There’s an almost avian quality to how Connor Rozee moves on the football field. He hovers and lurks. He swoops and steals. He glides in, and accelerates out of a contest. On Saturday night, he anticipated the spill from a throw in, met the ball at full cruising speed, took it in his left hand, switched to his right, consulted his protractor, caressed the ball on the lateral column of his preferred foot, and let it tumble, talk, and taunt its way past the scrambling Gold Coast defender. From gather to goal-line, it took about 3.5 seconds.
There’s been some preposterous goals kicked at the Adelaide Oval, almost all of them by Eddie Betts. Commentator Dwayne Russell, not always renowned for his restraint at such moments, called it “one of the greatest goals of all time.” It was certainly equal to this year’s offerings from Brody Mihocek, Jamie Elliott and Dan Houston.
It was the standout moment of a remarkable Port Adelaide quarter. Gold Coast, who haven’t beaten them for a decade, and who have had Caroline Wilson on their hammer all week, fought admirably in the first half. But this Port Adelaide side has gears. Ken Hinkley gave them a rocket at half time, and they responded by doubling the Suns’ possessions and slamming on nine goals.
Port can win any which way. They can blow you away early, or mow you down late. They can thrash you, or sink you after the siren. They can win in the slop, or on a dry, still afternoon. Their best football this year – the first half against Hawthorn, and the third quarters of the Geelong and Gold Coast games - has been as good as anyone’s.
Their midfield has depth, but also flexibility. They rotate more players than most sides. It’s an ideal mix of thoroughbreds and pit ponies, of ageing and emerging, of stars and role players. It was Willem Drew’s clampdown on Matthew Rowell in the third term that allowed Rozee to flourish. In recent months, more selfless roles from Ollie Wines and Travis Boak has unleashed Zak Butters.
Some seasons, the top teams aren’t the most interesting, best to watch, or most likely to capture the interest of neutrals. But Port and Collingwood are the ones you seek out in the fixture each week. Even if you have a rabid hatred of those clubs, and plenty do, you’d be a right footy Scrooge if you don’t enjoy watching them play.
A final word on Charlie Dixon, who celebrated his 200th game. Ken Hinkley has the permanently chuffed look of a proud dad, but he’s especially fond of his big full forward. “Charlie’s 200 feels like 400,” he said on Saturday. Charlie cops his share of flak. You take the good with the bad with him. He has his limitations, and his quirks. He vaguely resembles the bushranger Captain Melville, who, when he wasn’t robbing stage coaches, was renowned for his affability and chivalry.
Hinkley’s been coaching Dixon for nearly a decade and a half now and he gives him a lot of rope. He gives away silly frees, misses easy shots and is forever on the verge of blowing a gasket. But he gives everything. He straightens them up. They’re always a better side when Dixon is there. At 32, he’s been labouring late in games recently, but when the whips were cracking in the third term, he was pivotal.
For Port fans, a loss to their South Australian rivals would have capped off the weekend nicely. The Crows watched a documentary on the life of Ernest Shackleton in the lead up, and for the first 15 minutes looked like they were playing in the explorer’s finnesko boots. Essendon, the 18th ranked clearance team, were slaughtering them out of the middle. But the visitors woke up and knuckled down.
On one of those Melbourne days where the sky hung like a giant grey duvet, footy under a roof never seemed so appealing. The first half was an old-fashioned shoot out, the type of which we rarely see in the modern game. But it was the Bombers who were the more potent. They’re a normal team and normal club again. There’s an absence of turmoil on and off the field. There’s tactical coherence. They know when to go slow, and when to release the brakes.
They beat Carlton in about 15 minutes - and for Essendon fans it doesn’t get sweeter than that. Yesterday was their best win of the year. It was an eight-point game – and a glimpse of the future. Ben Hobbs, just 19-years-old and hailing from the same draft as Nick Daicos, Jason Horne-Francis and Josh Rachele, played a slashing game. They absorbed Adelaide’s punches in the third term. They jumped four spots to fifth and left Adelaide back in the pack, with a Showdown and trips to the MCG and Gabba still in front of them.
