Where and when: Adelaide Oval, Saturday, April 22, 1.15pm

TV: Live on Ch7 in WA, Fox Footy and streaming on Kayo

Last time we met: Port Adelaide 18.9 (117) def. West Coast 4.9 (33) at Adelaide Oval, round six, 2022

The Eagles travelled to face the then-winless Power in the corresponding Anzac round last year and - after going into quarter-time with scores level at 1.2 apiece – were unable to keep up as the home side went to another level. West Coast simply couldn’t compete and didn’t kick a second goal until the fourth quarter in a tough watch at Adelaide Oval. Todd Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson both bagged five goals for the Power, while the Eagles were well-served by Tim Kelly (31 disposals, six clearances), Alex WItherden (34) and Luke Shuey (22, six clearances) on a forgettable day.

What it means for the Eagles: There is no shying away from the fact the Eagles are depleted but for the 23 who take the field against Port Adelaide it is about continuing to provide unconditional effort and showing resilience in adversity. West Coast took positives from a gutsy fightback against Geelong in Adelaide for Gather Round and will hope to build on that in another tough clash against a team with lofty ambitions in 2023.

The stat: With nine goals in four games, Jake Waterman is already halfway to his best tally in a season – the 18 majors he kicked from 20 matches last year.

The match-up: Oscar Allen v Aliir Aliir

It has been a brilliant return to football for Allen after a year out of the game recovering from a foot injury, and the Eagles spearhead sits equal third in the Coleman Medal race after five rounds with 14 majors. He combined with Jake Waterman (four) and Jack Darling (two) for 10 goals against Geelong – a return the Eagles would gladly take every week – and Allen’s ability to provide a target, follow up when the ball hits the ground and lead the attack is vital for West Coast. Aliir, who is rated highly in the AFL Coaches Association votes so far this season and sits in 20^th spot overall, may not be Allen’s direct opponent but his intercept-marking (AFL No.2) makes him a formidable roadblock the Eagles will need to contend with to kick a winning score on Saturday.

It’s a big week for: Bailey Williams

The emerging ruck has stood up for the Eagles in their time of need and put his hand up despite reporting hamstring awareness after the Geelong clash. West Coast premiership big man Scott Lycett has been left out by Port Adelaide, leaving Williams to come up against East Fremantle product Brynn Teakle in his third game and Jeremy Finlayson. The Eagles were scored heavily against from stoppages against the Cats and need Williams to continue his strong and competitive form to win the clearance and territory battle.

Big call: Young stoppage specialist Zane Trew to win five-plus clearances in his third game and first for the season.

An edge in class and composure saw Port Adelaide secure victory against the West Coast Eagles at Adelaide Oval today.

While the Eagles persisted until the death, Port controlled the play for the vast majority of the game as they won by 40 points – 16.13 (109) to 10.9 (69).

The Eagles were in the game early, but Port broke away in the second quarter to lead by six goals at the main break and essentially held that advantage for the remainder of the match.

A lack of polish saw the Eagles fail to capitalise on some opportunities and Port, through the agency of classy midfielders Connor Rozee and Willem Drew and forward Jeremy Finlayson, who kicked five goals, ensured the hosts had the edge.

While Port broke the game open in the second term to create a match-winning break, the Eagles persisted after half-time and were outscored by just four points.

The result may have been disappointing, but there were some encouraging signs with ruckman Bailey Williams producing arguable the best game of his evolving career, Jai Culley, who played forward rather than through the midfield and Jake Waterman continued a strong run of form.

Williams had 21 possessions, 13 clearances and 37 hit outs in a strong performance carrying most of the burden in the ruck.

Culley played forward and kicked four goals to work alongside key forwards Oscar Allen and Jack Darling to demonstrate a second string to his bow.

Experienced midfielders Tim Kelly (34 possessions, eight clearances) and Andrew Gaff (32 possessions, four clearances) worked hard while defenders Liam Duggan and Tom Barrass (17 possessions and 10 marks) and were also important.

Unfortunately captain Luke Shuey, resuming from a hamstring strain, had his ankle trapped in a tackle in the first quarter and while he battled on bravely he was subbed out of the game in the third term.

Details
Port Adelaide                    3.2          9.6          13.9        16.13     109
West Coast Eagles            2.3          3.6          7.8          10.9          69

Goals – Port Adelaide: Finlayson 5; Burton, Rioli, Rozee, Byrne-Jones 2; Powell-Pepper, Drew, Lord. West Coast Eagles: Culley 4; Allen, Darling 2; Waterman, Petruccelle.

Best – Port Adelaide: Rozee, Finlayson, Drew, Butters, Aliir, Byrne-Jones.
West Coast Eagles: Kelly, Williams, Gaff, Barrass, Culley, Duggan.

Injuries – Port Adelaide: Marshall (concussion)   West Coast Eagles: Shuey (ankle)