SHOWDOWN IS UPON US! (Round 8 Preview)



There is no such a thing as "winning too many derbies." There is no crisis that cannot be solved by a derby win...

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 Derbies are brutal, elegant, nasty, and beautiful. Derbies are like having the fanciest tea with the Queen in the middle of a battlefield during a war; like a mixed song out of “Pomp and Circumstance”, “Smoke on the Water”, “Nothing Else Matters”, and Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony”, played by an orchestra and a rock band, with violins, electric guitars, and machine guns. Derbies are games that must be played wearing black-tie with ballerina’s slippers, Viking helmet, and an ax. Derbies are Good and Evil combined, with no Beyond whatsoever. 

 Yes, precisely. Derbies are THAT DELICIOUSLY SILLY! And I will have TWO derbies this Saturday: Showdown 44; and Grê-Nal 416. [1] [2] I don’t know what will be left of me at Mother’s Day celebration, but I hope will be enough for not hurting neither mom’s nor wife’s feelings…

Now, on a more serious note, I was checking all the changes Port has made so far during the season. Once the gameplan has been covered; now it is time to see those in charge of executing it. On that, it seems that the Power will field a team as close as possible to its First-XXII; at least, on the coaches’ opinion. There are only three differences between the list for the Showdown and the list for the game against Fremantle:

In – Jack Hombsch, Jake Neade, and Robbie Gray;
Out – Dom Barry, Hamish Hartlett, and Todd Marshall.

Robbie Gray was suspended for our first game. Hartlett is injured (season), and Marshall is mourning his parents. Hence, basically, Robbie Gray got his place back in the line-up from Dom Barry; while Hombsch is substituting Hartlett, and Neade replaces Marshall. One can argue whether Hombsch and Neade would be the best replacements for those who are out, but the remaining 20 players are certainly currently part of our best line-up (again, at least, for our coaches).

Here, our line-up for the clash against the Crows:

Pillars – Jack Hombsch, Dan Houston, Tom Clurey, and Dougal Howard;

 Guards – Riley Bonner, Darcy Byrne-Jones, and Tom Jonas;

Infielders – Paddy Ryder, Tom Rockliff, Brad Ebert, Ollie Wines, and Sam Powell-Pepper;

Wides – Steven Motlop, and Jared Polec;

Libero – Justin Westhoff;

Couriers – Travis Boak, Chad Wingard, Robbie Gray, Sam Gray, and Jake Neade;

 Targets – Charlie Dixon, and Jack Watts.  [3]

The Showdown will be a good measurement of how well Port Adelaide’s team is currently playing. Last time we have faced them, Port was able to comeback from a 27-point half-time deficit. That is not something we should count on to repeat. We must get them from the start.

 Tredrea was clear in his last article on The Advertiser: the club is on notice; everyone is feeling the heat. If so, the derby couldn't have come in a more appropriate time. 

CARN THE PEAR!

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 Notes:
[1] Grê-Nal is the eight biggest soccer rivalry in the world, according to FourFourTwo magazine: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwos-50-biggest-derbies-world-no8-gremio-vs-internacional


[2] It is the derby #416 in Porto Alegre because there is no such a thing as a “friendly derby.” We count them all. For me, calling a Port-Crows game as “JLT Showdown” is absurd.

[3] Not the proper names of the positions, I know. The point is that I'm trying to understand them now...

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