Saturday afternoon saw the Power host the Bulldogs in Whyalla, South Australia in what was set to be an exciting matchup.
The Dogs were to unveil their new recruit, Josh Bruce, as he aimed to impress and join the Bulldogs’ forward line that is ready to explode in 2020 along with the likes of Aaron Naughton and Sam Lloyd. For the Power, they were looking to get a good number of minutes into the likes of Robbie Gray as well as ruckman Scott Lycett having an appearance after Peter Ladhams played in their Round 1 clash with the Lions.
The Dogs seemed the better side in the opening term, creating a plethora of opportunities but unable to truly put the Power away on the scoreboard. Tim English looked very good, tapping the ball well from the ruck as well as marking strongly and booting a huge goal with the breeze from 50.
Tom Jonas was calling the shots in defence, demonstrating why he was a very valid candidate for Port Adelaide’s 2020 skipper and why he obtained the role. The Dogs went into the quarter time break with a slender five-point lead.
As the second quarter played out, it was obvious that the breeze was going to play a role. With the Power holding the wind as their advantage in the second term, they managed to slam five goals on the board to the Bulldogs two.
Charlie Dixon was proving to be a major issue up forward for the Power and it can be safely said that they will contend if Dixon can slot at least 50 goals this year.
It also raised questions as to how well Alex Keith would fare up against other big, key forwards of the competition. His previous role at the Crows was to float into contests and intercept kicks coming in from oppositions.
Daniel Talia and Kyle Hartigan would typically hold the key defender roles so it will be an interesting start to the season as Keith begins to learn and adapt to his new key role in the Bulldogs defensive setup.
The third quarter saw some hiccups from the Power as the Bulldogs used the breeze to full affect, booting six goals to just one from the Power. A few injury concerns arose for Port Adelaide with Charlie Dixon hobbling off with a groin complaint and Scott Lycett having, what seemed to be, his Achilles iced, and it was later confirmed that it was just a minor ankle issue.
With a fortnight to go before Round 1 of the season proper, the Power staff weren’t taking any chances and decided to take both men off to make sure they were both ready to face the Suns in Round 1. Sam Lloyd looked in good form in the forward line as well as Josh Bruce who had very sticky hands, dragging down many marks and hitting the scoreboard quite regularly too as he began to fit right in, wearing red, white and blue.
Down by 14 points at the final change, the game was all but over with the Power securing the breeze in the last. However, a slow start to the term made it seem as if the game was finished as the Dogs booted the first through Sam Lloyd at the 12-minute mark and extended their three-quarter time lead out to 20 points.
However, the Power troops rallied, piling on five-straight goals and running all over the Bulldogs to finish the contest ten-point winners.
Sam Powell-Pepper had a huge impact through his midfield work, earning plenty of clearances and still showing that he is a bull when it comes to winning the Sherrin.
Both teams will now rest up with no major injury concerns as the Bulldogs face an almighty date with Collingwood in Round 1 and the Power with a must needed win against the Suns to kick off their 2020 campaign.
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