Power sweat on Fantasia injury after big win over Cats

Port Adelaide prima Orazio Fantasia is assured of playing successful the preliminary last contempt a niggling genu wounded causing interest successful Power's 86-43 triumph implicit Geelong connected Friday night.

Geelong were incapable to springiness Tom Hawkins much crushed to observe successful his 300th crippled with a nonaccomplishment their manager described arsenic "poor" and "diabolical". The Cats volition present look the victor of either Sydney oregon GWS to support their finals run alive.

Meanwhile Port Adelaide person the week disconnected with the preliminary last perchance acceptable to instrumentality spot astatine location astatine Adelaide Oval arsenic the federation juggles an ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The other week disconnected volition beryllium euphony to Fantasia's ears aft the electrical tiny guardant was subbed retired precocious successful the crippled against the Cats with a breached chemoreceptor and needing crystal connected his knee.

"He gave it a sound and we weren't going to instrumentality a chance," Port Adelaide manager Ken Hinkley said.

Orazio Fantasia of the Power celebrates kicking a extremity (Getty)

"He was complaining it was a spot sore truthful we were successful a presumption wherever we surely weren't going to instrumentality that chance.

"We've got 2 weeks present truthful he's got plentifulness of clip to get implicit that I imagine.

"We didn't request to instrumentality immoderate much risk."

Fantasia had country successful June and missed circular 11 to circular 20, but it appears his genu contented remains.

"I felt a spot of a click," Fantasia said aft the win.

"It feels bully present I've had a spot of crystal connected it but it's a small spot sore.

"I knew I needed to negociate it successful the backmost extremity of the season.

"I deliberation I'll beryllium good with a break. It was bully I could person that interruption past week and person a interruption this week.

"I deliberation the aesculapian unit person helped maine retired massively knowing I would miss a just chunk, but to get maine close for the pointy end."

Fantasia was lethal with minimal touches, scoring 4 goals from 9 disposals arsenic the Power cruised to their seventh-straight victory, and their 2nd consecutive triumph implicit a top-four side.

"I though that was immoderate of the champion footy we've played each year," Travis Boak said post-game.

"20,000 here, they were truthful large tonight. There's nary uncertainty they helped america get the win."

Other than Fantasia, Port Adelaide defender Aliir Aliir was the different evident standout, nullifying Geelong's forwards with 5 intercept marks and 3 spoils successful the archetypal 4th alone.

Port Adelaide's strategy of putting Aliir connected galore smaller forwards alternatively of the likes of Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, worked perfectly arsenic helium suffocated the Cats' attack.

"He is unreal. I inactive don't deliberation helium gets the recognition helium deserves," Power's Ollie Wines told Fox Footy.

Port Adelaide's Aliir Aliir (Getty)

"He's acceptable into his relation truly good this year. He astir apt didn't person the opportunities astatine Sydney truthful we're truthful privileged to person him.

"He was capable to instrumentality the sting retired of the wrong 50s."

Hinkley was likewise impressed with Aliir's output connected Friday night.

"He was truly strong," helium said successful his property conference.

"He's had an astonishing year, everyone knows that.

"Aliir played his extremity truly good for us."

Geelong Cats manager Chris Scott was scathing successful his summary of the team's show against the Power and expressed utmost disappointment that they failed to present a amended effect for Hawkins' milestone game.

"It was a mediocre performance," helium said successful his post-match property conference.

"Virtually everything that could spell incorrect did spell wrong."

"I deliberation we had 3 guardant 50 tackles for the nighttime which is diabolical really," helium added.

"We kicked it to them successful our backmost fractional which is uncharacteristic, the shot bounced retired of our guardant fractional and we didn't situation them good enough, and past we opened ourselves up with the tendency to people which is ever the hazard you instrumentality erstwhile you request to crook things connected their head."

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