Blog log from R2 of 2026: Port Adelaide vs Essendon

Burgoyne hits Georgiades leading down the flank to 40m in front of Reid, kicking from outer wing. Georgiades kicks near side left. (Q1 2:13)
Wright roves a Caddy contest on the HFF, rides a tackle and bounces a handball to the hotspot where Fiorini gathers, stands up as Burgoyne misses another tackle and goals. (Q1 4:56)
Missed tackles were a feature of Port’s loss last week, and they are guilty again early today. (Q1 5:52)
Butters passes to Georgiades 40m out on a slight angle, his set shot is a stinker that slices right and OOTF. (Q1 7:18)
Nguyen gives Reid a hospital handball in the back pocket, Georgiades forces a kick OOTF 25m out and takes the free… he curls that one in off the right. (Q1 8:47)
Sweet goals from ruck 40m out on a slight angle after winning a wrestle with Blakiston and ragdolling him legally. (Q1 10:33)
Horne-Francis marks and goals from 30m on the flank. One-way traffic for the most part, Port Adelaide’s ratings are high on pressure. (Q1 13:03)
Caddy gets around Aliir but misses a snap from the HFF. (Q1 13:51)
Mackinlay bounces a behind to the left from a stoppage near CHF. (Q1 15:18)
Ball living in Port’s forward 50, Berry marks 20m out in front but shanks to the right. (Q1 16:18)
Horne-Francis gets another set from 40m, this time on the boundary, and draws in a perfect drop punt from left to right and through for his second goal. (Q1 18:36)
Whitlock marks over Prior on the boundary 30m out but shoots across the face. (Q1 21:49)
Burgoyne catches Kondogiannis HTB in the centre to cause a slingshot play that ends with Horne-Francis running into goal for his third of the quarter. (Q1 23:49)
Centre clearance Drew to Butters to Sweet, Berry roves and rolls through another one from the pocket 20m out. (Q1 25:19)
Drew misses from a throw-in to 20m. (Q1 26:17)
Rozee kicks to a contest and turns it over on outer wing, Essendon get the rare chance for a counter through Sharp then Fiorini goes to Kako 40m out on the flank… miss. (Q1 29:19)
Lukosius kicks his first goal of the season from 40m on the flank. The procession continues. (Q2 1:41)
El Achkar roves a Langford contest and gives to Wright who tries to send Caddy into the open goal, but Caddy’s snap from the top of the square is close to the left post, review… (Q2 5:12)
And yes, Edge shows a spike, that’s a disaster. (Q2 5:54)
Merrett does well to spoil Georgiades 15m out, the crumb falls over the back for Berry to soccer the goal. (Q2 8:57)
Richards gathers a bounce pass by Ratugolea in space at half forward, he turns and runs to 45m on a slight angle to ram through another one. (Q2 11:22)
Horne-Francis misses from a pack 40m out on a slight angle. (Q2 17:56)
Mackinlay passes inside from the HFF to Lukosius 40m out on a slight angle. Luko hooks to the left. (Q2 19:37)
El Achkar stands up in a tackle after a stoppage in the pocket and gives inside to Durham who snaps the goal off his right. (Q2 22:13)
WHitlock marks a Mackinlay inside 50 kick from members wing to 40m on a slight angle, leaping over Blakiston. He pushes the drop punt to the right and OOTF. (Q2 25:03)
Wehr roves and passes short to Durdin 40m out in front after he had smothered Duursma on outer wing. Durdin shanks it horribly… but straight and long enough! (Q2 27:12)
Caddy roves a Wright contest at the hotspot and runs all the way into the open goal to ensure he doesn’t miss this one. (Q3 1:22)
Butters roves Sweet in the centre and passes to Georgiades 45m out in the corridor who misses to the left. (Q3 2:22)
Fiorini gives to Caddy deep in the pocket 25m out, he jinks onto his right boot and screws in a lovely finish. (Q3 3:35)
Drew joins the party with a mark and goal from 35m in front. (Q3 7:08)
Bergman does the same. (Q3 9:18)
Kako misses a long set shot. (Q3 11:49)
Whitlock misses a set shot from the HFF. (Q3 12:53)
Langford marks a long Roberts kick from outside CHF in front of two Power defenders at the top of the square for a goal. (Q3 15:03)
Georgiades is paid a mark for a very short Watkins clearance kick to 45m out near the boundary, he converts. (Q3 22:07)
Durdin also converts a set shot from 30m in front. (Q3 23:38)
Kako bounces through CHF and is tripped and caught high to earn a free, he misses from 40m. (Q3 25:44)
Richards snaps to the left from 35m. (Q3 27:25)
Richards catches Durham HTB 45m out in front and sails through a nice drop punt. (Q3 28:36)
Prior fumbles under pressure in the back pocket then gives away a high contact free to Byrne-Jones 25m out, DBJ misses as the 3QT siren blares. (Q3 32:45)
Watkins scores his first senior goal. (Q4 2:27)
Burgoyne converts a long set shot for another one. (Q4 4:34)
Lukosius marks over the back of Prior at the top of the square for another one. (Q4 7:59)
Butters misses from the HFF. This has been junk time for a long time. (Q4 9:59)
Perkins has spent most of the day squinting and grimacing, but he gets some garbage from 40m on the flank. (Q4 11:40)
Byrne-Jones pops one through from 40m after Perkins turns the ball over with an ill-advised centring ball from the HBF. (Q4 14:00)
Caddy rolls one through from next to the behind post as he gets behind Evans for a long Roberts kick. (Q4 16:00)
Evans roves but gives straight to Caddy who snaps off a step from 20m on a slight angle, that one is wide right. (Q4 18:18)
Horne-Francis roves and misses from 30m on a slight angle. (Q4 19:55)
Caddy marks a long Merrett inside 50 kick from outer wing 30m out in front and gets some more garbage. (Q4 22:38)
Durham is unimpressed after kicking a junk time goal from a big pack near the hotspot, the Dons trudge back to the centre. (Q4 25:55)
Lukosius get his third goal from the pocket after marking a Horne-Francis pass. (Q4 28:10)