Port’s fitness feared

They’re the fast finishers, feared as the AFL’s fittest.

But vice-captain Brad Ebert says Port Adelaide’s remarkable record late in games comes from the mind as much as the body. Port enhanced their status as last quarter specialists in their semi-final victory against Fremantle last Saturday.

The Power kicked six goals to three in the final term – the 17th time in 24 matches this season they have won a last quarter, a competition benchmark.

Robbie Gray has been in stunning form for the Power. Photo: Getty

Fellow preliminary finalists North Melbourne (16), Sydney (15) and Hawthorn (15) also feature high on a last quarter winning list, which Ebert says can’t just be down to superior fitness.

“We are a fit side but every team in the competition is a fit side as well,” Ebert said on Monday.

Port’s away victory against Fremantle was the seventh time in the past two seasons they have come from behind at three-quarter time to win.

And the Power’s scoring graph increases in each quarter – they have kicked 80 goals in first quarters this season, rising to 97 goals in last terms. 

So it’s mental more than purely physical?

“It does come down to that,” Ebert said. “And the confidence to know that we’re in a position where, if we are close, we feel confident that we can really run out the game strong.”

Port Adelaide’s belief is soaring as they hatch plans for a preliminary final heist against Hawthorn, which would advance the club to its first grand final since 2007.

But buoyed by consecutive finals triumphs, and a victory against the Hawks in round 10, Ebert says Port players know they can knock off their fancied opponent.

Ebert dismissed Port’s recent travels – two trips to Perth for games against Fremantle in the past three weeks – as a factor against Hawthorn, who had last weekend off.

Port Adelaide expect backman Tom Jonas to overcome injury and play against Hawthorn. Jonas is Port’s sole injury concern after suffering a corked thigh and being substituted during the Power’s semi-final victory against Fremantle last Saturday.

Roos to challenge Harvey ban

North Melbourne has suffered a massive blow on the eve of its biggest match in years with the suspension of its most experiences – and possibly still its best – player, small forward Brent Harvey.

The club will challenge a one-match suspension to Brent Harvey in an attempt to free their champion midfielder to play in Friday night’s preliminary final against Sydney, although such appeals have a poor record.

Harvey and Selwood tangle at the MCG. Photo: Getty

Harvey was issued with the one-game rough conduct ban by the match review panel on Monday for making high contact to Geelong captain Joel Selwood in Friday’s semi-final, which the Kangaroos won by six points.

Selwood was forced from the ground under the blood rule after the contact with Harvey opened up a cut over his right eye.

But the Geelong skipper will be backing Harvey if he is called to give evidence. He told Footy Classified on Monday night that it was a “very minor” and commonplace incident.

“I was running at speed; he was coming at me at speed,” he said. “Accidents happen.”

The 36-year-old Harvey’s previous poor record and resultant carry-over points meant he was unable to have the sanction cut to a reprimand with an early guilty plea. He only returned to action last week after serving a separate three-game ban for misconduct.

The 383-game veteran will now miss the Kangaroos’ first preliminary final in seven years unless he is able to have the charge overturned at the tribunal on Tuesday night. North Melbourne wasted no time in confirming they would challenge the ban.

The MRP assessed the contact with Selwood as a level one offence involving negligent conduct (one point), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points), resulting in 125 demerit points. Harvey’s existing bad record saw the penalty increased by 10 per cent, while a further 41 demerit points increased the penalty to 178.50 points, ruling out the prospect of a reprimand, even with the 25 per cent discount for an early guilty plea.

However, the AFL confirmed that, should the appeal fail, Harvey would not risk a longer suspension, so the club has little to lose.

The match-day report of Fremantle’s Zac Dawson for striking Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray in the other semi-final was dismissed after the panel ruled that the Dockers’ defender was making a legitimate attempt to spoil the ball.

#NMFC will be challenging Brent Harvey’s one-match ban for rough conduct on Joel Selwood. — NMFC (@NorthKangaroos) September 15, 2014

Wet track worry for Swans

A wet surface could cut Sydney down to size in Friday’s preliminary final at ANZ Stadium.

North Melbourne are considering recalling Joel Tippett and Lachie Hansen to bolster their backline against Sydney’s big men Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid and Adam Goodes.

Kangaroos’ skipper Andrew Swallow says greasy conditions could make life tough for Sydney’s marking forwards.

“Generally if it’s going to be a wet night, it’s definitely harder to mark the footy and you go back to some basic contested footy,” Swallow said on Monday. Showers are forecast for most of the week in Sydney, including Friday. But Swallow said the weather would not bother the Swans’ midfield.

