We can’t trust Port… yet.
Following Port Adelaide’s promising start to the season, the build up to their clash versus Collingwood last Friday night was full of anticipation.
Most of us knew what we were going to get from the Magpies, who have been impressive in 2019, the main question was whether the Power could stand up against a legitimate contender; a challenge in which they ultimately failed.
The Magpies piled on the pain in the first quarter, kicking seven unanswered goals and despite a Port Adelaide fightback in the second quarter, Collingwood ran out 39 point winners, with captain Scott Pendlebury providing a midfield masterclass on his way to 36 disposals.
The second quarter saw the Power play like the team that many thought would have shown up from the outset, but the result was a foregone conclusion by quarter time with Collingwood holding a 45 point lead.
The Power’s next test comes this Saturday night, in the form of cross-town rivals the Adelaide Crows, who are working themselves into some form after a slow start to the year; it’s simply a game the Power must win.
The Bulldogs are a tease
Coming off of four consecutive losses, the Western Bulldogs were desperate for a win against Richmond last Saturday night at Marvel Stadium.
They won, and they won easy, dismantling the Tigers by 47 points and giving you reason to wonder, why can’t they do this more often?
The Dogs’ looked somewhere near their best form in the opening round of the season against the Sydney Swans, and then pulled off a remarkable comeback win against Hawthorn in round two; giving people cause to perhaps re-consider them as a finals threat this year.
Four losses on the trot, including defeats to Gold Coast and Carlton, lowered our expectations again which makes their win over the Tigers all the more frustrating if you’re a Dogs’ supporter.
After trailing by seven points at quarter time, partly due to some poor finishing, the Dogs’ were too strong for an undermanned Richmond defence, led by a brilliant performance from young key-forward Aaron Naughton, who kicked five goals and took nine contested marks, the most by a Western Bulldogs player.
The Bulldogs’ dominance at the stoppages was pivotal, five players accumulated over 25 disposals, Marcus Bontempelli dominated with 27 touches and 3 goals.
They now host the improving Brisbane Lions on Saturday, their win over the Tigers shows how good they can be, keeping this form going is now their biggest challenge.
It’s not crazy to think Jeremy Cameron could give the ton a shake
He’s kicked 30 goals for the year and it’s only round eight, and if we include finals into the mix (where we expect GWS to feature), there’s every chance Giants’ superstar Jeremy Cameron could get close to the illusive 100-goal barrier last reached by Lance Franklin in 2008.
Cameron kicked six goals against St Kilda last weekend, and is currently tracking on an average of 4.3 goals a game this season.
If he maintains that pace he will enter round 23 on more than 90 goals for the year, within striking distance of a feat that many deem as impossible in today’s AFL landscape.
Whether he can stay on the park for the whole season will have a huge say as to whether he can even threaten the huge landmark, but if he plays out the full season, and the Giants’ keep winning, it’s certainly not beyond reasonable doubt we could see the ton given a nudge.
according to me 