Match

Port Adelaide vs Geelong Cats

Commentary / 01 Oct 2020

Pre Game

00:00
Despite making the three changes to their team this week, Port Adelaide has only used 30 different players this season – the fewest of any side.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
01:34
Geelong's opening centre clearance resulted in a shot at goal for 2020 Coleman Medalist, Tom Hawkins. A high-scoring match from stoppages is expected tonight, with the Cats averaging 30 points per match from this source and Port Adelaide averaging 28 points – ranked first and second respectively.
03:18
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rhys Stanley)
05:03
Port Adelaide has lost 11 of the past 13 games between these sides including its most recent encounter in Round 12 this season by 60 points.
05:25
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Brad Ebert)
07:01
Geelong's first goal comes on the back of their outside ball use. They have won 10 uncontested possessions in the opening seven minutes, however, they have restricted Port Adelaide to just the one uncontested possession in a physical start to the match.
10:45
Power Interchange - Todd Marshall off due to an injury.
11:28
Inside midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper is thriving in the highly-pressured start to this match. He has already won four clearances and laid three tackles - the most of any player.
13:01
SCORE GOAL - Power (Steven Motlop)
13:55
Port Adelaide's opening goal of the match is sourced from a forward 50 stoppage. True to their season form, both sides have now scored goals from this source. Port Adelaide lead clearances eight to five.
14:56
SCORE GOAL - Power (Charlie Dixon)
16:39
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Joel Selwood)
16:50
The physical pressure applied by Port Adelaide has been a standout feature of this opening term. They are doubling Geelong in tackles (16 to eight), with the top five tacklers all being Port Adelaide players.
20:12
Port Adelaide has recorded the last 18 short kicks as they attempt to slow the tempo down with the intention of controlling possession. Geelong is the No. 1 ranked side for short kicks this season.
20:46
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jake Kolodjashnij)
22:57
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
23:05
Tom Hawkins has now taken two marks on the lead inside 50, however, he has failed to convert both of these set shots. No player has taken more marks on the lead than Hawkins in 2020.
24:47
Port Adelaide's pressure set the tone in the opening quarter, particularly in their forward half of the ground. Port Adelaide leads forward half tackles nine to two. This pressure allowed repeat entries inside 50, with Port Adelaide generating three more inside 50s for the quarter.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
02:14
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
02:30
Sam Powell-Pepper's five clearances in the opening quarter equaled the most ever won by a Port Adelaide player in a single quarter in a Final. He joins Dean Brogan, Shaun Burgoyne, Peter Burgoyne, Josh Francou and Roger James as the only Port Adelaide players to have achieved this feat.
05:28
Port Adelaide has dominated second quarters throughout 2020, outscoring their opposition by 151 points in this term – the highest differential of any side.
06:51
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Zach Tuohy)
07:24
Geelong has scored the opening goal of the quarter, and yet again this goal has been sourced from a stoppage. Port Adelaide is yet to score from a turnover, whilst the Cats have scored three behinds from this source.
10:05
Geelong has increased their contested output this quarter, leading contested possessions 21 to 10 for the term which has resulted in winning seven of the first nine clearances. Cam Guthrie leads the charge this term with a quarter-high four contested possessions.
14:06
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Brad Ebert)
15:05
SCORE GOAL - Power (Steven Motlop)
15:50
An opportunistic goal to small forward Steven Motlop has given Port Adelaide the lead closing in on half-time. Port Adelaide has led at half time in 13 games this season – ranked second. It has won each of these games after being in front.
17:55
Charlie Dixon has been targeted five times inside 50, however, he is yet to win an offensive one-on-one contest tonight. Dixon was the No. 1 targeted player inside 50 during the home and away season. He is more than 30 targets clear of the next highest player.
18:09
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
21:41
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Zach Tuohy)
21:53
Geelong has generated nine inside 50s this quarter compared to just the three for Port Adelaide. Despite the territory advantage, the Cats only lead the quarter by two points.
21:55
Cats Interchange - Patrick Dangerfield off due to the blood rule.
23:26
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Joel Selwood)
25:30
SCORE GOAL - Power (Brad Ebert)
25:35
The four inside 50s by Port Adelaide in the second quarter is their equal-lowest amount in a single quarter this season.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:52
