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Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL Round 2 Tips - Power get first win of 2026

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Fri 20 Mar 2026 09:10

Jeremy Darke 20 Mar 2026

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Port Adelaide Power seeks a bounce-back win against Essendon at Adelaide Oval.
Mitch Georgiades and Zach Merrett expected to play crucial roles.
Expert predictions favor Port Adelaide due to stronger midfield and home advantage.
The game will be played at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, 22nd March, with the bounce at 3:15 PM (AEDT)

Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL Round 2 Tips

Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers, Round 2 2026 - Expert Prediction

After a shocking start to 2026, the consistently inconsistent Port Adelaide will get their first win under new coach Josh Carr when they cover the 3-goal line against Essendon at Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers, Round 2 2026 - Expert Prediction
Head to Head Stats
Port Adelaide Power Form Analysis
Port Adelaide Power Team News
Essendon Bombers Form Analysis
Essendon Bombers Team News
Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers Team List
Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2 FAQ’s

Port Adelaide and Essendon got beaten to a pulp in their opening matches of the season and will be on the hunt to rebound quickly to quiet down the chatter of another poor season ahead for both teams.

The upper-hand has to go to Port Adelaide though, playing at home and having more depth and raw talent in their side, but once again after the first game of the season we are talking about them being poor inside 50 and converting chances.

If the Power midfield can put any pressure on Essendon exits like the Hawks did they should give themselves enough opportunities in their forward half to convert them into a strong victory. Playing at Adelaide Oval will also be the advantage here.

Mitch Georgiades will be the big target and will likely have a big day for the Power against the Essendon backline.

Zach Merrett was the driver of any movement for the red sash in their opener and often lifts against Port Adelaide so 30+ disposals is definitely a good value prop option for the Essendon midfielder. While our props model is predicting that Andrew McGrath will have 27 touches so I am loading up on 20+ disposals for the defender.

Port Adelaide have won their last 5 matches against Essendon at Adelaide Oval
4 of the last 5 Port victories over Essendon at Adelaide Oval have been by 16 points or more.
Zach Merrett has had 34 + 36 disposals in his last 2 games against Port Adelaide.
Mitch Georgiades kicked 3 goals last week and averaged 2.5 goals per game in 2025.

Head to Head Stats

Essendon took the sole victory against Port in Round 3 of the 2025 season at Marvel Stadium, beating the Power by 12 points despite kicking 9.18 and wasting plenty of opportunities. Port were Port and also missed the sticks kicking 8.12.

The Power had won 8 straight prior to last year’s matchup.

Port Adelaide Power Form Analysis

Josh Carr’s reign as head coach of Port Adelaide got off to a treacherous start with the Power getting outmuscled by the North Melbourne midfield to go down by 46 points last Sunday afternoon.

The off-contract Zak Butters had 23 possessions and Connor Rozee had 24 but without much other support around them, they were outclassed by the Kangaroos and were chasing after 5 straight goals by North Melbourne before and after half time.

Port’s struggles in front of goal have not been corrected, kicking 9.13 in the match with Mitch Georgiades the only reliable source scoring 3 goals to 1 behind. Starting the season with an accuracy of 40.9% and a goal efficiency of just 19.1, it looks like it is going to be the same old Port in 2026.

Port Adelaide Power Team News

Several inclusions including Jordon Sweet, Will Brodie, Jackson Mead and Jack Lukosius. Josh Lai will make his debut for Port.

Lachie Jones is injured and Ollie Lord omitted.

Essendon Bombers Form Analysis

The Bombers held their own for a quarter and a half against the Hawks in their opener before getting completely dominant by a fast and furious Hawthorn side. The 145-83 scoreline was actually flattering for the Bombers, who kicked 4 late goals to make it look a little more respectable.

Essendon were dominated at the stoppages (H/O 25-43, C 28-41) and gave way too much space to the free-flowing Hawks who had 295 uncontested possessions to 217 for the Bombers.

Essendon were clumsy with their ball movement cracking under the Hawks pressure, giving away 68 intercept possessions and 35 rebound 50s.

Essendon Bombers Team News

Isaac Kako, Jade Gresham and Saad El-Hawli added to the squad.

Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers Team List

Port Adelaide	POS	Essendon
J. Burgoyne, E. Ratugolea, T. Marshall	B	J. Prior, B. McKay, Z. Reid
M. Bergman, A. Aliir, K. Farrell	HB	A. Roberts, M. Redman, A. McGrath
L. Evans, C. Rozee, J. Wehr	C	X. Duursma, J. Caldwell, B. Fiorini
J. Horne-Francis, M. Georgiades, J. Berry	HF	S. Durham, N. Caddy, A. Perkins
D. Byrne-Jones, J. Whitlock, J. Richards	F	I. Kako, P. Wright, K. Langford
J. Sweet, Z. Butters, W. Drew	FOLL	L. Blakiston, D. Parish, Z. Merrett
C. Durdin, E. Mackinlay, J. Lai, D. Visentini, W. Brodie, J. Watkins, J. Mead, J. Lukosius	I/C	J. Gresham, D. Sharp, A. May, M. Kondogiannis, H. El Achkar, Z. Johnson, S. El-Hawli, J. Nguyen

Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2 FAQ’s

How to watch Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2?

You can watch the Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2 game via Fox Sports or Kayo Sports. If you are watching from outside of Australia the WatchAFL app is the perfect solution.

How to buy tickets to Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2?

To buy tickets to the Port Adelaide Power vs Essendon Bombers AFL 2026 Round 2 game check the AFL website or the official Port Adelaide Power site.

Verdict

Port Adelaide v Essendon Bombers

Mitch Georgiades will kick 3+ goals as Port Adelaide cover the -18.5 point line. Zach Merrett will have 30+ disposals and Andrew McGrath will have 20+ for the Bombers.

Port Adelaide -18.5

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Mitch Georgiades

3+ Goals

$1.60 - 3 Units

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Zach Merrett

30+ Disposals

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Andrew McGrath

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