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Port Adelaide have made a resounding statement to the rest of the competition with a comprehensive 89-point victory over Fremantle, signalling their intent for season 2017.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Port Adelaide Power 22.13.145
Fremantle Dockers 8.8.56
Port Adelaide shocked the competition last week, comfortably beating last year’s grand finalists. Back on home turf, the Power will be expected to take care of the Fremantle Dockers in the last match of Round 2. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:35pm (AEST).
The Power provided the AFL and its fans a reminder as to why they were the darlings of the competition two years ago, with a commanding 28-point victory over the Sydney Swans last week.
Playing an exciting and tenacious brand of football, Port Adelaide gave the Swans a taste of their own medicine dominating both contested ball and clearances.
Port seemed rejuvenated in the midfield with the return of Paddy Ryder – playing his first game since 2015 due to the supplements saga – and the arrival of new draftee Sam Powell-Pepper.
The No.18 pick has earned rave reviews – especially from Kane Cornes – after his debut game and is already being touted as a potential superstar of the competition.
The big bodied youngster was vital in his side’s victory, booting two goals to go along with his 19 disposals earning him the first Rising Star nomination of 2017.
Conversely, the return of 2015 Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe and fellow superstars Aaron Sandilands and Michael Johnson did little to improve Fremantle’s on field performance, after the Dockers disappointed in a seven-goal loss to Geelong at Domain Stadium.
Fremantle’s four new faces – Joel Hamling, Bradley Hill, Shane Kersten and Cam McCarthy – were mediocre at best, as the retooled Dockers failed to fire.
In their first game without club legend Matthew Pavlich, the forward line looked very much like a work in progress, but McCarthy did show some signs of promise.
Back for his first game since 2015, the former Giant could have had a much better outing had he kicked straight, finishing the game with 1.5 to go along with 12 possessions.
Curiously, despite the 42-point defeat at home, Ross Lyon has decided to stick with the same line-up as last week naming an unchanged team.
On the other hand, Port Adelaide have made one change to the side, as Jarman Impey makes his way into the squad for the first time in 2017 replacing pre-season sensation Brett Eddy.
Prediction
The Power teams of the last two years have been maddeningly inconsistent, looking like world beaters one week while reverting to cellar dwellers the next.
After last week’s impressive showing against the Swans, Port Adelaide need a strong follow-up performance to prove to the competition they can challenge for a finals spot in season 2017.
Despite Port Adelaide’s poor recent record at home – the Power only won four home games last year – and Fremantle having the better of Port in recent times, winning the last eight of eleven games, the home team should be too strong for a Dockers team still discovering their identity.
Port Adelaide by 34 points.
Join The Roar for live scores from the match and a blog of the game, live from Adelaide Oval, starting from 4:35pm AEST.
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