Josh Carr Backs Port Adelaide For Darwin Test Against Gold Coast Vs Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide heads into gold coast vs port adelaide on Friday night with Darwin itself shaping the matchup. Gold Coast is sixth on the ladder and has won nine straight games in the city since 2022, while the Power sit 14th after three defeats in their past four games.

Josh Carr at TIO Stadium

Port Adelaide trained at TIO Stadium the night before the fixture to get used to conditions Carr described as "Lots of mistakes. Slippery. It's uncomfortable." He said the side needed "getting the footy in front of you, getting it going forward, and playing really simple football."

That session mattered because Port Adelaide has not played in Darwin since 2013, leaving the ground far less familiar than it is for Gold Coast. Carr also said, "It's a big challenge but I guess every win that they get, they're closer to a loss," putting the Suns' run in the city directly into the frame.

Gold Coast's Darwin record

Gold Coast's nine-game winning streak in Darwin dates back to 2022 and now sits at the center of the game plan. The Suns have turned the venue into an edge, and Port Adelaide's preparation has had to account for that before the opening bounce.

For the Power, the recent form adds another layer. Their losses by three points to Hawthorn, one point to Adelaide and two points to the Western Bulldogs have left little margin for error, and Carr called the Western Bulldogs display "horrible" before adding, "We're still doing a lot right. But the way we moved the footy last week isn't the way we want to move the footy."