AFL Finals Preview: Port Adelaide vs Hawthorn

The time has come: it is now week 2 of the AFL finals! Week 1 had it all, from a big upset in Adelaide to some heroics from Isaac Heeney for the Swans.

Week 2 of the AFL finals series will see Port Adelaide take on Hawthorn in a win or go home semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night, before going across to Sydney for a Saturday showdown between the Giants and the Lions at ENGIE stadium.

The Power had a dreadful night last Thursday, losing the qualifying final at home by 84 points. Port had very little go right for them on the night and were badly beaten around the footy, an area they will look to rectify come Friday night.

The Power had a small scare during the game last Thursday in which Zak Butters was subbed off with a rib complaint, but has been further cleared of any serious damage to his ribs and will be eager to bounce back.

The Power remain confident in their ability to make a deep run in this year’s finals series. They will be looking to take care of the Hawks at home in front of another sell out crowd.

“We can still beat any side in the competition and still get to the final day in September, our motivation is there,” Connor Rozee mentioned on SEN Adelaide.

On the back of a great performance last Friday night, which saw many of the young Hawks play their first final, Hawthorn are full of confidence ahead of another big Friday night final.

Hawthorn are looking to get some revenge on the Power after their heart breaking Round 10 loss, in which they had themselves in a certain winning position, two goals up with less than a minute to go, only to squander their lead and lose to Port by a single point.

Jack Ginnivan has found himself in some controversy again this week with a light hearted comment on Sydney’s ruckman Brodie Grundy’s Instagram post. His comment, “see u in 14 days,” is referring to the fact that the Hawks will take care of the Power on Friday night and take on the Swans in a preliminary final this time next week. The Swans await the winner of the Friday night epic.

Some Darcy Byrne-Jones magic is what it took for the Power to beat the Hawks the last time these two sides met, way back in Round 10. The Power kicked two goals inside the last 30 seconds of game time to snatch the win right out of the Hawks’ grasp.

Our prediction: Expect to see a Power response early in the piece; don’t be shocked if the Power blow the Hawks away in the first term. Hoping for a cracking contest though, with Port to win in a close one. Power by 7 points at the Adelaide Oval.

Our attendance prediction: The qualifying final last Thursday night saw 50,342 people come through the gates, expecting a similar result on Friday night. 51,090 people to be in attendance on Friday night.