Power blitz Bombers
Peter Burgoyne has led Port Adelaide to a 28-point win over last year's grand finalists, Essendon in their Wizard Home Loans Cup match at Football Park.

Port powers past Bombers
Port Adelaide continued its tradition of performing well in the pre-season competition with a comfortable win over Essendon at Football Park in the first round of the Wizard Home Loans Cup.

Port Adelaide 3.1  6.3  11.8  13.8 (86)
Essendon 2.3.  4.4  5.5  8.10 (58)

Best:
Port: Burgoyne, Primus, Francou, Mead, French, Tredrea
Essendon: Peverill, Lucas, Rioli, Jacobs, Bannister, Hird, M Johnson

Goals:
Port: Burgoyne 4, Tredrea 3, Primus 2, Wanganeen, C. Cornes, Francou, Lade 1
Essendon: Lucas 2, Lloyd, Mercuri, Caracella, M. Johnson, J. Johnson, Davies 1

Monday 18th

Lade walks the walk in comeback game
Power big man Brendon Lade walked onto Football Park to play only his second game in two years yesterday afternoon, but it was the walk off the ground he was savouring this morning.

Williams rates Lade and Hardwick

Port duo succumb to injury again
Scott Bassett and Paul Koulouriotis will be out of football for four to six weeks because of injuries suffered at training last week. Bassett has a fractured wrist and Koulouriotis has a recurrence of a hamstring strain.

Port blitz sinks the lack lustre Bombers
Elusive forward Peter Burgoyne inspired Port Adelaide to a 28-point trouncing of a lacklustre Essendon in the AFL pre-season cup match at Football Park last night.

Throw out the form guide
Review of all 16 teams performance in Rd 1

Port could prove a handful
Port Adelaide proved it was not wallowing in self-pity from last year's disappearing act in the AFL finals by starting its defence of the Wizard Cup with an encouraging 28-point win against Essendon at Football Park last night.

Rd 1 Details
Wizard Cup Ladder after Rd 1

Tuesday 19th

Lockwood leaves Central District
Bowen Lockwood has parted company with his SANFL club Central District. Port Adelaide wants to use Lockwood in defence and had asked the Bulldogs to use him in defence as well but they refused. It was decided that it would be in the best interests of Lockwood and his SANFL club to release him from his contract. It is believed that Lockwood will line up for the Port Magpies if the SANFL clears the move.
See press release - Lockwood switches SANFL clubs

Chad has bold ambitions
Injury list for all clubs
Your club - News on every club

Wednesday 20th

Schwab: Francis saga over
Update on former Port player Fabian Francis

Change for Lockwood
Special meals on wheels delivery to Port legend

Thursday 21st

Port the pre-season benchmark, says Connolly
Approaching Saturday night’s game with Port Adelaide, Fremantle coach Chris Connolly said today the Power was the benchmark team for the Preseason competition. “I think they’re the best preseason team.’’

Squads named
Che Cockatoo-Collins will miss this weekend's Wizard Cup match against Fremantle because he is sufferin from knee soreness. Dean Brogan, Shaun Burgoyne, Brent Guerra, Derek Murray and Jared Poulton have been named in the squad of 28 which will be trimmed to 24. Read more in this article from the official site. Che out of battle for top spot.

Power reserves have a win
The Power reserves took on the Crows reserves this afternoon in the second of two practice matches at Alberton Oval.

All Power positions under threat
Competition for spots at Port Adelaide is so hot even the club's top-tier players are feeling the heat. Last year's club champion runner-up Josh Carr yesterday revealed such was the Power's depth this year neither he nor any team mate felt he had a stranglehold on a position in the club's best 22.

Your club - News on every club Real Footy
Stuart Dew pulled up sore from Sunday's game and could be rested this weekend.

Friday 22nd

Home calls for Pavlich
Matthew Pavlich, Fremantle’s exciting young forward, is up for auction – and at least three clubs have been asked to submit bids for his services, according to his management company Flying Start. A report on Adelaide’s Channel 7 news tonight said Pavlich was “on the verge” of returning to South Australia to play with Adelaide or Port Adelaide next season.

Freo will be special says Williams
Power coach Mark Williams has a message for the football public – Fremantle, last year’s wooden spooners, will be a ‘special team’ in 2002. It is the same message he has given his players on the eve of their Wizard Cup clash against the Dockers at Football Park on Saturday night.

Freo will improve
Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams is expecting big things from the Fremantle Dockers in 2002 after their off-season recruiting spree.

Francis to play role for Dockers in cup
Fabian Francis will not be wearing a Fremantle jumper this year. But his allegiance is already with the club barred from picking him up in the AFL pre-season draft because of salary cap breaches.

Saturday 23rd

Farmer reported in Freo loss
Fremantle star recruit Jeff Farmer was reported for striking as Port Adelaide put themselves into prime position for an AFL Wizard Cup semi-final berth with a 17.14 (116) to 7.8 (50) thrashing of the Dockers at Football Park.

Port continues to impress
Port Adelaide has maintained its excellent pre-season form with a comfortable 66-point victory over a young Fremantle outfit in the Wizard Home Loans Cup at Football Park.

