Rd 18 Port v Eagles at Alberton Oval

2.20pm Saturday 3rd August 2002

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Port Magpie Injury Update
Tom Carr (ankle) test
Mark Clayton (ankle) test
Tony Brown (broken leg) season
Julian Wait (shoulder) test
Antony Sheehan (oesteo pubis) indefinite
Darryl Poole (knee) season
Mark Harwood (back) indefinite

Magpie Media
The Port Magpie game will be shown delayed from 2.30pm on ABC TV with the last half live. Radio coverage is also available on Radio 5DN 1323AM.

But as usual - first the Ressies, and it seems that the constant changes to their lineup finally caught up with them. In a game they should have won they battled to stay in it through the third and then fell right away to lose by 8 goals, not scoring a goal in the last. Some good signs though with the form of Greeny, Lohde, Sealy and Froggy but the tough decision in the next 2 or 3 weeks is - do they get promoted or do we hold a strong Ressies side together for the finals??? I know which way I lean, but what do you think? 

The main game was a shocker; scrambly, error ridden, low scoring, very ordinary umpiring - the only component missing was a Maggies win. We certainly had our chances including a 5 point lead at the last and some early rushes into the forward line at the beginning of the last, but we couldn't kick the goals that were needed and lost YET AGAIN by a small margin of 8 points.

Any Eagles supporters with inflated ideas of their team's prospects in the finals had better only book for 1 maybe 2 finals at the most. Norwood (my tip for the flag), Centrals and to a lesser extent Sturt, are so obviously ahead of the rest it makes season end boring, but lets NOT forget the Ressies and u19's. They deserve all the support they can get in the finals.

To wrap up - the better players as I saw them were; Ackers, Steedy, Ebo,(hope he makes the Power rookie list) and perhaps Brades. The return to something like form for the likes of Ackers was pleasing but the poor use of the ball with basic skill errors combined with a lack of support for teammates were not. 

A lot of issues need to be addressed BEFORE next season if the REAL Maggies are to reappear!! Well on to Sturt next week and I expect that we HAVE A REAL RED HOT GO. 

Till then Lynton