Match Preview: Richmond v Port Adelaide
Scott Spits
afl.com.au
29 April, 2003
WHEN & WHERE: AAMI Stadium, 7.40pm (AEST) Saturday.
COVERAGE: Fox Footy Channel (Channel Ten in Adelaide).
LAST TIME: Port Adelaide 23.16 (154) d Richmond 10.10 (70), round 12 at AAMI Stadium, 2002. The Tigers crashed to their fourth successive loss in humiliating fashion. By half-time the Power was already 68 points in front as Josh Francou and Josh Carr dominated. Stuart Dew kicked four goals for Port as did Warren Tredrea as the Tigers surrendered meekly after a competitive first term. The one positive for the Tigers was spearhead Matthew Richardson who kicked three goals.
THE MEDICAL ROOM: The Power might be without their best midfielder Josh Francou for the rest of the season with a knee injury but they are a good chance to regain two of their other stars this week. Skipper Matthew Primus is a chance to return following a tendon strain while Brett Montgomery faces a fitness test on his injured knee. The Tigers however have suffered a huge blow by losing champion forward Richardson for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury.
THE FORM: The Tigers are absolutely flying. Four wins in a row has put Danny Frawley's team in second place and they travel to Adelaide coming off one of the best wins in their history - beating Hawthorn after trailing by 51 points late in the second quarter. The Power is also back in business after a slow start to the season and find themselves in sixth spot with three wins from five games. And they come into this game coming off a morale-boosting win over Adelaide - their sixth in a row against their fierce local rivals.
WHO'S HOT: Kane Johnson could not be returning to the ground he called home for seven seasons with Adelaide in any better form after his dominant performance in the comeback win over Hawthorn last week. Johnson is clearly reveling at Punt Road and has gradually got better every week, last week being by far his best game when he returned a match-high 30 possessions. For the Power it was Chad Cornes, who ultimately proved the difference between winning and losing last week's showdown. Cornes took 11 marks and kicked three goals against the Crows to again show he is a big game player.
WHO'S NOT: The Tigers' top draft pick of three years ago - Kayne Pettifer was unable to be part of the goal rampage after half-time against Hawthorn last week. Despite the ball being in the Tigers' attack constantly from just before half-time onwards, Pettifer managed just eight touches and since debuting in 2001 has played just 21 games for 16 goals. Meanwhile high-profile recruit Byron Pickett is finding life tough at his new club, managing just two kicks for Port during last week's showdown.
KEY MATCH-UP: Chad Cornes (Port) v Darren Gaspar (Richmond). With Richardson out, the Tigers will find it difficult to kick a winning score against Port and their best chance of pulling off another shock win will be to make the game a low-scoring affair - as they did so often successfully in 2001. But to do this Gaspar - who looks back to his
2001 form so far this season after a poor 2002 - must be able to limit Cornes, who again showed last week that he delivers the goods when his team really needs him.
ALL-TIME CLASSIC: The most high profile game ever staged between these two clubs was not even an official home and away game but the 2002 pre-season cup grand final at Telstra Dome. And it was the Power that came away with the trophy, winning a thriller by nine points after the Tigers had almost pinched the game with a final quarter surge.
Scott Spits
afl.com.au
29 April, 2003
WHEN & WHERE: AAMI Stadium, 7.40pm (AEST) Saturday.
COVERAGE: Fox Footy Channel (Channel Ten in Adelaide).
LAST TIME: Port Adelaide 23.16 (154) d Richmond 10.10 (70), round 12 at AAMI Stadium, 2002. The Tigers crashed to their fourth successive loss in humiliating fashion. By half-time the Power was already 68 points in front as Josh Francou and Josh Carr dominated. Stuart Dew kicked four goals for Port as did Warren Tredrea as the Tigers surrendered meekly after a competitive first term. The one positive for the Tigers was spearhead Matthew Richardson who kicked three goals.
THE MEDICAL ROOM: The Power might be without their best midfielder Josh Francou for the rest of the season with a knee injury but they are a good chance to regain two of their other stars this week. Skipper Matthew Primus is a chance to return following a tendon strain while Brett Montgomery faces a fitness test on his injured knee. The Tigers however have suffered a huge blow by losing champion forward Richardson for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury.
THE FORM: The Tigers are absolutely flying. Four wins in a row has put Danny Frawley's team in second place and they travel to Adelaide coming off one of the best wins in their history - beating Hawthorn after trailing by 51 points late in the second quarter. The Power is also back in business after a slow start to the season and find themselves in sixth spot with three wins from five games. And they come into this game coming off a morale-boosting win over Adelaide - their sixth in a row against their fierce local rivals.
WHO'S HOT: Kane Johnson could not be returning to the ground he called home for seven seasons with Adelaide in any better form after his dominant performance in the comeback win over Hawthorn last week. Johnson is clearly reveling at Punt Road and has gradually got better every week, last week being by far his best game when he returned a match-high 30 possessions. For the Power it was Chad Cornes, who ultimately proved the difference between winning and losing last week's showdown. Cornes took 11 marks and kicked three goals against the Crows to again show he is a big game player.
WHO'S NOT: The Tigers' top draft pick of three years ago - Kayne Pettifer was unable to be part of the goal rampage after half-time against Hawthorn last week. Despite the ball being in the Tigers' attack constantly from just before half-time onwards, Pettifer managed just eight touches and since debuting in 2001 has played just 21 games for 16 goals. Meanwhile high-profile recruit Byron Pickett is finding life tough at his new club, managing just two kicks for Port during last week's showdown.
KEY MATCH-UP: Chad Cornes (Port) v Darren Gaspar (Richmond). With Richardson out, the Tigers will find it difficult to kick a winning score against Port and their best chance of pulling off another shock win will be to make the game a low-scoring affair - as they did so often successfully in 2001. But to do this Gaspar - who looks back to his
2001 form so far this season after a poor 2002 - must be able to limit Cornes, who again showed last week that he delivers the goods when his team really needs him.
ALL-TIME CLASSIC: The most high profile game ever staged between these two clubs was not even an official home and away game but the 2002 pre-season cup grand final at Telstra Dome. And it was the Power that came away with the trophy, winning a thriller by nine points after the Tigers had almost pinched the game with a final quarter surge.
