View highlights: Last Time They Met - Hawthorn v Port Adelaide

Best: Hawthorn - Mitchell, Lewis, Franklin, Rioli, Puopolo, Guerra, Gibson, Birchall.
Port Adelaide - Cassisi, Butcher, Lobbe, Jonas.

Crowd: 27,532 at MCG

It was a demolition the last time Hawthorn played Port Adelaide, as the Hawks destroyed the Power in a sublime four quarter effort. Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli were dominant, booting eight and six goals respectively, while Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis led the way from the midfield.

Looking ahead

The Power have been rewarded for effort, after showing signs of significant improvement early in the season. That good early season form culminated in a big win last weekend over Carlton, a result that not even the most optimistic of Port fans would have expected.

It was a mighty effort by the Power, led by Matthew Broadbent (31 disposals), Kane Cornes (28) and Hamish Hartlett (26). Those three players were integral to Port Adelaide’s ability to win the midfield battle convincingly - winning 52 clearances to Carlton's 40.

The Hawks are also in great form in the middle though, convincingly accounting for the best clearance side in the competition last week, North Melbourne. The Hawks smashed the Kangaroos in the middle, setting up a forward avalanche in the shape of spearhead Lance Franklin.

Brad Sewell nullified the best clearance player in the league, Andrew Swallow - keeping him to just 16 disposals for the match. Sewell will no doubt be given another big job by Coach Alastair Clarkson this week, possibly on gun Power midfielder, Hamish Hartlett.

But where has the improvement come from, given the Power were convincingly beaten on a number of occasions last season.

It has been the recruitment strategy of Coach Matthew Primus, identifying the Port midfield as an area that needed an injection of talent. Brad Ebert was delivered to the club via a trade with West Coast and has had an immediate impact. His strong body in the middle and ability to bring other players into the game is crucial.

Perhaps even more successfully though, was the recruitment of former Magpie John McCarthy. McCarthy cited more opportunity elsewhere in his decision to leave the Magpies and looked set to join Richmond, after training with the Tigers, but the Power pounced.

It has been a move that has reaped dividends already, with McCarthy quickly becoming one of their best midfielders. The former Pie averages 21.7 possessions per game, along with 2.7 clearances and three tackles. It has been his ability to break the lines and evade his opponents though, that has been most impressive. He has added another dimension, and another option in the Power midfield, that already boasts Hartlett and the impressive Travis Boak.

It seems that as the weeks continue to roll, so do the depth options in the Power midfield. Last week, it was Broadbent who stepped up to become one of the most damaging players on the field, and a player who will need to be accounted for on Sunday if the Hawks are to claim the four points.

Broadbent gathered 31 disposals, eight clearances, seven inside 50s, laid three tackles and booted two goals to be one of the best players on the ground in the win over Carlton. Up against one of the best midfields in the game, it highlights how damaging he can be when given time and space.

It would be remiss though, to not mention the roles of Boak and Harlett, who form a type of dynamic duo in the middle for the Power. Harlett put an exclamation mark on his credentials as an AFL footballer against the Blues, by showing he can not only find the football and a teammate, but he has the ability to hit the scoreboard and kick goals from positions on the ground that are the most difficult.

Hartlett is averaging 21.2 disposals per game, and 2.3 clearances, but his seven clearance effort on the weekend shows how damaging he can be around the stoppages.

His partner, Boak averages 22 disposals, 3.7 clearances and 3.3 tackles. It is his ability to think his way through traffic and silky skills, however, that makes him one of the biggest dangers for the Hawks.


David Hale: “They’ve brought in Ebert this year, and obviously Boak (is a good player). They’ve got some really good talent all over the ground, which we’ve got to manage.

"Their competitiveness and intent (has been good) and their ability to want to compete has turned. When you get a bit more confidence in the game plan, you get the results - it boosts the whole group.”


Josh Ranger on Facebook: “Port have really improved in their ability to win battles in the midfield and give their forwards such as Jay Schultz more opportunity in front of goal. Players like Josh Gibson and Ryan Schoenmakers will have to be at their best if they want to limit the score, and the midfield will have to try and help the defence out by limiting the amount of inside 50s.”