1. A fitting tribute to J-Mac
Earmarked as a tribute to the late John McCarthy, who played 21 games for the Power in 2012 before dying tragically in Las Vegas last September, Saturday night's match was always going to be an emotional affair. The players' tributes to their deceased teammate were moving, as was the minute's silence observed by both sides. But a huge banner that read "J-MAC, IN MEMORY OF OUR FRIEND" and was spread across an entire section of the crowd said it all. Saturday night was a chance for the players to remember their teammate and an opportunity for fans to wave J-Mac a final goodbye.??
2. Hartlett bags a belter
Jay Schulz held onto an early contender for Mark of the Year last week against Melbourne, but this week it was Hamish Hartlett who slotted an early challenger for Goal of the Year. Deep in the pocket about 30m out from goal, Hartlett remarkably dribbled the ball through from an impossible angle. The third umpire was needed to make sure of it and, while the ball looked to have flicked the padding on the goal post, the vision wasn't conclusive enough to override the goal umpire's instinct.
3. Future finishes
Having missed a host of opportunities to put the Giants away in the third term, two of the Power's most exciting prospects in Jake Neade and Chad Wingard combined to boot three goals in time on. The 18-year-old Neade hit 19-year-old Wiingard on the lead three times in the final five minutes of the third quarter to seal the deal on Saturday night. Wingard went back and calmly slotted two of the shots, before passing the third to Justin Westhoff who also converted for the Power.
4. Central supremacy
The proof is in the statistics that the Giants will develop into a near unstoppable force when it comes to playing clearance footy. The youngest side in the AFL dominated Port Adelaide early and took a 13-3 clearance lead into quarter time. When the final siren sounded they still led 39-24. 20-year-old midfielder Dylan Shiel was the Giants' leading contributor with 7 clearances for the game.
5. Westhoff goes wild
He's carried the stigma of appearing a lazy player for much of his career, but Justin Westhoff proved the inaccuracy of such a label on Saturday night. After covering 16km in the Power's win over Melbourne last weekend, Westhoff worked himself into the ground against the Giants, featuring prominently at both ends of the ground and booting five goals. The 199cm 'forward' racked up 23 disposals and pulled in an incredible 14 marks. Maligned by those on the outside, Westhoff is one of Port Adelaide's most-loved players and his performance on Saturday night is proof why.
