Travis Boak in action at Traeger Park in 2014, where Port Adelaide claimed a 20-point win over the Demons. Image: AFL Photos.

PORT ADELAIDE will trek to Alice Springs this weekend to take on Melbourne for the fourth time at Traeger Park.

The venue is one of four AFL venues where Port Adelaide is yet to taste defeat. The others are Eureka Stadium in Ballarat (P2, W2), Shanghai’s Jiangwan Stadium (P3, W3) and Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns (P1, W1).

The only venue where Port Adelaide’s record is anywhere near that is Carrara on the Gold Coast where the club has won 11 of its 12 matches, losing only to Geelong in 2020.

At Traeger Park, Port Adelaide’s first game was a 20-point Round 11 win over Melbourne in May 2014. Wearing an Indigenous guernsey designed by Brendon Ah Chee’s mother Valerie, Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz and Justin Westhoff each booted two goals while Kane Cornes had 30 disposals, Travis Boak 28 and a goal and Ollie Wines chimed in with 25 touches and a goal. It was Gray’s 100th game.

Robbie Gray gets chaired off in his 100th game by teammates Travis Boak and Paul Stewart. Image: AFL Photos.

A year and a day later, the sides met at the same venue for a second time. On this occasion it was Round 9, 2015 and Port Adelaide came from behind to enjoy a 61-point win, thanks in part to a 10-goal to two second half.

Schulz was again in the goals, booting four, while in his 200th game Angus Monfries had nine marks and three goals. Brad Ebert and Travis Boak each recorded 31 disposals while they had nine and eight clearances respectively. It was Karl Amon’s first win for the club in his third game. Port Adelaide wore an Indigenous Round guernsey designed by Aunty Barbara Wingard.

Port Adelaide wore its Indigenous guernsey a 2015 clash with the Demons, worn here by Karl Amon and former players Jarman Impey, Chad Wingard and Nathan Krakouer. Image: AFL Photos.

The most recent time the sides met at Traeger, and Port Adelaide’s last visit to the venue, came in May 2016, when the Power kicked 16 goals to eight after quarter time before recording a 45-point win.

This time the club wore the Sir Douglas Nicholls Round guernsey designed by Karl Amon. Charlie Dixon was the chief destroyer in front of goal with five majors, while Robbie Gray (28 disposals, one goal) and Chad Wingard (26 disposals, two goals) were also productive.

Charlie Dixon's five goals were integral in Port Adelaide's strong 45-point win over the Demons in 2016 - the last time the Power played in Alice Springs. Image: AFL Photos.

For the record, Melbourne played at Traeger Park each year from 2014-2020, winning three times in seven visits to Alice Springs. It lost to West Coast there in 2019 by 13 points but has beaten Gold Coast (35 points in 2017), Adelaide (91 points in 2018) and St Kilda (three points in 2020).