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Opinion

Why Port can overpower the burgeoning Carlton

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Roar Rookie
18th July, 2020
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Carlton face Port Adelaide at 12:35pm (AEST) on Sunday at the Gabba in Round 7 of the AFL season, and while both sides are coming off wins, their previous matches were vastly different experiences.

Port Adelaide were made to grind for three quarters against a very good GWS outfit before powering away in the last term to eventually get the win by 17 points, while Carlton had the Western Bulldogs’ number at every turn before slamming on six goals to three behinds in the last quarter to run out winners by 52 points.

Port will be forced into two changes for Sunday’s game, with Cam Sutcliff (hamstring) and Brad Ebert (suspension) both out, but Ken Hinkley does have the majority of his squad at his disposal, so any player that comes in will be a very handy addition.

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps’s shoulder pulled up well after being injured against the Dogs, but by all reports he trained strongly all week and is likely to play Sunday. Marc Murphy injured his hip in the same game and is touch and go to take his place in the side on Sunday.

Patrick Cripps

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Port will be looking to tidy up some areas of their game this week, most notably their skill execution going inside 50, which left a lot to be desired against the Giants. Their skills in general were average in parts, to say the least, due to the extreme pressure that was applied by GWS, but they did get it right in the last quarter to see out the win.

Charlie Dixon will be looking to add to his tally this week after coming up against two of the best defenders in the game two weeks in a row – Harris Andrews and Phil Davis respectively – and although he did kick a major last week, it was another subdued performance. Big Charlie will be looking to get a hold of Liam Jones on Sunday.

Robbie Gray and Conor Rozee will both be looking to return to form on Sunday as they have barely fired a shot so far this season. With Port sitting at 5-1 and with those two stars having little of the impact on games they usually do, a scary thought for opposition coaches is that they might happen to get it right on the same day.

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This is a match that Port simply must win if they are to be taken seriously this year. While last week was not impressive, they still got the four points – and they were hard-won points at that. They were challenged, and they responded as good sides do. However, all their hard work would come undone if they were to succumb to Carlton.

Last season Port were the Jekyll and Hyde of the competition., following good wins with bad losses. That cannot happen on Sunday.

Port Adelaide should have too much for the Blues at the Gabba, but Carlton will be no pushovers, so this is a tricky game for Ken Hinkley’s men and should not be taken lightly. With the opportunity to continue at the top of the AFL ladder for a few more weeks, this is a great opportunity to consolidate that top spot.

Port will get the job done and move to 6-1 on the year.

Power by 24 points.

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