Footy Forecast: Your weekly AFL preview from SA’s most diehard fans
In this week’s forecast, one of Crows legend Mark Ricciuto’s former swim teachers makes a big call on the Grand Final, while a Port Adelaide supporter talks up her lucky green pear earrings.
‘Dawson is an absolute winner’: Adelaide Crows’ Maxine Morley
Maxine Morley has been an Adelaide Crows fans since the club’s inception, even teaching a young Mark Ricciuto how to swim at Ramco Primary School.
Since then, Morley – who lives in Ricciuto’s home town of Waikerie – has taken her love of the Crows to the next level, even attending Adelaide’s Hall of Fame gala at Adelaide Oval last Friday night.
Adelaide Crows defeated Geelong last Thursday night by one point at Adelaide Oval, with captain Jordan Dawson stringing together another best on ground performance, with 22 touches, nine tackles and three goals.
“Jordan Dawson is an absolute winner,” Morley said.
“Dan Curtin was incredible as well taking marks in the back pocket, and Tex as well played fantastically.”
Morley didn’t make the trip down to watch the wet and wild match at Adelaide Oval last week, instead opting to stay indoors.
“I was so glad I stayed and watched it on the big screen at home because it was such a terrible night,” she said.
“But it was a fantastic game, the old heart rate was up something terrible. I didn’t manage to go to sleep for about an hour and a half after it.”
Adelaide will head to Marvel Stadium to face the Western Bulldogs tonight, seeking redemption after losing by six points to the Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval in Round Two.
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She thinks the Crows will get over the line if the team can quell the influence of Bulldogs midfield duo Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli.
The Crows will be without former captain Taylor Walker after he was handed a one-match suspension for a dangerous push on Geelong defender Connor O’Sullivan in last week’s game.
Riley Thilthorpe, who Morley believes needs to have a big game, will replace Walker in the side after serving a one-match suspension for striking Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek.
Defender Jordon Butts also has been ruled out for the next few matches with a calf strain, with Nick Murray the replacement.
“We’re going to be a bit hamstrung with all the injuries, but if we’ve got Luke Pedlar in the team for pressure they will do well,” Morley said.
“If Hugo Hall-Kahan plays like he did on debut last week in dry conditions we should be fairly well off.”
The Crows are currently sitting in eighth position on the ladder, but Morley believes her team can push for a top six finish if they can clean up a few aspects of their game.
“I think we can make it when we get all the players back from injury. Izak Rankine and Callum Ah Chee seem to be always injured,” she said.
“I just hope they get themselves fit and if we finish in the top six, we’ve got a fair chance to make it all the way.”
She says her fondest memories being a supporter include watching Darren Jarman kick six goals and five goals respectively in both 1997 and 1998 Premiership victories.
“If our coach Malcolm Blight hadn’t had the knowledge to put a couple players in different spots on Grand Final day, we would have never won.”
‘A relief to get the win’: Port Adelaide’s Rachel McDonald
Rachel McDonald has been on the Port Adelaide bandwagon since she was five years old, citing peer pressure from her “enthusiastic Port fan” primary school friends as the reason behind the decision.
“We weren’t really a football family. I came home one day and told my family that I wanted to be a Port fan,” McDonald said.
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“Fortunately, they thought it was a good idea.”
Port Adelaide secured a long-awaited six-point victory against the West Coast Eagles in Perth last Saturday night. It was Port Adelaide’s first close win of the season after faltering in four matches by less than a goal.
“After all the close losses we’ve had so far this year, I was just waiting for something to go wrong,” McDonald said.
“It was really a relief to see them get the win that they’ve been so close to getting for ages. I think it’s going to be a really big confidence booster for them to know that they can actually get the win.”
Defender Esava Ratugolea was judged best on ground by coaches for his 16 disposals and 12 intercepts, while Jason Horne-Francis kicked three goals and gathered 18 touches.
McDonald was pleased to see young forward Tom Cochrane return to the side and kick a goal after a long stint on the sidelines with foot and hamstring injuries.
“It was really good to see him actually get the opportunity to go out and play AFL, and he really look like he belonged there as well,” she said.
Port Adelaide will face the second placed Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, with McDonald particularly worried about Swans ruckman Brodie Grundy and star midfielder Isaac Heeney.
The Power will also be without young defender Josh Lai after a head knock in last week’s matchup.
McDonald remained cautiously optimistic about Saturday night’s game if forward Mitch Georgiades can “kick straight” and Zak Butters leads the midfield.
“We’ve caused Sydney some problems at Adelaide Oval in the past when we weren’t necessarily expected to, and it seems like we have actually been able to be quite competitive against some of the good teams,” she said.
“I don’t think I’ll be tipping them, but if they get up and if they come with a really good game plan the way they have earlier this year, anything could happen.”
Her favourite part about being a Port Adelaide supporter is travelling to support the team – even going as far as Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai to support the team between 2017 and 2019.
“I’ve done a lot of travelling for Port. I went to China a couple of times back in the day, and this year I finally ticked off going to see them play in Darwin,” McDonald said.
“Now I’ve watched them play in pretty much every state and territory except the ACT.”
Outside of her travels, McDonald often reminisces about the 2013 Showdown victory against the Crows where she saw a miracle goal from Angus Monfries and a five-goal haul from Chad Wingard.
McDonald will be wearing her lucky green pear earrings and catching up with fellow fans and family at the Black Bull in Hindley Street before heading to Adelaide Oval to support Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
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