But the blowout on the scoreboard as the Giants worked hard to win the last quarter will have the victors focussing on team defence ahead of its next encounter with shutdown masters Fremantle next Saturday.

It was thanks only to the league's leading goal kicker Jay Schulz that the Power was able to keep a respectable margin at the end of play. 

The full forward kicked four of his eventual six goals in the final quarter to extend his lead at the top of the Coleman race, unlike his team which slips to second after Hawthorn notched a massive win against St Kilda earlier in the day.

But the victory itself had significance for the club, being the its first win at the Manuka ground having never beaten its only previous Canberra host, North Melbourne, in three prior encounters.

It was also a victory notched in two milestones, with Matt Lobbe playing his 50th and the club celebrating its 400th game in the league.

Ben Newton also enjoyed a win in his first game for the Power, following his call up into the selected side with Paul Stewart as a replacement for the ill Hamish Hartlett and Alipate Carlile - both of who were struck off the team list by gastro.

Both Stewart and Newton played their roles, the former with 22 touches while Newton had 15.

Kane Cornes was also his consistent best while Jared Polec continued to demonstrate his considerable value to the Power with three goals. 

Robbie Gray also continued his career-best form with 30 touches (14 contested), four tackles and seven clearances on a difficult day for defensive play. 

Indeed, the Giants produced glimpses of brilliance throughout the match and ensured the Power was never able to run away with the lead.

Extending an early margin, the Giants' early first term buffer would have been greater had they capitalised on their forward 50 entries, instead, it was the Power that clicked into gear late through Jared Polec and Angus Monfries booting two each to help their side into a narrow 11-point lead at quarter time.

From there the Power was never headed, with a late blitz in the third quarter crushing the home side's plucky effort to stifle their goal run-on and open a 39 point lead at the final change.

Port Adelaide plays Fremantle next Saturday at the Adelaide Oval ahead of its prescribed early-season bye.

SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE      5.3      10.6      15.9       20.12  (132)
GWS GIANTS             3.4      5.4        9.6         15.7     (97)

Portadelaidefc.com.au's best
Polec, Cornes, R. Gray, Stewart, Schulz, Hombsch

Goals
Schulz 6, Monfries, Polec, White, Wingard 3, R. Gray, Impey

Substitution
Tom Jonas replaced by Jarman Impey in the fourth quarter

Crowd
6,549 at StarTrack Oval