Port Adelaide remains unbeaten in the 2018 SANFL season after playing out a dour draw against the Eagles at Alberton Oval in a game that only came alive in the dying stages.

The Eagles took until the 14th minute of the final quarter to boot their first goal, and took the lead heading into time on before Lindsay Thomas had the chance to win the game for the home side but sprayed his set shot to level the score.

While the ball was camped in their forward 50 for much of the final few minutes, the Magpies couldn’t find a score to claim victory in the low-scoring affair.

The cold and blustery conditions limited the game to a scrappy contest, with balls in the air floating and giving defenders time to intercept.

Players struggled to get a handle in a high-pressure opening and the game waited 22 minutes to see its first major, through Port Adelaide livewire Thomas, back in the side after being an AFL emergency last week.

Thomas might have had a goal 15 minutes earlier when he found a way out of a pack to hook around his body for what appeared to be a major, only for the ball to be called touched off the boot.

Will Snelling found the Magpies’ second just before the first break as the home side took a 12-point advantage into quarter time.

The second quarter was even lower-scoring, with the Magpies adding just a solitary point through a Jake Neade snap from 25 metres that probably should have been more accurate.

Yet the Eagles remained goalless for the first half as Jack Hombsch, Joel Garner and Jasper Pittard – playing his first minutes since a hamstring injury in pre-season – stood tall in defence.

Skipper Steven Summerton, fresh off the news that he’d been selected in the 2018 West End State League Training Squad to face Western Australia in May, was by far the dominant ball-winner with a game-high 26 disposals but despite that, the visitors closed to within nine points at the main break.

Both sides appeared to struggle through the third term, with the Eagles adding five behinds to Port’s one.

The visitors kept pushing but failed to capitalise on numerous opportunities as the game became congested in pockets of Alberton Oval.

Summerton continued to be busy along with Jimmy Toumpas, returning from a shoulder injury.

Perhaps the biggest cheer from the brave crowd came in the ninth minute of the final term as Dom Barry burst out of the pack and found Thomas on the lead, the latter nailing the set shot to end the goal drought.

It seemed to spur both sides with the game coming alive.

Aidyn Johnson booted his first four minutes later to give the Magpies a handy 14-point advantage, before the Eagles responded almost immediately with Nick Hayes finally getting their first major for the day.

The visitors continued to pepper the goal, and as the game entered time on in the last term, Jake Johansen, against his former side, booted a goal to give his side the lead – having previously kicked four behinds.

But with the seconds ticking away, Thomas found a mark after using his body well and ignored two runners, opting instead to take the responsibility of the set shot.

His shot from 40 metres out on a slight angle missed to the near side and with scores level, the Magpies tried to force a behind with several ball-ups inside forward 50.

Joe Atley won a free kick outside 50 but his effort on goal dropped well short, held up in the wind, and the final siren sounded soon after.

The wasteful Eagles left to wonder what might have been, while Magpies remain unbeaten but would be left to rue missed chances late in the piece.

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE               2.1        2.2        2.3        4.4              (28)

ADELAIDE                        0.1        0.5        0.10      2.16            (28)

Goals

Thomas 2, Johnson, Snelling

Best

Summerton, Toumpas, Pittard, Trengove, Snelling, Hombsch

Crowd

N/A at Alberton Oval

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