Port spanks Freo
Port Adelaide has thrashed Fremantle by 66 points at Football Park to move a step closer to the Wizard Cup semi-finals.

The defending champions in what was 12 months ago the Ansett Cup, the Power dominated for the entire match and eventually ran out comfortable winners, 17.14.116 to 7.8.50 to claim their second victory from as many starts.

Dockers to be a force this year: Williams
The AFL's perennial cellar-dweller, Fremantle, would become something special this year, Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams said yesterday.

Sunday 24th

Back to earth with a thud
A run down on the weekend's Wizard Cup matches and the likely outcomes heading into Rd 3 and the finals. Port Adelaide is rated as favourite to take out the pre-season comp back to back.
Also see the updated ladder after Rd 2 and all the results. Alternative link - Real Footy Rd 2 Results

We're better says Williams
Mark Williams is convinced Port Adelaide is a better side than at this stage last year when it won the pre-season competition. “The reason we’re better is that players have the belief,” Williams said after Port’s emphatic 66-point defeat of Fremantle in a Wizard Home Loans Cup round-two match at Football Park last night.

Fremantle falls to Port
Fremantle has suffered its first loss of the Wizard Home Loans Cup - going down by 66 points to an impressive Port Adelaide outfit at Football Park. A good even contest was on offer with both teams coming off a win in the first round of the pre-season competition and the game certainly delivered on that promise early.

Connolly puts defeat in perspective
Fremantle coach Chris Connolly described his team’s 66-point loss to Port Adelaide at Football Park last night as “a good learning curve for us against one of the top-quality teams in the competition”.

For a blow by blow description of the Rd 2 Wizard Cup game against Freo check out this thread at BigFooty.com - Port vs Freo.

Monday 25th

Farmer out for three matches
Jeff Farmer, Fremantle’s star recruit, was suspended for three matches at the AFL Tribunal tonight, effectively ruling him out for the opening two home-and-away rounds of 2002. Farmer pleaded guilty to the charge of rough play on Port Adelaide skipper Matthew Primus during the second quarter of last Saturday night’s Wizard Home Loans Cup match against the Power at Football Park.
Also see Wizard pays price.

Crows hold ace for home semi final
If Port and the Crows are competing in the semi finals, the Crows will most likely get the home semi final.

West v Port trial game results
It should be noted that Port lost Chris Robertson (groin), Bowen Lockwood and Cain Ackland who were withdrawn by the Power before the game, and rested key men Darryl Poole and Ryan O'Connor. Tony Brown was also missing.

Former Crows utility Shane Ellen, at half-back when Nigel Fiegert was pushed into attack, Mark Clayton and reliable Jared Poulton worked hard and Queensland recruit Haydn Kluver showed promise.

West Adelaide 15.13 (103)
Port Adelaide 10.5 (65)

BEST 
West: Dabrowski, Norman, Lowther, Munn, Barratt, Taylor, Hollands
Port: Fiegert, Ellen, Clayton, Poulton, Kluver

GOALS 
West: Holands 5, Munn, Barratt, Symes 2, A. Richardson, Howard, Thomas, Schuback 1
Port: Kluver, Tessman, Lokan 2, Carter, E. Warrior, Fiegert, Vines 1

Port powers on for cup double
Amid all the experimenting and sparring, an AFL coach - Port Adelaide's Mark Williams - has actually admitted he wants to win the Wizard Cup.

Tuesday 26th

AFL faces scheduling problem
The AFL will be faced with a tough scheduling decision if, as favoured, Adelaide and Port Adelaide qualify for the semi-finals of the Wizard Home Loans Cup.

Your club - News on every club
Che Cockatoo-Collins is expected to be rested again because of his knee strain. Brendon Lade and Adam Kingsley missed training yesterday because of soreness but the club says they are not in doubt for this week's trip to Melbourne.

Wednesday 27th

Monty on Port's triple bonus
Travelling to and from Melbourne, training at Optus Oval and playing at Colonial Stadium is a triple bonus for Port Adelaide this weekend, according to sturdy defender Brett Montgomery.

Dogs bring back big guns
The Western Bulldogs will roll out their big guns against Port Adelaide at Colonial Stadium on Saturday in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the semi-finals of the Wizard Home Loans Cup.

Tredrea to appear on Foxtel show
Port Adelaide vice captain Warren Tredrea will be making a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of The World's Funniest series on Fox 8. The show features bloopers from home videos, commercials and sports and news footage.

The show has two regular presenters plus a special AFL guest from the Fox Footy Channel each week. The show screens on Fridays at 7.00pm.

Your club - News on every club
Hawks and Port looking good
Power keen to maintain pre-season record

Thursday 28th

Lade rested for Bulldogs game
The Power Match Committee has made one change to the squad of 28 to take on the Western Bulldogs on Saturday at Colonial Stadium. Brendon Lade will be rested this week having pulled up sore after the weekend’s game. Replacing him in the squad is Cain Ackland, who is yet to play in a Wizard Cup game.

Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide - Preview

Dogs pick Grant again
The Western Bulldogs have again selected Chris Grant despite the skipper already having missing two Wizard Home Loans Cup matches because of an insurance wrangle. Includes Port & Bulldogs team lists.

Your club - News on every club Real Footy