Opinion
After seeing Port Adelaide go down without a yelp after three quarter time against the Saints to the tune of 29 points, I began to think – who were Port Adelaide’s better players?
No one really jumped out like in previous weeks, however I did like the game of a certain small half back flanker in Darcy Byrne-Jones.
On a night where Port Adelaide had very few winners, I felt DBJ can hold his head up high. He is as underrated as they come, a no-nonsense defender who can rebound out of defence with the best of them.
On Saturday night he was in my mind Port’s best, although his teammates did not set the bar too high, nevertheless Byrne-Jones once again showed his value to the team. He gathered 21 disposals, eight of which were contested to lead all Power players.
He had a huge 18 pressure acts which tied for fourth for most in the game. He also had 365 metres gained on the night and went at 66 per cent disposal efficiency which is not great but given the style of game and the pressure on the ball carrier it is not as bad as it looks.
That capped of a decent three-week stretch for the unheralded defender. Along with his 21-disposal game on Saturday night, he had 16 touches against Carlton, 12 pressure acts and went at 75 per cent by foot.
Against the Giants, Byrne-Jones had 18 disposals. He had a huge 16 pressure acts in the Power’s win so his body of work over the course of the last three weeks shows he is slowly on the rise.
The 24-year-old small defender is most likely one of the first players penciled in during selection night for Ken Hinkley. He goes about his business with minimal fuss and often gets the job done week in and week out without the plaudits and fanfare of some of his more high-profile teammates.
While he most likely is not a household name around the league, for Power fans he is a joy to watch as he always gives it everything and his performances of late prove how valuable he is to Port Adelaide’s back six.
There was not much to like about the game on Saturday night, but for me Darcy Byrne-Jones was a shining light in an otherwise dour affair for Port. He is probably one of only a few players who could walk off Adelaide Oval with his head held high.
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