AFL Finals 2024 Recap: Insipid Port Adelaide succumb to Geelong might in 84-point mauling
Geelong have suffered a huge blow ahead of their qualifying final against Port Adelaide with Tom Stewart ruled out with injury. Can the Cats recover or will Port power themselves to a prelim?
September means finals footy is finally upon us as Geelong take on the in-form Port at Adelaide Oval who are coming off six straight wins.
Can they use their home-ground advantage to book a prelim birth? Follow live!
End-to-end footy
Bergman saves a certain goal by just running down Dempsey which scrubs his kick inside 50. Aliir Aliir cleans up and Port launches. Ratugolea claims the mark but the umpire doesn’t pay it. The ball goes up the other end with the ball going back and forth for the past couple minutes as a rushed behind finally allows a few players to catch their breathe
Goal fest continues
The Rising Star Dempsey sends a wobbler inside 50 and the Cats lock in it. There’s a ball up and Geelong kick it out the back and Ollie Henry gets his first as the Cats edge away.
GEL 43 PA 35
Geelong hit back
It’s a scrappy ball inside 50 but Jack Bowes has enough composure to sell the dummy and just get his kick away before he’s brought down as it bounces through
All four goals have come from stoppage this quarter.
Port in front
Ratugolea has been a wrecking ball at contests so far with his strength requiring plenty of Cats’ attention to bring down. He helped turn the ball over in the middle and then moves forward where he fires a handball out as Rioli has plenty of space to snap his second.
Port then go back-to-back as they fire it in fromt he bounce and Rioli flies but can’t mark but Jed McEntee is there to finish off a step and puts the Power in front for the first time tonight.
Second quarter underway
Geelong win the clearance and Holmes goes for a run before sending the ball in deep.
It goes over the contest and Stengle is their to clean up the crumb and kick his second.
GEL 31 PA 22
ICYMI
FIRST QUARTER Geelong 3.7 (25) Port Adelaide 3.4 (22)
Geelong have a late chance but Blicavs drops a chest mark as the Port Adelaide defence falls asleep. It’s a huge let off and after being jumped out of the gates Port will take a three-point deficit at the first break.
Chances go begging
Cameron hits the woodwork from his set shot as the Cats have let a few chances go begging. Port launch from end to end and it’s Georgiades on the end of it again. From 50 on a tight angle his shot goes across the face.
Power levels rising
After the Cats’ hot start Port are starting to exert some control on the game. They go inside 50 again and Mullen does a good job to spoil in front of Jason Horne-Francis.
But the Power star is good enough to keep his feet and he soccers through a goal from a tight angle and it’s back to three points.
Port finally get another look
Mitch Georgiades takes a strong contested mark running out of the goal square and converts to kick his first goal in a final.
It was built off the back of the Power winning the contest out the middle for once and the margin is cut back to 10.
