Kerr stars as Eagles thrash Power
Port Adelaide forward Justin Westhoff is set to spend the next six weeks on the sidelines after breaking his left foot in the Power's 50-point AFL loss to West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
Compounding a dirty day for the Power, star forward Daniel Motlop was reported by a goal umpire for striking Eagles swingman Adam Hunter during the third quarter of West Coast's 19.11 (125) to 10.15 (75) win.
Westhoff, who booted two goals for the match, limped off in the opening minute of the second half, all-but ending any hopes of a Power comeback after the Eagles took a commanding 33-point lead into the long break.
Eagles midfielder Daniel Kerr was the star of the show, notching 28 touches and four goals in a best on ground performance.
Port Adelaide's day never improved after kicking a wayward 1.6 in the opening term and coach Mark Williams was a frustrated man after the match.
"I'm sure the West Coast people would be thinking 'what a joke'," Williams said.
"Straight after halftime Shaun (Burgoyne) did some wonderful things - bounce, bounce, bounce and then smacks it into the goal post.
"Then straight after three-quarter time he kicks the ball out of bounds from a set shot on goal.
"If our most skillful players don't finish off then it's going to be a tough day."
On a day where Chad Cornes (200 games), Shaun Burgoyne (150), Brett Ebert (100) and Toby Thurstans (100) all notched milestones, a clearly frustrated Williams suggested the amount of family and friends hanging around the players had hindered their ability to "get the job done".
Motlop, who kicked four goals against the Bombers in round one, was again a shining light for the Power, kicking four majors - three of which were miracles - to go with a spectacular mark.
But with veteran Warren Tredrea (11 possessions, no goals) a shadow of his former self, the absence of 22-year-old Westhoff and the possible loss of Motlop to suspension could leave the Power vulnerable in attack.
Williams said Westhoff's brother Matthew, a 198cm key forward, and Nick Salter were in line to fill the void, starting with Sunday's match against Melbourne at AAMI Stadium.
The Eagles, narrow losers to Brisbane in round one, had winners all over the park.
Adam Selwood, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa, Dean Cox, Tyson Stenglein and Chris Masten were influential as the Eagles gained the midfield ascendancy, while Darren Glass, Mitch Brown, Shannon Hurn and Mark Nicoski were rock solid in defence.
Mark LeCras booted three goals in attack while the roaming Quinten Lynch kicked two monster goals.
The Power briefly threatened to launch a comeback in the third quarter when back-to-back goals closed the margin to 26 points.
But Kerr, who gathered 16 touches and booted two goals for the term, ruthlessly snuffed out the visitors' challenge.
"It was a very good quarter, he kept working and obviously had a lot of attention throughout the whole game but obviously broke away," West Coast coach John Worsfold said.
"The key thing is for us is that 'Kerry' played very well but he had a lot of other teammates that were right up there with him."
Post a comment about this article
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.