Adam Goodes and Kurt Tippett did not play when these sides last met. Photo: Getty

“They’ve got some of the best if not the best contested player in the game. So they’ve still got some options if it does rain.”

Onballer Swallow says minor premiers the Swans boast an awesome midfield led by Brownlow Medal contender Josh Kennedy.

“It would be pretty close to being up there with the best,” Swallow said. “We know how good Josh Kennedy is. Luke Parker has been outstanding. Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery, it’s going to be a massive task for us.

“But we feel we’ve got some depth as well now. It’s great to have Daniel Wells back and playing well.

“He got tagged on the weekend but still was able to give us a bit of a role. Nick Dal Santo really stood up, Ben Cunnington continues to play well, Jack Ziebell.

“Sam Gibson … he’s just probably getting noticed a bit now by the media but we’ve always rated him really highly. We’re really confident we’ve got enough guys to match them.”

While the Kangaroos are at long odds to advance to their first grand final since 1999, Swallow says there’s no shortage of confidence at Arden Street.

“We want to go all the way and we believe that we can go all the way,” he said.

North beat Sydney by 43 points at the SCG in their previous clash in round four, the Swans’ worst performance of the season. “We take a bit out of it,” Swallow said.

But Swallow and Sydney co-captain Jarrad McVeigh agreed that North would be facing a more formidable opponent this time around.

The Kangaroos restricted the Swans to a miserly 48 points, their lowest score of the season, but the Bloods were without three quarters of their four-pronged tall forward battery, with Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and Sam Reid all injured. All three are now available and Sydney are likely to be at full strength.

That match represented the nadir of Sydney’s season, leaving them 1-3, before they rebounded to beat Fremantle the following week to trigger a club-record equalling 12-game winning streak.

“They comprehensively beat us, but we are a completely different team now,” McVeigh said. “The way we were playing then was not the way we want to play. It was unacceptable for us and fortunately we turned it around.”

In addition, McVeigh said he had no doubt defender Nick Malceski would recover from his hamstring injury. But he dismissed suggestions that Harvey’s loss would prove decisive.

“They’ve been playing really good footy without him. Their midfield depth at the moment has been unbelievable, He didn’t play the first (elimination) final and they had a really good win.”

Dockers go shopping

Luke McPharlin looks like he’s on the way out, but free agent James Frawley could be on the way in as Fremantle attempt to keep their AFL premiership window open.

Frawley reportedly visited Fremantle’s headquarters last Saturday after flying into Perth with his girlfriend.

The 25-year-old defender is being heavily chased by Geelong, but the Dockers are also in the race as they search for a replacement for McPharlin, who appears increasingly likely to retire. Frawley is expected to command in the vicinity of $550,000 per season on a multi-year deal.

James Frawley has reportedly visited Docker headquarters. Photo: Getty

The 193cm key defender has played 139 games over eight seasons for Melbourne, with his finest season coming in 2010 when he was named in the All-Australian team.

Dockers coach Ross Lyon has already declared the club will attempt to bolster their squad through free agency and trading, and Frawley appears to be a logical solution to fill the gap in defence.

McPharlin battled calf and knee injuries on the way to just 13 games this season, with the 32-year-old forced to watch on from the sidelines as Fremantle made a straight sets finals exit. Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands said he was unsure about whether McPharlin would retire.

Fremantle reached the grand final last year, but injuries to key players during this season’s finals series cruelled their flag hopes.

Goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne (jaw), Michael Johnson (back), McPharlin (calf) and Alex Silvagni (hamstring) all missed the semi-final loss to Port.

Fremantle possess the oldest list in the competition, raising doubts about whether their premiership window has passed them by.

But Sandilands is confident the Dockers will remain in premiership contention next year. “We’ve got some great youth coming through on the list,” Sandilands said.

“Our young players are really improving quickly. We see no reason why we can’t keep improving next year, and hopefully things go our way.”

Fremantle’s clearance work was poor at times this season, despite the dominance of 211cm ruckman Aaron Sandilands and star midfielder Nat Fyfe.

Sandilands said it was an area the team would look to improve over summer. “The more time you can spend out on the track practising your craft, the better off you’ll be.

“We’ve got some great midfielders, and the chemistry is only going to improve the more time we spend out on the park.”

Sandilands battled a serious hamstring issue in 2013, but he only missed one game this season and said he was ready for another big year in 2015.

Skipper Matthew Pavlich also remains optimistic the team can win a maiden premiership before his time in the AFL is up. “We’re really confident we can lick our wounds, and really learn where we need to get better.”