crows averaged 97 metres gained per turnover, in comparison to the Power who managed just 46 metres gained per turnover.
27:35
SCORE GOAL - Crows (Riley Knight)
28:43
The story of the match has been Adelaide''s results from forward half intercepts, now with 9.4 (58) generated from 35 possession gains forward of centre. This is the Crows'' highest score returned from forward half intercepts since 2017.
30:03
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Gray)
32:43
Adelaide has won Showdown 46 by 20 points after seeing off a Port Adelaide comeback in the final term. From shots within 40 metres of goal, the Crows kicked 11.3 (69) while the Power managed just 4.9 (33).