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It is stating the obvious but Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams made the observation anyway – replacing Ben Cousins and Chris Judd is impossible.
The absence of the two Brownlow medallists in the West Coast midfield was once again highlighted as the Eagles equalled their worst start to an AFL season as Port arrested a similar unwanted record with a 24-point win at Subiaco.
And although West Coast forward Ben McKinley showed more good signs with five goals, Williams said the absence of Cousins and Judd in the Eagles’ engine room was proving impossible to fill.
“They are superstars, and if reckon you can replace them by putting someone else in there, it just does not happen,” Williams said.
“They got a huge whack from everyone last year, and to their credit the way they kept going with all the stuff that was happening was just brilliant. Maybe that took a toll that everyone underestimates.”
And putting aside another alarming fourth quarter fade-out which did not prove as disastrous as against Brisbane last week, Williams was full of praise for the efforts of his previously winless side – while also full of sympathy for an Eagles side he said was in rebuilding mode.
“There was a huge work ethic that did not get the scoreboard ticking over as much as we should have done … which kept the West Coast a little interested,” Williams said.
“When we got to the last quarter we played some brilliant football for the first ten minutes. But the pride of West Coast to not give in was just brilliant, and our guys were pretty tired at the end.
“It has been an emotional four weeks … and there is a lot of anxiety off everyone’s back including myself.
“We won this one, and we won by four goals in Perth against a West Coast side who came third last year.
“We will rap this is as a win we will really savour, and we don’t underestimate the West Coast at all.”
An eight-goal second quarter helped the visitors break out to a 68-point lead in the last term, deserved after dominating a largely insipid Eagles outfit for much of the day.
But with the memory of letting a 47-point lead slip last week still fresh, Port legs were not – with seven successive goals from the home side making the 19.14 (128) to 16.8 (104) scoreline respectable if not entirely representative.
The Eagles fourth defeat in a row gives them a 1-4 record they have only had twice before.
Eagles coach John Worsfold said rather than the form of his midfield and the continued lack of impact of forward Quinten Lynch, his biggest challenge was to keep the confidence of his players up.
“In the second quarter we got blown away too easily,” Worsfold said.
“We have still got players struggling with form, but my biggest concern is to keep the confidence of the group up. To (let them) know that the challenges ahead are achievable.”
And Worsfold said while McKinley’s form was promising, Lynch’s misfiring start was putting more pressure on his place in the side.
“We are expecting him to perform to expectations, he has been below that. At some stage you will say is there a player that can come in and potentially offer the team more,” Worsfold said.
An overview of round five
THEY SAID IT: “Outstanding – and if the umpires don’t give him three (Brownlow Medal votes) today, they all should be sacked”. Geelong coach Mark Thompson on Gary Ablett’s 35 possessions and three last-quarter goals as the Cats rolled Sydney by 42 points at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.
STATS THAT MATTER: 17 kicks, three handballs, nine marks, eight goals and six behinds. Some more “Buddy Love” from Hawthorn star Lance Franklin as Hawthorn beat Brisbane by two goals last night at the `Gabba.
MAN OF THE ROUND: Franklin, just ahead of Ablett.
MAGIC MOMENT: The strong candidate for goal of the year from Essendon forward Adam McPhee, in the last term of Friday night’s Telstra Dome loss to St Kilda. Corralled in the forward pocket, McPhee dropped the ball on his boot perfectly for a freakish banana kick.
TALKING POINT: Should the field umpire recall a bad centre bounce? Collingwood fans certainly think so after Saturday night’s last-quarter fadeout against North Melbourne at the MCG. Umpire Damien Sully’s poor bounce led directly to a North goal at a key moment in the final term. Mind you, the simple miss by Magpie sharpshooter Alan Didak didn’t help, either.
REPORTS: Matthew Whelan (Melb, striking), Jonathan Brown (Bris, charging), Bret Thornton (Carl, striking), Daniel Pratt (North, charging).
KEY INJURIES: Overall, a quiet weekend for the medical rooms. But St Kilda’s Steven King might be in doubt with a hamstring problem and Melbourne captain David Neitz missed the second half today with a neck injury. We wait with interest to see whether Western Bulldogs defender Brian Lake (hamstring) plays next week. He could not take his shot at goal late in the match against Richmond today and Will Minson then kicked his third major to seal the draw. Tigers coach Terry Wallace openly wondered whether Lake was really injured.
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