For a match between this year’s ladder leaders and last year’s grand finalists, Port Adelaide against Greater Western Sydney was hardly an AFL classic.
The Sunday afternoon clash at Metricon Stadium was a scrappy affair with quality at a premium as the Power used a fourth-quarter surge to claim a 9.9 (63) to 6.10 (46) win over the Giants.
Neither team could get a stranglehold on a match where there were 132 turnovers.
The explanation for the sloppy football may well lie in the team’s schedules for the match, with both sides travelling interstate in the hours before the 1.05pm first bounce.
“At 4:30am when the alarm went off it was a different approach but … our club embraced it the whole way,” Power coach Ken Hinkley said.
“We’ve been prepared to say (that we will play) anytime, this morning was literally anytime.
“We got up basically in the middle of night to play a game and GWS did the same.
“People watching the game have got to understand some of the challenges that players are facing.”
While the Giants will head back to Sydney and enjoy a home game against Brisbane next weekend, Port will have their fifth consecutive fixture in Queensland when they take on Carlton at the Gabba.
Hinkley has no issue with the run of games away from Adelaide, knowing Port’s sacrifice will be repaid later in the campaign.
“We’ll get our turn. We’ll play our role in the front half of the season and I’m sure we’ll get our opportunity in the back half to be at home,” he said.
“When we get back to Adelaide to play some games our fans will be busting to get there.”