Match

Port Adelaide vs Geelong Cats

Commentary / 22 Jun 2019

Pre Game

00:00
In 2019 Port Adelaide has shown it has one of the league's strongest forward presses, set up by winning an average 5.6 more clearances per game than their opposition (ranked first). The Power average 9.6 more inside 50s (ranked first) and almost eight minutes extra per game inside its forward half (also ranked first) than its opponents.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
01:09
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Mitch Duncan)
04:55
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
05:39
A forward 50 ball up clearance to Scott Lycett and goal to Robbie Gray opens the Port Adelaide account. This season the Power average 20.5 per cent of their score from possession chains originating inside their forward 50, the third-highest proportion in the league.
07:47
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
09:07
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
11:14
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Dougal Howard)
11:19
Port Adelaide has won the first seven clearances of the game, with Dan Houston the only player winning multiple. As noted pre-game, the Power lead the league in clearance differential per game (on average an additional 5.8 per game on their opposition).
14:44
SCORE GOAL - Power (Connor Rozee)
15:04
The Power have kicked their second goal launched from clearances won by Scott Lycett. Port Adelaide has won the first nine clearances of the game, with four of these resulting in possession chains directly ending in a score.
20:39
SCORE GOAL - Power (Charlie Dixon)
20:44
The weight of numbers is starting to win out for Port Adelaide, with nine extra clearances helping to set up 64 per cent time in forward half. The home side has also retained five of its 12 kicks inside 50, while Geelong has done likewise only twice from seven kicks.
23:06
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jack Henry)
24:33
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gary Ablett)
25:16
Veteran Gary Ablett has put the Cats on the board, running inside 50 to finish truly. In this his 18th AFL season, Ablett ranks 29th in the league for inside 50s and fifth for score involvements.
27:08
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
28:45
Port Adelaide flew out of the blocks winning the first ten clearances of the quarter on its way to a 14-point lead. Prior to this match, the Power had only won five first quarters this season, while the Cats had trailed at quarter time on only two occasions.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:59
Geelong was kept to just 67 disposals in the first term (17 fewer than in any other opening quarter this year), while Port Adelaide racked up 106. Dan Houston (11) and Xavier Duursma (10) led the way, while both also recorded two clearances apiece.
06:17
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Joel Selwood)
08:14
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
08:49
The Cats have steadied this term, winning two more clearances than the Power and owning possession for 33 per cent more of the quarter. Patrick Dangerfield has launched a goal from outside 50 metres after winning a free kick from the latest stoppage.
13:31
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Zach Tuohy)
14:51
SCORE GOAL - Power (Ollie Wines)
15:24
Against the run of play Port Adelaide has pulled away through a forward 50 clearance and goal from Ollie Wines. The Power average the fourth-highest number of forward half stoppages and average 16.8 points per game from forward half clearances (ranked fourth).
20:29
SCORE GOAL - Power (Ryan Burton)
20:45
In the last six minutes the Power have dominated territory and enjoyed 82 per cent time in forward half. Across the match, four of Port Adelaide's five goals have been launched from inside its forward half.
21:30
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
26:40
The second quarter has been much tighter than the first in both game play and the numbers. Port Adelaide leads this quarter despite only taking four marks for the term. For comparison, in the first quarter the Power owned the bulk of possession and took 34 marks.
27:32
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Darcy Fort)
28:05
Geelong makes it two goals apiece for the quarter as Gary Ablett provides the goal assist to Darcy Fort, who takes just the Cats' third mark inside 50. Prior to this match, Geelong averages 6.2 marks inside 50 per game prior to half time (ranked third).
32:00
SCORE GOAL - Power (Kane Farrell)
32:03
Port Adelaide has restricted Geelong to its lowest half time score since Round 1, and the Cats are facing their biggest half-time deficit this season. The Power have won 11 more ground balls than the Cats in the first half.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
