SANFL Qualifying Final – Port Adelaide V Adelaide
Adelaide Oval
Review by Sarah List
After a cracking early match, the stage was set to see rivals Port Adelaide Magpies and Adelaide battle it out for the right to play Glenelg in next week’s Second Semi Final. After their AFL sides bowed out of the national competition, there was a healthy turnout of local supporters, but the vocal Magpies faithful perched behind the southern goals were the loudest of the lot.
Port was quickest off the blocks with a blistering goal from Lienert with less than a minute passing of the first quarter, but Adelaide was quick to fire back courtesy of Chayce Jones and Shane McAdam with two goals in reply. Fogarty goaled for Adelaide after some solid rebounding football by the Magpies, and showed the class that led to his re-entry into the Crows side. Andy Otten was strong early in defence in his farewell match for Adelaide, showing form that would have been appreciated by the AFL side, and generating a heap of question marks as to why he hadn’t been included more. Some more direct football by the Magpies led to a couple of goals and it was neck and neck at quarter time after some mixed efforts by both sides.
The second quarter was marred by scrappy and congested gameplay and inconsistent umpiring. Inaccuracy and poor finishing robbed both sides of the ability to break clear of their opponents. After 17 minutes of frustratingly indirect football, Tobin Cox broke the drought for the Maggies with a goal, followed up 2 minutes later by Mayes which gave Port Adelaide the largest lead of the match – 7 points. Harassing the Adelaide defenders, Ladhams added another for the Magpies as the side piled on the pressure to a seemingly confused and hapless Adelaide side. The misty rain added some slip and wasn’t helping the skills of either side, but it was the Magpies by 12 at the main break.
In the third quarter, Adelaide were first to pounce with a goal at the 3 minute mark by Lachlan Ryan. Stengle added another and Port entered a phase of squandered opportunities and missed goals in a horror run anchored by Tobin Cox. Four missed set shots by a confidence-busted Cox could have cost the Maggies the game, and the frustration of the supporters was more than apparent. A steadying goal by Ladhams for the Magpies was quickly replied to by Jordan Boyle of Adelaide, and Port went into the last break with just a 3pt margin.
More squandered opportunities marred the Magpies start to the fourth quarter, with Cox finally slotting one at the 16th minute to the relief of fans everywhere. Woodcock quickly followed up with a second for Port and they kicked away creating a 30 point buffer. Lachlan Mathews was awarded a plum free for Adelaide right in front of goal which he converted, but fortunately for the Magpies the clock was winding down at this point, and Woodcock sealed the game with a late goal leaving the Maggies with a 30 point win. The win however, sounds more convincing that the gameplay presented, and there’s some work to be done by the Magpies in preparation for next week.
Port will also need to spend some time in front of goal this week in the lead up to their match with the Bays, as their inaccuracies are set to cost them the match against a side that has been tenacious and hard to beat all year.
Second Semi Final: Glenelg v Port Adelaide, Sept 8th at 3:15pm – Adelaide Oval
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