PORT ADELAIDE has won its third straight match, beating Melbourne at Adelaide Oval by ten points.

It was a trying game with much of the work done in the contest and the Power had to wait until the last quarter to get any sort of foothold in the match.

The game was pitted as two contested ball sides looking to prove their top four credentials and the early stages were tightly fought if low scoring.

Justin Westhoff took a big pack mark in the ninth minute but hit the post with his set shot from 25 metres out.

Todd Marshall had a chance to boot the game’s first goal after marking but being hit late and receiving a 50 metre penalty.

But like Westhoff he was offline with his set shot.

It wasn’t until the 21st minute that the game saw its first goal when Mitch Hannan marked on the lead 40 metres from goal and converted to put the Demons in front.

It seemed to spark the visitors as they piled on the next two, the last after some luck with Dougal Howard fumbling the ball onto Christian Petracca’s boot in the goal square.

The Power faithful had to wait until after the siren for Brad Ebert to get his side’s first.

Playing his 150th club game, Ebert kicked truly from 50 metres out after a holding the ball call, yet the Power still faced a 14-point deficit at the first break.

Ebert had his second early in the second term before Chad Wingard was given a controversial mark and kicked his first major of the night to bring scores level.

The sides traded goals to McDonald and Power skipper Travis Boak before Robbie Gray forced the ball forward and Sam Gray chipped to Lindsay Thomas to give him a chance to put the Power in front at the main break.

His set shot seconds before the final siren drifted just wide to leave Port two points behind at half time.

Sam Powell-Pepper was proving a menace in the midfield with a remarkable ten tackles to half time while Tom Jonas and Jared Polec were the Power’s leading disposal getters with 13 by the break.

What was a low-scoring contest opened up in the third term.

After waiting 12 forward entries in the first quarter and 15 in the second for their first goal, the Demons suddenly found their scoring bots, slotting four goals from six entries to start the third term.

Robbie Gray provided a highlight with a dribbled goal, after a brave tap from Lindsay Thomas in the goal square and he had a second after a free kick.

After opening up a game-high 20-point lead, a goal to Charlie Dixon had the Demons’ margin back to eight before Tom McDonald slotted his third after playing on from a mark in the goal square.

But after rush of goals to start the term, a Justin Westhoff mark and goal from 25 metres out completed the scoring with 10 minutes to play, leaving it all to play for with an eight point margin at the final break.

In front of 40,751 people – the biggest crowd to witness a match between the sides – the sides were going at it, with momentum swings that failed to deliver any real advantage.

After 20 goalless minutes, Lindsay Thomas found himself free inside 50 and took an uncontested mark before slotting home the set shot to bag his first and bring the Power to within two points.

When Sam Gray booted his first from a free kick 45 metres out the Power was in front for the first time since the first ten minutes of the match.

A goal to Justin Westhoff, his second, sealed the result as the Power broke a two game losing streak to the Demons and kept them winless on Friday nights away from Melbourne in nine attempts since 1991.

Powell-Pepper was brilliant, finishing with 17 tackles, the highest by any player this AFL season, whle  Ollie Wines was also busy in the week he signed a four year contract extension, finishing with 29 disposals.

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE              1.3       4.6        8.7    11.9 (75)             

MELBOURNE                    3.5       4.8        9.9      9.11   (65)              

Goals

R Gray, Ebert, Westhoff, 2 Dixon, Boak, Wingard, Thomas, S Gray        

Best

Jonas, Wines Rockliff, Powell-Pepper, Ebert, Ryder, Clurey

Injuries

TBC

Crowd

40,751 at Adelaide Oval

More on portadelaidefc.com.au...