Scholz Under Injury Cloud as Power beat Saints
With a finals spot effectively up for grabs, all eyes turned to Alberton on Friday. An AFLW clash with mammoth consequences was on the menu, as the Power welcomed the Saints. The Power would send the Alberton crowd home happy, recording a 15-point win, 7.5 to 5.2.
However, the win wouldn’t be without casualties. Star ruck Matilda Scholz was left under an injury cloud.
In the fourth term, Scholz went down. Scholz was involved in a contest, before clashing her knee with a St Kilda opponent.
She went straight to the bench and was in some discomfort, hobbling off before having structural tests.
Scholz finished with 22 disposals and 30 hit-outs and was considered one of the best on the ground.
In terms of the game, it was Port who got the fast start.
Scholz picked up where she left off against Collingwood last time out. Inside the first 10 seconds of the contest, Scholz burst through the front of the first stoppage put the ball inside 50.
From there, Port were able to lock the footy inside forward 50 in the opening minutes. They were rewarded when Ash Saint took a one handed mark and converted truly.
As the first quarter continued, Port turned it on.
Levicki’s first was a lovely finish, before Dowrick’s snapped goal was one for the highlight reel.
Katelyn Pope then entered the party, and took a crouching mark. Her reaction after she kicked the goal said it all. The Power were flying high in the first.
Then deja vu hit as Dowrick snapped another goal. The tighter angle made it look even better than the original as quarter-time came.
At quarter-time, a 25-point lead rewarded the Power; it was Port’s midfield who were dominating.
Scholz (seven first quarter disposals), Shineah Goody (seven disposals), Piper Window (five disposals and three clearances), Abbey Dowrick (four disposals) and Maria Moloney (five disposals) flicked the switch.
As a team, Port Adelaide dominated possession and time in forward half, and they had four times as many inside 50s, (12-3). The Saints simply had no answer.
From there, however, the scoring dried up.
St Kilda came out of the first break a little better. Hannah Stuart was rewarded on the scoreboard while McDonald, Lambert and Kelly were important elsewhere for the Saints.
Wendland took inspiration from Dowrick’s snaps to kick her first, threading the needle from the boundary line.
From there only Ash Saint, Natalie Plane and Tyanna Smith would goal in the second half, as Port kept the Saints at arm’s length to get the win.
Interestingly for the Saints, Nick Dal Santo would move J’Noemi Anderson into the middle for the final term.
Despite not troubling the stats for the first three quarters, her last quarter was brilliant. Anderson would end the game with five disposals and a clearance, as she built momentum for the rest of the season.
Port’s Fast Start
It was Port’s fast start that set the win up for the Power. They kicked five goals to one for the term and dominated all over the ground.
Across the night, the Power were led by Goody and Scholz, but both were instrumental in the first. Goody would finish the game with 22 disposals to be best afield for the Power. Meanwhile, Scholz has put together two of the best games of her career in back-to-back weeks.
St Kilda’s Costly Mistakes
While both teams made mistakes, St Kilda’s were more damaging. When the game was there to be won in the first quarter, St Kilda struggled to hit targets, and didn’t make the right decisions at crucial times. This was a factor in how Port won the game.
Port’s Pressure
For four quarters, Port Adelaide’s pressure was off the charts. It’s through that pressure that Port were able to force the Saints into costly mistakes, and win the game.
Port Adelaide: 5.1 6.2 7.4 7.5.47
St Kilda Saints: 1.0 3.0 3.0 5.2.32
Goalkickers:
Port Adelaide:
Dowrick (2), Saint (2), Levicki, Pope, Wendland
St Kilda Saints:
Smith (2), Lambert, Plane, Stuart
Best:
Port Adelaide:
Dowrick, Goody, Scholz
St Kilda Saints:
Lambert, Smith, Watson