Footy Forecast: Your weekly AFL preview from SA’s most diehard fans
In this week’s forecast, an Adelaide fan tips a comfortable win against a struggling side, and a Port Adelaide supporter shares his excitement about a future star player’s SANFL return.
Thilthorpe for five – Adelaide Crows’ Ryan Power
Adelaide Crows fan Ryan Power noted the irony that his surname made it sound like he was a supporter of his arch-rivals.
Power started barracking for the Crows in the mid-1990s after watching Adelaide smash Essendon by 96 points in a game dominated by club legends Andrew Jarman, Darren Jarman and Tony Modra.
Adelaide suffered a 34-point defeat against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval last Thursday night, with Power saying his side “dropped their intensity” after half-time.
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“I think the teams swapped jumpers after half-time. It was a disappointing result, unfortunately,” Power said.
“Taylor Walker started really well with those three early goals and was on for half a dozen, and I’ve been particularly impressed by Sam Berry in the midfield.”
Berry was the Crows’ standout player, finishing the match with 30 disposals, six tackles and 10 clearances.
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Power said Adelaide was “outcoached” by Collingwood, leaving star midfielder Nick Daicos to run rampant, collect 39 disposals and kick a match-sealing goal.
“I think we should have brought James Peatling in against him because he’s got the speed and he can keep up, and he played a tagging role several weeks back and was quite successful,” he said.
Adelaide will head to Marvel Stadium to play Essendon on Sunday afternoon but will be without key players who have been ruled out with injury.
Defender Wayne Milera has been sidelined with another hamstring complaint while midfielder Sam Berry will miss the game with a foot injury and James Peatling with a groin injury.
Despite the injuries, Power believes it should be a “pretty comfortable win” for his team.
“I reckon Jordan Dawson will have a big game in the midfield, and I think Riley Thilthorpe will come out and kick about five goals,” he said.
“I think he’s been knocking on the door now for several weeks but hasn’t quite got the rewards for his efforts.”
Power will be chucking on some dubstep music to get the heart rate going before the big matchup and may nervously walk around the backyard in his Crows gear.
He is still holding on to hope for a top four finish this season but admits he will be content if the team finishes in fifth or sixth position.
In terms of big footy moments, it is a toss of the coin between attending the 2017 Preliminary Final victory against Geelong at Adelaide Oval and watching his favourite player Darren Jarman kick match-winning goals to get the team into the 1997 Grand Final.
“Jarman was just magic and one of the big reasons I loved watching the Crows in the 90s,” he said.
“I think he just proved that you didn’t have to be the quickest around the ball, but he just he was so good at kicking on both sides of his body. Just unbelievable skill.”
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Number one pick a “beacon of optimism” – Port Adelaide’s Phil Rollas
The Alberton Crowd co-founder and long-time Port superfan Phil Rollas is quietly confident his side can do some damage in 2027 despite currently sitting in the bottom four on this year’s ladder.
“If we just have a little bit more luck with injuries, a little bit more success on field, it’ll look drastically different,” Rollas said.
Port Adelaide suffered its biggest loss of the season against reigning Premiers Brisbane in an outcome that was to be “reasonably expected”, going down by 59 points last Sunday.
“But it doesn’t tell the story of how Port still put in a pretty reasonable performance up until about halfway through the third quarter or late in the third quarter,” Rollas said.
“Then Brisbane just showed their class against all our injuries and outs and just did what they were probably always going to do.”
Rollas said midfielder Jason Horne-Francis was “far and away the best” player for Port Adelaide, finishing the match with 30 disposals and one goal.
Port Adelaide will be playing GWS Giants at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night in a game that Rollas thinks is a “very winnable” game.
He said the likes of Horne-Francis and forward Mitch Georgiades would likely have a good game but admits it is time for the next generation of young players to have a big performance.
“It’s a good opportunity for some of our fringe players to step up especially when it’s winnable,” he said.
“Young players like Xavier Bamert, for example, this is a good opportunity for him to keep entrenching himself in the side.”
Port Adelaide’s injury woes have continued with defender Logan Evans set to undergo shoulder surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
Key defender Harrison Ramm will return to the side and replace Brandon Zerk-Thatcher who has been dropped, while Will Lorenz is also set to play.
Fans can expect to see many retro Port Adelaide guernseys at the game this weekend, as Rollas is hosting The Alberton Crowd’s annual retro themed round.
“You see people dusting off the old Planet Teal guernsey, or it’ll be one from the early 2000s if they’re lucky enough to have one of those around,” he said.
Rollas admits he is very interested in keeping tabs on the SANFL this weekend as much-hyped number one draft pick fancy Dougie Cochrane makes his Port Magpies debut after being sidelined with injury.
Cochrane, who has been compared to Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli, is set to join Port’s AFL side at the end of the year with pick one as a Next Generation Academy player.
“There’s been a bit of a theory that Port are taking their foot off the pedal in games so we can secure him in the draft,” Rollas said.
“He’s a good beacon for optimism and excitement and there’s a bit of hope that he can come home.”
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