With both sides precariously positioned ahead of the run home to the finals, only one team involved in Sunday’s clash at the Adelaide Oval between the Power and the Demons will remain a contender when it’s over. 

On current form, that one team has to be Melbourne which narrowly missed out on defeating the competition’s power house Collingwood on King's Birthday and also recently overpowered both 2024 Grand Finalists.

Conversely, Port Adelaide snapped out of a four-game losing streak with a win against the Giants in Canberra. Although they will be rejuvenated following that victory, their performances during that run of losses were sub par and resulted in some embarrassing blow out defeats.

Whilst I may not have been inclined to highlight this earlier in the year, it’s worth noting that Melbourne has held a distinct advantage at this venue against the home team in the current decade. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the teams have met at this venue on four occasions, with Melbourne emerging victorious in three of those encounters, including the most recent matchup at the ground in Round 4 last year. The exception was a match played on a wet and stormy night in May 2023, which Melbourne lost by four points in circumstances where the result could have gone either way. In the other three matchups, Melbourne was unequivocally the superior side.

Superiority in football however, does entail the ability to convert goals at a reasonable rate and if the Demons have a major failing at the present time, it is with conversion in the forward line. 

This is a subject that has applied for a long time - indeed, ever since the aftermath of their flag in 2021. So while the law of averages suggests that they will turn the corner very soon, every time they turn a corner, things just get worse. The importance of accuracy in front of goals was brought home to me last night while I was writing this and the Bulldogs’ score vs St. Kilda was 14.6.90 in the third quarter. Two weeks ago, Melbourne was light years away when it reached its 20th shot at goal. 

The Demons will be buoyed by the signing of rising superstar small man Kysaiah Pickett on a monster contract that should keep him at the club for the rest of his career. Pickett is the team talisman who lifted it dramatically after he came back from suspension and found his feet with a couple of games and found some explosive games both in the middle and in stints up forward. He’s also proven to be a thorn in the side of Port Adelaide over the years. They will struggle to contain him on Sunday.

Despite his contentious role in the King’s Birthday clash, Max Gawn maintained his exceptional form throughout the game, achieving 43 hitouts, 20 disposals, and numerous telling marks, while Clayton Oliver delivered an outstanding performance against the Magpies, displaying a tireless effort to finish with 30 disposals and 9 clearances. Christian Petracca is always a danger and the likely return of Jack Viney spells danger to the Port Adelaide engine room headed by skipper Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Horne-Francis returning after a layoff with injury. A measure of this team’s decline and loss of form this year is the fact that Jeremy Finlayson who would have been regarded as a “danger man” this time last year has been omitted.

You might not believe it, but I think the Demons have the power to win this one and I’m tipping it to do so by 32 points.

THE GAME

Port Adelaide v Melbourne on Sunday 15 June 2025 at 3.20pm at the Adelaide Oval 

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Port Adelaide 24 wins Melbourne 17 wins
At the Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide 3 wins Melbourne 4 wins
Past five meetings Port Adelaide 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins
The Coaches Hinkley 6 wins Goodwin 5 wins

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Port Adelaide 7.11.53 defeated Melbourne 7.9.51 at the MCG in Round 23 2024.

It was a dour, defensive struggle on a cold night with the Demons squandering away a number of opportunities in the final quarter against an in-form Port Adelaide that had beaten the league leader by 112 points a week earlier.

THE TEAMS

PORT ADELAIDE 

B B. Zerk-Thatcher, E. Ratugolea, M. Bergman

HB K. Farrell, A. Aliir, R. Burton

C J. Burgoyne, J. Horne-Francis, W. Drew

HF D. Byrne-Jones, S. Powell-Pepper, O. Wines

F W. Rioli, M. Georgiades, J. Richards

FOLL D. Visentini, C. Rozee, Z. Butters

I/C H. Jackson, M. Liddy, J. Mead, J. Sinn, J. Sweet

EMG T. Boak, L. Evans C. Moraes

IN J. Horne-Francis, M. Liddy, J. Sweet

OUT T. Boak (rested), J. Finlayson (omitted), C. Moraes (omitted)

MELBOURNE 

B J. Bowey, S. May, C. Salem

HB J. McVee, J. Lever, D. Turner

C K. Chandler, C. Petracca, X. Lindsay

HF H. Langford, B. Fritsch, T. Sparrow

F J. Melksham, H. Petty, K. Pickett

FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, J. Viney

I/C B. Howes, E. Langdon,  T. Rivers, J. van Rooyen, C. Windsor

EMG T. McDonald, H. Sharp, K. Tholstrup

IN  J. Viney

OUT K. Tholstrup (omitted)

Injury and Suspension List: Round 14

Aidan Johnson — suspended / 1 week
Jack Viney  — hand / Test
Oliver Sestan  — hamstring / Test
Charlie Spargo — scapula/ 3 - 4 weeks
Shane McAdam — Achilles / next season
Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / next season

Zerk. Thatcher. Horne. Francis. Byrne. Jones. Powell. Pepper.

They're playing with four extras!

But we'll still beat 'em. With a few surprises of our own - Kropinyeri, Pickett, Van and Rooyen.

Go-go Dee-Dees!