Josh Carr says Bulldogs Afl will test Port Adelaide defence
Josh Carr says Port Adelaide’s bulldogs afl defence is a work in progress, and Friday night at Adelaide Oval will tell the club a lot about how far it has come. The Power sit 13th with three wins and five losses, while the Western Bulldogs arrive 12th after a four-match losing skid.
Carr on Port Adelaide’s line
Carr did not dress it up. “It's a work in progress. It's not perfect, we're still chipping away at it and trying to get better,” he said on Thursday. He also said it “definitely keeps us in a game and it's definitely a great foundation to start from.”
Port Adelaide has been fourth-best for points conceded, which is the base Carr wants to lean on against a Bulldogs side he expects to stress that structure. “It's always nice to have a defence that defends really well but moreso a team that can help out and we've probably been consistent in that area,” he said.
Bailey Dale and D50
The danger, from Carr’s view, starts in the back half. “There are some guys that can use the footy in their back half, Bailey Dale's elite with his ball use,” he said. “They're quite aggressive from the D50. So it's an opportunity for us to get our team D right, but on the other side of that we make sure we use the footy.”
That gives Port Adelaide a direct task: handle a Bulldogs side that can move the ball quickly out of defence while keeping its own possession clean enough to avoid turning pressure back on itself. The match also arrives with both teams outside the top half of the ladder, adding more weight to a game that already sits on the edge of each club’s season.
Bontempelli at Adelaide Oval
Marcus Bontempelli remains part of the plan. Luke Beveridge said the Bulldogs captain was carrying knee and heel injuries mid-week, but Carr still expects him to play. “We prepare for him to play and if he doesn't, it's definitely a bonus,” he said.
Carr gave the clearest read yet on how Port Adelaide will approach Bontempelli if he is out there. “I don't think you can stop him. We've tried a few things on him over the years with a tag and not a tag, and had some success in both,” he said. “And then we've also not had success with him getting off the chain.”
That leaves Port Adelaide with a simple but difficult assignment at Adelaide Oval: keep its own defensive standard intact against a Bulldogs team built around ball use from the back half, while being ready for Bontempelli even if he is less than fully fit. For Carr, the test is immediate and specific, and it comes with little margin for a team sitting 13th.
