AFL Semi-Finals: Power’s Bold Move to Overcome Hawks
Port Adelaide is going all out in a bid to avoid elimination as they face Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The Power have recalled Todd Marshall (198cm) as one of four key forwards for this crucial match. Coach Ken Hinkley described the decision to include the 25-year-old Marshall as the biggest selection call they faced. After dealing with injuries and playing just once in the past two months, Marshall will join Charlie Dixon (200cm), Mitch Georgiades (192cm), and Esava Ratugolea (197cm) in a tall forward setup.
Hawthorn has struggled with an undersized back line all season, which has been further depleted by injuries. The Power are counting on their tall forwards to exploit this weakness against Sam Mitchell’s young squad.
Both teams are missing key players ahead of the game. Hawthorn’s Sam Frost (foot) is out for the remainder of the finals, and Port Adelaide’s Ryan Burton (calf) failed a fitness test on Thursday.
To cover for Frost, the Hawks have called up Jai Serong, younger brother of Fremantle star Caleb. Serong will join captain James Sicily and rising star Josh Weddle in the Hawks’ defence, though none of them exceed 193cm in height.
Port Adelaide also faces defensive challenges with Dan Houston serving a five-game suspension that ended his season and Kane Farrell sidelined with a hamstring injury. Midfielder Zak Butters, who was subbed out due to a rib injury in last week’s qualifying final loss to Geelong, will play despite the injury, having been cleared of fractures.
Hinkley has dismissed claims that his job is at risk, backing Butters to rise to the challenge despite the extra pressure.
“Unlike some, I know Zak is a tough player—really tough,” Hinkley said. “He won’t back down.”
Responding to questions about how Frost’s injury might affect their tactical decisions, the Power’s embattled coach emphasized that they would select the “best players” to enhance their chances against Hawthorn.
Marshall, who signed a five-year extension in February, has faced injury issues over the past two seasons, including concussions and a hip problem that required off-season surgery. A hip injury against Gold Coast in Round 18 sidelined him for three matches, and he sustained a concussion in his return match during the Power’s narrow win over Melbourne almost five weeks ago.
Port Adelaide chose not to include him in last week’s qualifying final, although he was listed as an emergency.
Georgiades was the only tall forward for Port Adelaide to make an impact in their loss to the Cats, while Dixon and Ratugolea combined for just nine disposals and a single behind. Initially, it was expected that Marshall would replace one of Dixon or Ratugolea if fit, but instead, Port Adelaide dropped small forward Jed McEntee.
Josh Sinn, another emergency last week, will take Burton’s place in the back line.
Emotionally, the Power and Hawks were in contrasting situations last weekend: Port Adelaide were recovering from a heavy defeat by Geelong, while Hawthorn celebrated a 37-point win over the Western Bulldogs in the elimination final.
Port Adelaide is the 12th team to experience a 50-point loss in a qualifying final under the current format, and the previous 11 teams in this situation all went on to win their semi-finals.
In the other semi-final, GWS and Brisbane Lions faced less uncertainty. The Giants brought back Toby Bedford after a calf injury kept him out of last week’s qualifying final loss to Sydney, replacing Toby McMullin. The Lions made no changes and aim to return to the preliminary finals, with defender Jack Payne named despite a knee injury sustained in their elimination final win over Carlton.
POWER
B: La.Jones, B.Zerk-Thatcher, M.Bergman
HB: J.Sinn, A.Aliir, L.Evans
C: J.Burgoyne, O.Wines, W.Drew
HF: D.Byrne-Jones, E.Ratugolea, W.Rioli
F: M.Georgiades, C.Dixon, C.Rozee (c)
FOLL: J.Sweet, J.Horne-Francis, Z.Butters
I/C: T.Boak, Q.Narkle, J.Mead, F.Evans, T.Marshall
EMG: W.Lorenz, D.Visentini, D.Williams
IN: J.Sinn, T.Marshall
OUT: R.Burton (Injured), J.McEntee (Omitted)
HAWKS
B: B.Hardwick, J.Serong, J.Impey
HB: J.Ward, J.Sicily (c), J.Scrimshaw
C: K.Amon, D.Moore, J.Weddle
HF: F.Maginness, M.Chol, C.Macdonald
F: J.Ginnivan, L.Breust, N.Watson
FOLL: L.Meek, J.Worpel, J.Newcombe
I/C: H.Morrison, M.D’Ambrosio, J.Gunston, C.Dear, C.Nash
EMG: H.Hustwaite, C.Jiath, N.Reeves
IN: J.Serong
OUT: S.Frost (Injured)
GIANTS
B: H.Himmelberg, S.Taylor, C.Idun
HB: L.Whitfield, J.Buckley, H.Perryman
C: F.Callaghan, T.Green, J.Kelly
HF: B.Daniels, A.Cadman, I.Cumming
F: D.Jones, J.Hogan, T.Greene (c)
FOLL: K.Briggs, S.Coniglio, J.Peatling
I/C: C.Ward, L.Ash, T.Bedford, L.Keeffe, X.O’Halloran
EMG: J.Riccardi, T.McMullin, N.Haynes
IN: T.Bedford
OUT: T.McMullin (Omitted)
LIONS
B: D.Zorko, H.Andrews, C.McKenna
HB: D.Wilmot, J.Payne, R.Lester
C: J.Fletcher, W.Ashcroft, H.McCluggage
HF: C.Rayner, J.Daniher, J.Berry
F: C.Cameron, E.Hipwood, Z.Bailey
FOLL: O.McInerney, J.Dunkley, L.Neale -(c)
I/C: K.Lohmann, C.Ah Chee, L.Morris, B.Starcevich, N.Answerth
EMG: H.Sharp, D.Fort, D.Joyce
No changes
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