Fast-starting Richmond bursts the Port Adelaide bubble Andrew Capel
From: Sunday Mail (SA)
May 11, 2013 4:08PMTHE Port Adelaide bubble has burst.
And it has no one to blame but itself.
The Power's slow starts have now reached crisis point after it lost a second consecutive game in the first quarter.
After a week of trying to address its stumbling starts, a lethargic Port did not come to play against a Richmond outfit minus star captain Trent Cotchin and four other first-choice players.
It conceded eight first-quarter goals to fall 37 points behind at the first change before losing by 41.
It was the fifth time in seven matches the Power has lost the first quarter and, just like last week against North Melbourne, it cost it the four premiership points.
It gave the Kangaroos a 38-point headstart before falling just short, going down by 10 points.
Port Adelaide playmaker Hamish Hartlett was well held by Richmond. Picture: Sarah Reed.
After a club record 5-0 start to the season, Port has fallen back to the pack at 5-2 with tough games against Carlton and Geelong to follow.
Its hopes of ending a five-year finals drought are suddenly under threat largely because of its misfiring starts.
The Power earned an early-season reputation as the AFL's comeback king after overcoming 41 and 31-point deficits to beat West Coast and Adelaide.
But in the past two weeks it has painfully discovered it cannot expect to keep giving rivals a start and still win.
Several times Port threatened to get back into the game but every time it drew to within striking distance it coughed up a goal at the other end through a bad turnover or missed tackle.
Its disposal and decision-making was poor. And too many Power players were badly off their games.
Playmaker Hamish Hartlett, who has emerged as a Brownlow Medal contender, had a second consecutive poor game, winning just 10 possessions.
At three-quarter time, Hartlett was among 11 Port players who had failed to reach 10 disposals.
Key forward Justin Westhoff, who started the season in a blaze of glory, was beaten by former Power defender Troy Chaplin and failed to kick a goal.
Jake Neade managed only seven disposals and, like Westhoff, went goalless.
Damningly, Port took just 75 marks to Richmond's 148. It conceded its biggest score (18.6) and scored its smallest (10.13) for the season.
The Tigers - who lost former Crow Chris Knights in the second quarter with a serious knee injury - had a host of standout performers.
Brett Deledio was the star, shaking off the tight tag of Kane Cornes to have 32 disposals, while much-maligned full forward Jack Riewoldt booted five goals, including three in the decisive first quarter.
Dustin Martin had a game-high 33 touches while defender Brandon Ellis (13 marks), impressive hard-nosed rookie Nick Vlastuin (23 disposals) and former skipper Chris Newman (20 and two goals) were other star performers for Damien Hardwick's outfit.
Shaun Grigg was effective as a tagger against Power skipper Travis Boak.
Defender Chaplin - heavily booed early by the crowd after fleeing Port in free agency - had the last laugh against his former club by silencing Westhoff.
The Tigers' pressure across the board was outstanding, forcing many turnovers and helping them dominate disposals 371 to 318.
Port's decisions at the selection table also could be questioned.
Dropping two genuine ruckmen, Brent Renouf and Matthew Lobbe, did not work as Jarrad Redden struggled to impose himself against both Orren Stephenson and Ivan Maric, who was clearly restricted by an ankle injury sustained against Geelong last week.
And preferring Daniel Stewart - a late inclusion for former captain Dom Cassisi (hamstring) - to Paul Stewart did not pay off.
Daniel Stewart took 44 minutes to have a disposal and had just four for the game.
Pre-season draft pick Sam Colquhoun, making his AFL debut, won his share of the ball but struggled with the greater pressure and turned it over too often.
But the game was lost in the opening 30 minutes.
The Power inexplicably again stumbled out of the blocks.
With Stewart replacing Cassisi and super-sub Kane Mitchell again wearing the green vest, Port could not get its hands on the ball.
Riewoldt started the Tigers' early onslaught in the second minute when he intercepted a poor Redden pass across goal.
Richmond was so dominant it had 43 of the first 53 disposals and was going at 83 per cent efficiency to the Power's 25.
Port trailed by only six points entering time-on but the Tigers - easily winning the stoppages - then seized control.
They kicked five goals in a blistering seven-minute surge, including a 50m bomb to Newman on the quarter-time siren, to quickly break to a 37-point lead.
Riewoldt - opposed to Tom Jonas - booted three goals for the term.
The stats told a sorry tale for the Power.
Richmond had an amazing 42 more disposals, six more clearances and seven more inside 50s for the quarter.
Just as significantly, the Tigers were clean with their hands and ball use. In contrast, Port was fumbly and erratic.
It was the story of the day.
RICHMOND 8.2 11.5 15.6 18.6 (114)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.1 4.5 6.10 10.13 (73)
Best: Richmond: Deledio, Martin, Riewoldt, Ellis, Edwards, Newman, Vlastuin. Port Adelaide: Cornes, Redden, Boak.
Goals: Richmond: Riewoldt 5, King 3, Newman, Grigg 2, Knights, Martin, McGuane, Vlastuin, Nahas, Tuck. Port Adelaide: Schulz 3, Mitchell 2, Monfries, Moore, Wingard, Broadbent, Gray.
Umpires: Troy Pannell, Robert Findlay, Luke Farmer.
Official crowd: 25,372 at AAMI Stadium.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/fast-starting-richmond-bursts-the-port-adelaide-bubble/story-e6frg1yu-1226639935718
