Anticipation Turns to Disappointment

we'd been waiting all weekend for it. arguably all summer.

from the moment the gather round fixture dropped in november, with port adelaide vs hawthorn the last game on the bill, people have been talking about it, hyping it up.

this was your saturday headliner at coachella, only with fewer feathered headpieces and magic mushrooms.

the power and the hawks had forged a very serious rivalry out of some very silly incidents, and at the crescendo of one of the league's showpiece weeks all of that bubbling animosity was to come to a head.

a quick refresher of what ignited this feud last year, and please excuse just how daft the following sentences are.

in september last year, jack ginnivan replied to an instagram post made by former collingwood teammate suggesting that hawthorn would soon beat port adelaide and play sydney in the preliminary final.

The pre-game controversy had seeped deeply into Port Adelaide's mindset. After securing a narrow victory, their coach, Ken Hinkley, theatrically spread his arms like wings and quipped to Ginnivan that he wouldn't be flying to Sydney.

This incident led to a $20,000 fine for Hinkley from the AFL. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the entire fiasco might derail the season, forcing everyone to pause and reflect on their actions.

It was indeed a rather absurd situation.

The anticipation for the game was fueled by this drama, and fans were eagerly looking forward to another closely contested match with just the right amount of animosity.

However, the excitement soon turned to disappointment. The highly anticipated showdown between the unbeaten, championship-favorite Hawthorn and the local team, Port Adelaide, didn't live up to the hype.

The first half saw the Hawks completely dismantled by the Power. What began as a seemingly balanced start quickly spiraled into a 70-point lead for Port Adelaide, leaving spectators in a state of disbelief.

hinkley set port adelaide up in almost a true man-on-man formation behind the ball with each of hawthorn's dangerous half-forwards assigned a minder at all times.

connor rozee played back and had spells on all of jack ginnivan, nick watson and dylan moore. so adept at picking through a zone with speed and creativity, the hawks suddenly had to fight for every metre gained.

the biggest blows were being struck in the middle though, where port adelaide wiped the floor with their opponents in the first half. it hardly mattered how hawthorn's defensive zone was set up or how the forward line looked to create space if they couldn't get their hands on the ball to begin with.

the 100-point blowout didn't just look possible, it seemed inevitable.

but sam mitchell's hawthorn have revelled in their underdog tag for the past 18 months and are only just getting used to life as the hunted. a shot at the greatest comeback win in vfl/afl history was just the tonic for a team that loves being written off and thrives on being disliked.

mitchell switched hawthorn into avalanche mode. the plan was to win the footy and then get everyone forward as quickly and directly as possible.

Football's Beautiful Madness

The chaotic energy of Adelaide Oval reached fever pitch

as Hawthorn's late surge threatened to rewrite the script

before reality crashed the party like an uninvited guest.

Willie Rioli's theatrical moment stole the spotlight -

a smirk, a dummy, a shove, and suddenly 30,000 voices

roared approval at the impish flair bordering on pantomime.

Port Adelaide's faithful rode waves of nausea and euphoria

as their team flirted with disaster before steadying.

Few clubs take supporters on wilder emotional safaris.

When Powell-Pepper's late snap sealed it, relief mingled

with lingering disbelief. The Hawks' resurrection act

fell short, but their second-half vigor spoke volumes.

Sam Mitchell's men discovered new dimensions mid-game -

Sicily's forward experiment sparking hope, younger legs

finding rhythm when the match demanded boldness.

Even the post-siren airplane pantomime felt fitting

for this clash that veered between farce and thriller.

A carnival mirror reflecting football's beautiful madness.

The Power secured a vital win, the Hawks found silver linings

in their spirited fightback. As Gather Round's curtain fell,

this odd-couple rivalry delivered precisely what we should've expected.

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