AFL FINALS WEEK 1 THURSDAY NIGHT
This is Port Adelaide versus Geelong, second versus third on the AFL ladder as the AFL Finals 2024 kicks off on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval in the first Qualifying Final. Geelong has done well this season given an immediate bounce off last years disappointing year missing the finals off the premiership the year prior. Port Adelaide has had a super month when it was only a few weeks ago a humiliating loss at home to Brisbane seemed the end for Port. The fans wanted Ken Hinkley out and it was a doomsday scenario. Hinkley held his nerve, Port got its game going and here they are, another finals series. And at this point we all wait with baited breath how Port handle the pressure, given recent failures.
So it is Port Adelaide versus Geelong and Port has won the last 3 head to head clashes and Geelong had won the two prior. 2 of the last 4 games have been at Adelaide Oval and it was 1-1 in these games. In both of these games the winning side has kicked 100+ points and both games total game points averaged 191 points per game. The last 4 head to head total game points has been in a range of 164-200 points per game and we get an average of 174.2 points per game.
Both teams have been able to score relatively freely and we get an average of 87 points per game for each of the teams. Port has got its defensive game going in the last period with recent scores against a low average 55.4 points per game. Geelong has its offensive game going, albeit it is advanced by the 168 points for in its last game.
3 of the last 4 games have been close margins, average 8 points per game in a range of 6-12 points. The other recent 2 games has been a 38 point Port win and a 35 point Geelong win.
Geelong is here off the “training run” 92 point peak win over West Coast at home. Port is here off a tight 20 point peak win over Fremantle away from home and also had a peak win the week prior. This gives us a 2 game peak Port over a 1 game peak Geelong.