03:43
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Sam Gray)
04:30
This first half of this match was punctuated by 47 combined ball ups and throw ins, well up on the season average of 32 stoppages around the ground per half. There have already been three such stoppages this quarter.
05:30
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Brad Ebert)
06:45
Port Adelaide has generated nine set shots in comparison to Geelong's five, however the Power have been somewhat wasteful from this shot type with 2.3 (15) and four misses.
08:52
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Charlie Dixon)
10:22
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jordan Clark)
11:28
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tim Kelly)
12:16
The Cats have kicked the first for the second half against the run of play with the Power entering forward 50 on the first five occasions. This quarter Geelong has a kicking efficiency of 70 per cent, well ahead of Port Adelaide at 23 per cent.
12:33
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gryan Miers)
13:19
Consecutive goals for the Cats as Patrick Dangerfield's centre clearance results in the first for the match to Gryan Miers. In his first season at senior level, Miers is ranked fourth at Geelong and 37th in the league for goals coming into this match.
17:03
SCORE GOAL - Power (Sam Gray)
17:54
Port Adelaide has had the supremacy in the ruck, with Scott Lycett (eight) and Charlie Dixon (four) combining for 12 hitouts to advantage, in comparison to just two in total by Geelong. The latest by Dixon set up the Karl Amon clearance, who in turn found Sam Gray.
21:16
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
23:34
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
23:52
Cats Interchange - Jack Henry off due to an injury.
24:07
Cats Interchange - Gary Rohan off due to an injury.
24:46
Cats Interchange - Luke Dahlhaus off due to an injury.
28:56
Power Interchange - Hamish Hartlett off due to an injury.
29:26
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Darcy Fort)
29:34
With three players off injured within two minutes, Geelong has slowed the play in the past eight minutes. In that time the Cats have taken five more uncontested marks than the Power and owned 18 per cent more game time in possession.
31:13
Geelong's efficiency has helped it keep in touch at three-quarter time, with five scores from just seven entries inside 50. Port Adelaide managed 64 per cent time in forward half for the quarter and created 12 inside 50s, for a return of just 1.4 (10) and one miss.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:23
Connor Rozee has taken Port Adelaide's tenth mark inside forward 50 and kicked just its third goal from that source. Geelong has taken just four marks inside 50 for comparison, while both sides average 12.2 marks inside 50 per game in 2019.
06:28
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Brad Ebert)
07:07
SCORE GOAL - Power (Robbie Gray)
07:26
It's been more of the same in the final term as the Power enabled their game with six more clearances (seven to one) helping them set up six more entries inside 50 (seven to one). Port Adelaide now have won 18 more clearances than Geelong.
10:31
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Rushed)
12:34
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gary Ablett)
13:26
Ablett's second goal was just the third major for Geelong launched from a total of 57 intercepts for the match. This season the Cats average 35.2 points per game from intercepts, ranked first in the league.
18:57
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Brad Ebert)
19:41
Power Interchange - Darcy Byrne-Jones off due to an injury.
20:48
Port Adelaide has taken 15 marks inside forward 50 for the match, ten more than Geelong. The Power have had issues from the resulting shots all night, with just 4.4 (28) kicked from shots from marks.
21:51
Scott Lycett has been clearly the best big man on the ground, recording 24 disposals (one behind his career-best), winning 11 hitouts to advantage (seven more than Stanley) to go with nine clearances (also one off his career-best).
25:08
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tim Kelly)
25:59
Tom Hawkins has kicked four goals in each of his past five matches but has had no impact tonight, with no marks nor scores. Prior to this match he had played 29 consecutive games kicking a goal, and has never previously been held to no marks across his 245 career games.
27:11
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Rhys Stanley)
28:13
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Atkins)
29:33
Port Adelaide has proven too good for the league leaders Geelong, comfortably leading at every change to win by 11 points. The Power won 16 more clearances than the Cats and held the visitors to their lowest score for the season.