“Wiped off the park”: Why there’s big concerns with Port’s team to face Hawks

Has Port Adelaide gone into Friday night’s Semi-Final against Hawthorn at the Adelaide Oval too tall?

That’s the belief of several SEN hosts after Port dropped Jed McEntee and brought in Todd Marshall to play alongside Charlie Dixon and Mitch Georgiades in the forward line.

After the Bulldogs played all three of Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy last week against Hawthorn and lost, SEN’s Josh Jenkins tweeted that he thinks the Power will also be too tall and too slow against Sam Mitchell’s side.

“IF Port Adelaide go in as selected they’ll get wiped off the park. Too tall, too slow,” Jenkins said on X.

SEN Breakfast duo David King and Kane Cornes also that the Power might be heading in too tall, and they think that their only route to victory as a result is all of their big forwards having an impact thanks to a heap of footy entering the forward 50.

King: “My first thoughts are, ‘Jeez they look tall’, is that a way to beat the Hawks? I’m not exactly sure.”

Cornes: “It didn’t work last week for the Western Bulldogs.”

King: “No one has been able to get the ball in there enough to challenge the Hawthorn back six, and without Sam Frost … (maybe that’s the thinking).

“Is there ever a game where you need Charlie Dixon to stand up, it’s this one. He’s kicked 23 goals for the season from 17 games, and most of his goals have come against the poor teams.

“You just need something from him tonight. It’s unfair to put the result on him, it’s not, but he’s going to get a matchup he’s going to enjoy tonight. If you’re going to win this game, you’re going to need Georgiades, Dixon and Marshall to fire.

Cornes: “It’s on the whole of the side to generate enough entries, Hawthorn are very good at restricting those as we saw last week.

“Can the midfield and Port Adelaide move the ball enough to give them a chance? They’re probably going to need 60 entries to kick a big score. This forward line is going to need that many entries.”

King: “They’re not going to get 60.”

Cornes: “Well, they’re not going to win with 40, I’m telling you … as we’re talking, we cannot give Port Adelaide a chance, there’s no way you can give Port Adelaide a chance in this game.”

Friday’s big final at the Adelaide Oval begins at 7:40 pm (AEST) and 7:10 pm (ACST).