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Peter Ladhams)
01:15
Port Adelaide won the first centre clearance of the second-half resulting in a behind from Peter Ladhams. Port Adelaide has now scored 2.1(13) sourced from centre bounds compared to Geelong who are scoreless from this source. Geelong conceded 189 points from centre bounce stoppages coming into tonight - the most by any side this season. This is 60 more points than any other top-four side.
03:14
SCORE GOAL - Power (Connor Rozee)
04:29
The Cats have fought back to win four of the eight games that they have trailed at half time in this season – the best record of any side.
06:16
Joel Selwood won 10 contested possessions in the first-half. This is the most contested possessions won by any Geelong player in an opening half this season.
06:28
SCORE GOAL - Power (Steven Motlop)
06:57
Steven Motlop has kicked his third goal of the match in his fourth game against his former side. Motlop had not kicked a goal against the Cats in his previous three encounters since switching to Port Adelaide at the end of the 2017 season.
09:37
Power Interchange - Xavier Duursma and is possibly out for the game.
12:17
Port Adelaide has dominated clearances in this third term, which has resulted in a major advantage in territory. The Power have won six of the first seven clearances, allowing them to lock the ball in their forward-half of the ground for 87% of the quarter.
12:41
SCORE BEHIND - Power (Travis Boak)
16:26
Darcy Byrne-Jones has won an equal season-high four clearances. Only once in his career has Byrne-Jones won more than four clearances in a match.
18:16
SCORE GOAL - Power (Brad Ebert)
18:43
Port Adelaide has scored three unanswered goals this quarter, all sourced from intercept possessions. They now lead scores from intercepts by 21 points. The Power were outscored by 31 points from intercept possessions when these sides last met in Round 12 – their worst differential in any game this season.
20:44
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Brandan Parfitt)
22:58
Tom Rockliff has recorded 25 pressure acts which is nine more than any other player tonight. He also leads the game in tackles tonight with nine, four more than any other Power player. Rockliff has recorded a tackle efficiency of 77% this season – the highest percentage of the top-50 in the AFL for tackle attempts.
25:25
Cats Interchange - Joel Selwood off due to an injury.
26:33
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
27:47
Patrick Dangerfield has taken three running bounces to kick an important goal to reduce the margin to 14 points leading into three-quarter time. Dangerfield had only taken five running bounces for the entire season before his three in that most recent play.
28:11
Port Adelaide won 10 forward 50 ground ball in the third quarter after winning just the six in the entire first half. This pressure at ground level was complimented by hard tackling, with the Power leading tackles in this zone nine to one. This stifled Geelong's ability to transition the football out of defensive 50.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:01
Geelong has outscored its opposition by 159 points in final quarters this season – ranked No. 1.
03:31
The Cats have conceded the second-fewest points from defensive-half launches this season, and have conceded six points per game from its opposition’s defensive 50 chains – ranked No.1 defensively. They have held Port Adelaide scoreless from defensive 50 chains this evening.
04:43
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
07:25
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Rhys Stanley)
07:46
Geelong has converted 47% of their inside 50s into scores tonight, compared to Port Adelaide's 32% conversion.
09:01
SCORE GOAL - Power (Peter Ladhams)
11:49
Cam Guthrie has laid a game-high four tackles inside 50 for Geelong tonight. This is a strength of Guthrie, who has laid the second-most tackles for the Cats in this zone this season.
12:21
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
14:36
Hamish Hartlett has played a pivotal intercepting role for Port Adelaide this evening, winning a match-high seven intercept possessions. He has also applied the most tackles in the defensive-half and has recorded the most pressure points in this zone too.
18:00
Port Adelaide's accuracy is explained by their ability to get shots at goal from high percentage locations. They have scored 7.2(44) from scoring shots within 30 metres of goal, whereas the Cats have only kicked 2.2(14) from this same distance range.
18:36
Cats Interchange - Joel Selwood off due to an injury.
18:55
SCORE GOAL - Power (Todd Marshall)
20:46
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
24:15
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Tom Hawkins)
24:44
Tom Hawkins has kicked his fifth behind for the match. Only once in his career has Hawkins kicked five behinds in a match - Round 16, 2018 v Sydney.
26:39
Port Adelaide progress to the first Preliminary Final since 2014 and are one win away from the first Grand Final appearance since 2007. Port Adelaide outscored the Cats by 18 points from centre bounce stoppages.
26:41
The siren has sounded to end Q4.