Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, David Astbury, Bachar Houli won’t be missing against Port Adelaide this time aroundChris Cavanagh & Reece Homfray
Adelaide Advertiser
October 13, 2020 A vastly different Richmond side to that which lost to Port Adelaide in Round 11 is setting itself for a “mighty” preliminary final challenge unlike any the Tigers have faced before.
Richmond held a light training session on the Gold Coast yesterday morning after last Friday’s crushing semi-final win over St Kilda, the club having no fresh injury concerns.
While coach Damien Hardwick has flagged Mabior Chol as a possible inclusion to bolster the ruck stocks, a stable line-up would mean seven changes to the Tigers’ side which suffered a 21-point loss to the Power at Adelaide Oval in Round 11.
Captain Trent Cotchin, David Astbury, Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia, Toby Nankervis, Jack Graham and Bachar Houli all missed that defeat, but are available this week.
The Tigers who played in Round 11 but missed the semi-final were Jake Aarts, Josh Caddy, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith, Jack Ross, Sydney Stack, Ivan Soldo and Chol.
Former Hawthorn and Melbourne champion Jordan Lewis – who played in seven preliminary finals – said Friday night’s crunch clash presented a unique challenge for Richmond.
While the Tigers have played in preliminary finals each of the past three years – winning two on their way to premierships – all have been at the MCG with bumper home crowds behind them.
On Friday night at Adelaide Oval, Richmond will have to contend with 27,000 Port Adelaide fans against it.
“It’s their hardest game for the year,” Fox Footy commentator Lewis said.
“Prelims are very hard to win and I was always at my most anxious going into a game like this because you know what’s around the corner, you know what’s at stake.
“What they’ve had in the past is home prelims.
“This year you go to an environment over in Adelaide where the Port players have stayed in their own beds, they’ve been comfortable in their own surroundings and they’re playing at their home ground in front of their home crowd.
“This is a mighty task. If Richmond gets through this game, they deserve to be in that grand final.”
OMINOUS SIGN FOR TIGERS WITH POWER FULLY CHARGEDPort Adelaide has every player on its list fit, healthy and available for Friday night’s preliminary final against Richmond after Xavier Duursma and Todd Marshall both hit the track at Alberton on Sunday.
Duursma had been nursing a sore chest and neck after he was concussed in the qualifying final win over Geelong while the club was also monitoring Marshall’s shoulder which he hurt in the first quarter but played through against the Cats.
Both trained on Sunday and moved freely with no strapping on Marshall’s shoulder as the club declared him a certain starter.
Incredibly, given the condensed season — which was expected to cause soft-tissue havoc across the competition — Port Adelaide does not have a single player on its injury list this week meaning Justin Westhoff, Mitch Georgiades, Sam Mayes, Boyd Woodcock and Jarrod Lienert who have all played senior footy this season are unable to crack the senior side.
The Tigers’ injury list includes Ivan Soldo and Jack Higgins but their team from the Round 11 loss to Port Adelaide will look decidedly different this week with seven players who missed that game all back in the side including Trent Cotchin, Jack Graham, Toby Nankervis, Shane Edwards, Bachar Houli, David Astbury and Dion Prestia.
While Scott Lycett is the only premiership player on Port Adelaide’s list, 21 of Richmond’s 22 from Friday night’s semi-final win over St Kilda had played in a flag.
“I think Richmond are a different side to what we played throughout the year, they’ve got some talented guys (who have) come back in and have shown over the last few years they’re a forced to be reckoned with and are in good form,” Port Adelaide’s All-Australian defender Darcy Byrne-Jones told ABC Grandstand on Sunday.
“So we’re going to have to play our best footy to win.
“Training has been pretty good, throughout the finals series we’ve been fortunate to ramp up training and do a bit more contact work and the boys have really relished that, and the contested side of the game is something we pride ourselves on.
“So we’ve tried to generate as much energy as possible because as we found out against Geelong it takes a step up in finals and is probably going to go up another level this week.
“We haven’t really sat down and discussed Tom (Lynch), he’s slightly different to Tom Hawkins, he gets up the ground a bit more so what match-up we go with I’m not too sure but it’s going to be a group effort (from) the back six or seven to try to get in his way and help out in the air, and deal with those small guys on the ground who apply really good pressure.”
Richmond defender Dylan Grimes described the Power as a “terrific side” and would pose a huge test for the reigning premier.
“They’re in great form and to add to that challenge we’re playing them on their home deck and against a hostile crowd,” Grimes said.
“Dimma said it after the (Round 11) game, the scoreboard flattered us last time, we were a fair way off Port Adelaide on the night.
“I felt like one thing they did really well was they just countered every punch that we threw in terms of ball movement and we’ve learnt a lot from that game I feel.
“I think we got a taste of what the challenge will be like in that we’ve seen their system but they’re just a great side, they have so many tricks, so many good players and a great team system so no matter how you look at it it’s going to be a tough game.
“I’m confident but at the same time I’m a realist about the challenge ahead, they finished on top of the ladder for a reason and Charlie Dixon has been in terrific form so you come up against that challenge and you’re fully aware it’s going to be a hard and tough night.”
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/teams/port-adelaide-young-guns-todd-marshall-and-xavier-duursma-push-preliminary-final-case-at-training/news-story/01052ec840f4e75f0cf842add15a9963
