AFL records shattered in 'mercy rule' humiliation

10 months ago 75

Port Adelaide has handed Hawthorn a crushing 55-point decision astatine Adelaide Oval, with the result fundamentally sewn up earlier half-time.

The Power recorded their highest archetypal fractional people successful nine past arsenic much goals rolled successful the cement their 23.13 (151) to 14.12 (96) triumph connected Saturday.

As the Power carried retired an unrivalled archetypal half, respective records were shattered.

Hawthorn caput disconnected astatine fractional clip during their circular 12 AFL lucifer with Port Adelaide. (Mark Brake via Getty Images)

Firstly, the squad scored six unanswered goals to commencement the lucifer earlier going onto to full the highest archetypal 4th of immoderate squad truthful acold this play with 9.3 (57).

Jeremy Finlayson had a four-goal opening word to acceptable up his broadside earlier equalling his vocation champion with a 5th extremity successful the 2nd term.

By half-time, the Power had piled connected a mighty 16 goals, portion lone conceding three, to pb by 82 points.

Combined with their people of 16.9 (105), the full was some the club's top half-time borderline and the largest first-half full successful its past successful the AFL.

Remarkably, this was besides the league's second-highest half-time people down St Kilda's 17.6 (108) against the Giants successful circular 22, 2012.

It was besides the archetypal clip since Richmond played Gold Coast successful circular 16, 2019 that an AFL squad had exceeded the 100-point people earlier the main break.

"Is determination a mercy rule?," Adelaide fable Mark Ricciuto said connected Fox Footy's coverage.

Dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna said the Hawks were helpless against the Power.

"There's thing they tin bash astatine the moment, Hawthorn. I'm not definite what they tin bash to halt the onslaught due to the fact that Port Adelaide is ruthless," Montagna told Fox Footy.

"They're not going to fto up astatine all, they're going to proceed to attack, spell aft the Hawks due to the fact that they tin consciousness the vulnerability."

Premiership Kangaroo David King was besides successful awe of the power wielded by Ken Hinkley's men.

"Port Adelaide players are prepared to enactment their chemoreceptor perfectly implicit the shot and Hawthorn don't person that aforesaid investment," King told Fox Footy.

"They're harder, tougher and little than Hawthorn astatine the infinitesimal and they're making a statement. I'm enjoying this.

"They're putting connected a show, their clearance enactment has been ultimate … they're making them wage here."

Of the Power's 16 first-half goals, 7 came from errors oregon turnovers successful their antiaircraft half.

"I've ne'er seen a shot question crippled similar this from the antiaircraft 50 … This is atrocious antiaircraft play present from Hawthorn," King said.

"There was ever going to beryllium days similar this for the Hawks. There were going to beryllium immoderate beltings successful their aboriginal days … but the communicative truly is Port Adelaide and their quality to punish."

Montagna added: "Hawthorn's antiaircraft strategy is conscionable non-existent successful this archetypal half. It has been truly poor, allowing the Port Adelaide broadside to bash arsenic they please, peculiarly done the mediate of the ground."

While Hawthorn perked up successful the 2nd half, by past it was excessively small excessively late.

The main consolation for the Hawks was seasoned guardant Luke Breust kicking his 500th vocation goal.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!