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Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers: AFL highlights, live scores, blog

Roar Guru
24th August, 2018
Where: Adelaide Oval
When: 7:50pm AEST
TV: Seven, Fox Footy
Betting: Port Adelaide $1.65, Essendon $2.25

Port Adelaide Power
B Dougal Howard, Jack Hombsch, Dan Houston
HB Jasper Pittard, Tom Jonas, Darcy Byrne-Jones
C Steven Motlop, Ollie Wines, Jared Polec
HF Travis Boak, Jack Watts, Chad Wingard
F Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Kane Farrell
FOL Paddy Ryder, Sam Powell-Pepper, Brad Ebert
I/C Billy Frampton, Jake Neade, Sam Gray, Jarrod Lienert

Essendon Bombers
B Mark Baguley, Michael Hurley, Andrew McGrath
HB Adam Saad, Aaron Francis, Conor McKenna
C Brendon Goddard, Zach Merrett, Dyson Heppell
HF Jake Stringer, Mitch Brown, Matt Guelfi
F Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Cale Hooker, Travis Colyer
FOL Matthew Leuenberger, Jayden Laverde, David Myers
I/C Darcy Parish, Kyle Langford, David Zaharakis, Devon Smith
The Bombers need a win when they host the Hawks. (Photo: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
24th August, 2018
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We kick off Round 23 with the Friday night special as the Port Adelaide Power play host to the Essendon Bombers from Adelaide Oval. Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 7:50pm (AEST).

If only these two teams had each managed one more win this year, this match would be a cracking start to a Round 23 race for the finals.

Alas, Essendon’s early season form caught up with their late season form, while Port’s early season form deserted them in the latter part of the season.

What do you do with a team like Port Adelaide?

Replete with skilled players, a seemingly solid coaching set-up, their ability to annually disappoint right when it matters does not cease to amaze.

Last weekend’s loss to Collingwood really stamped the end of Port’s truly disappointing season. Hitting the heights early on this season, it appeared that the acquisitions of Tom Rockliff, Jack Watts and Steven Motlop would prove to be masterstrokes.

Instead, Port find themselves on this Friday, needing to win, and win big, and pray that the Suns develop the ability to walk on water, or as far as miracles go, equally, beat Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

Port will look back on those close losses, and think that this season is one of the greatest cases of ‘what might have been.’

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And really, while the season form guide ended up going in the reverse of Ports, the Bombers will think about what might have been, had they at least managed to win just one more than the two matches they won in those first eight rounds.

It will be a curious off-season for the Dons. They had in fact recruited quite astutely last offseason, so it is something of a head-scratcher as to what they do this off-season with a team that has underperformed.

Still, there is something for Essendon to play for, and that is sending veteran and champion of the game Brendon Goddard off on a winning note.

Prediction
Power will be eager to make amends for last week’s capitulation against Collingwood, and maintain some hope that the Suns will do them a favour.

Essendon may also be somewhat fatigued, having played essentially finals matches for the last three months, in the hope of playing finals, though ultimately proving unsuccessful.

Power by 15.

Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match starting from 7:50pm (AEST).

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