Port Adelaide
55
Match Complete
Melbourne
86
Fourth Quarter | ||||
C. Dixon | 28:46 | |||
26:48 | C. Petracca | |||
20:32 | B. Fritsch | |||
16:51 | K. Pickett | |||
S. Powell-Pepper | 15:38 | |||
10:16 | C. Oliver | |||
7:33 | C. Petracca | |||
C. Rozee | 6:32 | |||
5:45 | T. McDonald | |||
1:54 | E. Langdon | |||
7.5 (47) | Third Quarter [+] | 10.9 (69) | ||
26:36 | T. McDonald | |||
24:52 | E. Langdon | |||
23:23 | T. McDonald | |||
M. Georgiades | 21:41 | |||
20:19 | T. McDonald | |||
18:30 | M. Gawn | |||
Rushed | 14:34 | |||
13:26 | J. Hunt | |||
11:07 | Rushed | |||
M. Georgiades | 5:23 | |||
5.4 (34) | Second Quarter [+] | 8.4 (52) | ||
C. Dixon | 34:31 | |||
Rushed | 33:04 | |||
M. Georgiades | 2:24 | |||
31:13 | K. Pickett | |||
T. McKenzie | 28:22 | |||
21:59 | B. Fritsch | |||
17:11 | C. Petracca | |||
16:25 | S. May | |||
10:28 | K. Pickett | |||
7:42 | C. Petracca | |||
C. Rozee | 4:44 | |||
3:01 | Rushed | |||
2.2 (14) | First Quarter [+] | 3.2 (20) | ||
26:39 | T. McDonald | |||
25:25 | C. Spargo | |||
O. Wines | 23:39 | |||
K. Amon | 19:00 | |||
16:50 | M. Gawn | |||
11:20 | L. Jackson | |||
S. Motlop | 5:49 | |||
2:30 | Rushed | |||
O. Wines | 0:47 |
Show Preview
Ben Brown is back in for the Melbourne Demons as they travel to take on the Port Adelaide Power with a top-four spot on the line. Join The Roar for live scores from 7:40pm (AEST) as Round 17 begins.
Two of the so-called ‘Big Five’ in the AFL this year do battle under the Thursday night lights with plenty at stake. For the Dees, defeat could see them, remarkably, drop to fifth on the ladder, having sat pretty on top just a week ago.
The reason for this fall from grace has been shock losses to Collingwood and GWS in their last month, leaving Simon Goodwin’s team with precious little breathing space ahead of the chasing Brisbane and Geelong in third and fourth. Having dominated for so much of the early rounds, a late-season fade would be a bitter pill to swallow.
After weeks of speculation, boom recruit Brown will be back in the forward line, with the Dees hoping he’ll solve their sudden goals drought. They’ve managed just 25 majors in their past three matches as teams have clamped down on the exciting Kysaiah Pickett and kept Tom McDonald under wraps; can ‘Big Ben’ provide the difference?
As for the Power, they’ll be keen to shake the ‘flat-track bullies’ label that has pestered them throughout the year. They’ve beaten up on weaker teams, as they did in Round 16 with a 34-point win over Hawthorn. But in losing to Brisbane (away), Geelong and the Western Bulldogs (both home), Ken Hinkley’s team have so far proved incapable of matching it with their fellow top sides.
Rising star Zak Butters returns, having been absent since Round 4 with a serious ankle injury. A surprise All-Australian squad member in 2020, Butters has become a barometer for the Power, and fans will be hoping his return can help smooth the run to the top four.
Opening bounce: 7:40pm (AEST)
Venue: Adelaide Oval
TV: Channel Seven, Fox Footy
Live stream: Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now, Foxtel Go
Betting: Power $1.72, Demons $2.16 (odds via PlayUp)
Port Adelaide
B: 17 Tom Clurey, 12 Trent McKenzie, 21 Aliir Aliir
HB: 3 Ryan Burton, 1 Tom Jonas (c), 33 Darcy Byrne-Jones
C: 14 Miles Bergman, 16 Ollie Wines, 15 Karl Amon
HF: 20 Connor Rozee, 4 Todd Marshall, 6 Steven Motlop
F: 19 Mitch Georgiades, 22 Charlie Dixon, 18 Zak Butters
FOL: 29 Scott Lycett, 10 Travis Boak, 28 Willem Drew
I/C: 2 Sam Powell-Pepper, 5 Dan Houston, 32 Sam Mayes, 40 Jarrod Lienert
EMG: 27 Joel Garner, 36 Boyd Woodcock, 38 Peter Ladhams, 45 Martin Frederick
IN: Tom Clurey, Zak Butters
OUT: Kane Farrell, Riley Bonner
Melbourne
B: 14 Michael Hibberd, 1 Steven May, 8 Jake Lever
HB: 29 Jayden Hunt, 35 Harrison Petty, 3 Christian Salem
C: 10 Angus Brayshaw, 5 Christian Petracca, 15 Ed Langdon
HF: 30 Alex Neal-Bullen, 25 Tom McDonald, 4 James Harmes
F: 6 Luke Jackson, 50 Ben Brown, 31 Bayley Fritsch
FOL: 11 Max Gawn (c), 13 Clayton Oliver, 7 Jack Viney
I/C: 9 Charlie Spargo, 23 James Jordon, 24 Trent Rivers, 36 Kysaiah Pickett
EMG: 18 Jake Melksham, 22 Aaron vandenBerg, 32 Tom Sparrow, 44 Joel Smith
IN: Ben Brown
OUT: Tom Sparrow
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