SUMMARY
WHERE AND WHEN: Hickinbotham Oval (Noarlunga, South Australia), Sunday, March 12, 1.10pm AEDT
TV AND RADIO:
TV: Live on Fox Footy
Radio: SEN, FIVEaa, Triple M
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME
R16, 2016, Hawthorn 15.11 (101) d Port Adelaide 12.7 (79) at Adelaide Oval
Hawthorn held off a fast-finishing Port Adelaide to win their first game at a boisterous Adelaide Oval. Skipper Luke Hodge was best on ground for the Hawks as he relished the spirited affair, gathering 29 disposals, while Cyril Rioli was also influential, kicking three goals in the tough battle. Despite holding a five-goal lead at the final break, the Hawks had to work hard to maintain their lead in the final term as the hosts threatened to snatch victory.
LAST FIVE TIMES
R16, 2016, Hawthorn 15.11 (101) d Port Adelaide 12.7 (79) at Adelaide Oval
R21, 2015, Port Adelaide 16.12 (108) d Hawthorn 13.8 (86) at Etihad Stadium
R4, 2015, Port Adelaide 15.9 (99) d Hawthorn 13.13 (91) at Adelaide Oval
Prelim, 2014, Hawthorn 15.7 (97) d Port Adelaide 13.16 (94) at MCG
R10, 2014, Port Adelaide 15.10 (100) d Hawthorn 13.8 (86) at Adelaide Oval
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Hawthorn
1. With the selection committee having made the tough decisions in order to shrink this squad size down to 22 players, the group that will run out on Sunday will likely represent a close depiction to what the round one side will look like (minus key defender Josh Gibson). Watch for players' roles and positions as coach Alastair Clarkson settles on his schemes for the beginning of the home and away season.
2. James Sicily has held down a defensive spot in the opening two games of the 2017 campaign and Hawks fans will be sure to keep an eye on where he lines up for the final dress rehearsal before round one.
Stand-in coach for JLT2 Cameron Bruce was very positive about the 22-year old's development in an unfamiliar position.
"'Sis' is learning a lot about playing defence, we think he adds a fair bit as a backman," Bruce said.
3. Leading the Hawks in total disposals across the opening two games, Jarryd Roughead and Jaeger O'Meara have been the highlights of the pre-season for Hawks fans. As they continue to ramp up their preparation in their returns to AFL level, look for the talented pair to spend an increased amount of time out on the park- especially Jaeger who has played 47% and 81% game-time, in games one and two.
Port Adelaide
1. The omissions of Chad Wingard (thigh) and Jasper Pittard (hamstring) to the Power side put the key duo in doubt for their side's season opener against Sydney at the SCG. Look for some of Port's youth in Joe Atley, Sam Powell-Pepper and Darcy Byrne-Jones to step up in their teammate's absence.
2. One of the feel-good stories of the footy season so far comes in the form of Brett Eddy. Taken with pick 26 in last year's rookie draft, Eddy was an unlikely pick having been drafted as a 27-year old. The smart forward, who played his last two seasons at South Adelaide in the SANFL, has proven himself in his first pre-season, with strong suggestions that he will be named in Port Adelaide's Round 1 team.
3. Port Adelaide started their game last weekend against Richmond employing a unique tactic that would be familiar to Hawks fans. Clearing their wings, they instead had their "wingmen" line up on their defensive end of the centre square, reminiscent of the dying minutes of their 2014 preliminary final loss to Hawthorn. Watch for other structure modifications like this given that Port coach Ken Hinkley is known for his "outside the square" thinking.
THE SIX POINTS
1. Recent history can often mean very little. But when it comes to Port Adelaide's record against the Hawks, the numbers are quite confronting. Considering Hawthorn's last five games against each team, the Power are the only team to hold a winning ratio over the Hawks, winning three of the clubs' last five encounters.
Furthermore, in the last 20 games against each side, Power (10-10) trail only Geelong (14-6) in teams that have had an edge over the boys in brown and gold.
The two clubs have met 32 times since the South Australian club entered the league in 1995, and the Power hold the sway over that history too, winning 18 of those games. This is clearly the worst record the Hawks have against any other team in that same time period.
2. South Australia is one of only two states in the country that Captain Jarryd Roughead does not hold a winning record in. In his 17 appearances at South Australian venues, Roughead has won only eight of those games. Interestingly, the other state that hasn’t brought Roughy as much joy as he would have liked is Queensland, where he has returned home with a win in only five of his 11 attempts.
3. The Power enter their third pre-season game of the JLT Series having yet to post a win. It would be the first time since 2008, when the preseason competition took on a knock-out format, that the Power have endured a winless preparation to a season.
4.The venue for the clash is Port Noarlunga, which is a suburbin the city of Onkaparinga, South Australia. A small sea-side suburb with a population of around 3,000 people, the town is approximately 30 kilometres south of the Adelaide city centre.
5.Following the retirement of Jay Schulz, who won four of Port's last seven leading goalkicker awards, it is time for the recruited pair of Charlie Dixon and Paddy Ryder to step up. In Dixon's first year at the club last year, the former Sun was serviceable, kicking 30 goals from his 18 games in a difficult year for the Power, who fell out of the eight after being fancied a finals contender at the start of the year.
6.Of the 45 players on the 2017 Hawks list, seven originate from South Australia, making it the second highest represented state on the list behind Victoria. The South Aussie Seven include Ryan Burton, Shaun Burgoyne, Tim O'Brien, Ryan Schoenmakers, Paul Puopolo, Kaiden Brand and Luke Surman.
IT'S A BIG GAME FOR …
Ricky Henderson (Hawthorn): Henderson was given a lifeline at the Hawks, joining the club as a delisted free agent at the end of last season. The 28-year old brings plenty of experience, having played 90 games for the Crows. He has demonstrated the ability to break open a game on several occasions, memorably collecting a match-high 29 disposals in Adelaide’s 2015 elimination final win. An extremely versatile player, Henderson can play both through the midfield and across the backline. Yet to run out in the brown and gold, Henderson will be hoping to make a good impression in his first JLT outing.
Paddy Ryder (Port Adelaide): Returning to Port for his second year, after missing last year due to his doping ban after his time at Essendon, Ryder will be keen to improve on his two previous, rather lacklustre JLT Series performances. In JLT1, the former Bomber had only four touches and six hit-outs. Despite having a much greater impact at the stoppages with 23 hit-outs in his second game of the pre-season last Sunday, Ryder still failed to have an influence around the ground with only five disposals.
