By AAP
Zak Butters and Mitch Georgiades have fired as Port Adelaide tuned up for AFL round one with a 73-point thumping of West Coast.
The Power, who were close to full-strength under new senior coach Josh Carr, were comfortable 22.8 (140) to 9.13 (67) victors in their pre-season clash at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday.
Zak Butters was among his side’s best as Port Adelaide defeated West Coast.Credit: Getty Images
State of Origin stars Butters (36 disposals, two goals) and Georgiades (six goals) were dominant figures, with captain Connor Rozee (33 touches, six clearances) also a strong performer in a slick team display.
Willem Drew (24 disposals, one goal) was also influential and mature-age rookie Jack Watkins (20 touches, six clearances) put his hand up for inclusion in the Power’s round-one clash with North Melbourne on March 15.
Jason Horne-Francis (13 touches, two goals) moved well despite recent concerns over “minor awareness” in his troublesome foot, while remodelled defender Todd Marshall impressed for Port in the back half.
The performance fuelled Carr’s excitement for the season ahead – his first in charge after taking the reins from long-time mentor Ken Hinkley.
“I’m excited for the group, excited for the challenges that come our way as a footy club,” Carr said.
“There’s so much unknown about us at the moment and that’s a great position to be in.
“(Sunday’s performance) gives everyone confidence in the pre-season.
“We’ve had a really good pre-season, we’ve had most of the guys out on the track, but there’s a number of clubs that will be saying the same thing.”
West Coast, who were already without injured senior players Liam Duggan, Jack Graham, Tim Kelly, Brandon Starcevich and Reuben Ginbey, lost key defender Harry Edwards to concussion after a first-half knock.
Jacob Newton (two goals) finished the game early with precautionary ice on his left ankle and Harley Reid (22 disposals) appeared briefly troubled by a leg issue.
The Eagles turned to their youngsters for inspiration, with Josh Lindsay (22 disposals, one goal), Willem Duursma (16 touches) and Cooper Duff-Tytler (one goal) among those who showed glimpses.
No.1 draft pick Duursma was busy but made some bad errors by foot, spraying a set shot out of bounds and giving up a goal with a turnover deep in defence.
The 18-year-old remains a likely inclusion for the Eagles’ round-one clash with Gold Coast on March 15.
Former Brisbane player Deven Robertson (28 disposals) and ex-Magpie Finlay Macrae also did well in their first official outings for West Coast, while Jake Waterman and Matt Owies kicked two goals each.
Importantly, injury-prone star Elliot Yeo (nine disposals) got through another pre-season hit-out unscathed.
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter was disappointed with the result, and conceded his players’ skill level and ability to handle pressure weren’t at the required standards, but also saw some positives.
“All our young players showed some moments … there’s some excitement there for sure,” McQualter said.
Most Viewed in Sport
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
