AS Port Adelaide prepares to face Essendon at Adelaide Oval in Round 23 of the 2018 AFL season, portadelaidefc.com.au looks back on the last time the sides met.

It was Round 4 this season and the teams clashed at Etihad Stadium with the Power unbeaten after three games and the Bombers coming off consecutive losses.

Essendon coach John Worsfold had given his side reason to perform, labelling their loss a week earlier to the Western Bulldogs as the poorest performance during his tenure, and the savage analysis seemed to spark the Bombers into action.

They had the first three goals of the match and eight of the first 10 in a dominant display of their quick ball movement.

The Power’s intensity and disposal efficiency was poor and by the third quarter the margin was 40 points.

A run of four consecutive goals had Port back to within 19 points early in the last term, but all the momentum was lost when Joe Daniher marked and goaled from 30 metres.

It was not the club debut former Gold Coast Sun Trent McKenzie would have been hoping for.

Robbie Gray battled hard all day and was the Power’s best with 39 disposals and 10 clearances while Jack Watts booted three goals and Dougal Howard impressed when moved into the ruck.

ESSENDON              5.2   9.4    12.7   16.10   (106)
PORT ADELAIDE      2.2   4.6     8.8    12.12   (84)          

GOALS

Essendon: Stringer 4, Stewart 3, Daniher 2, Myers 2, Fantasia, Green, Goddard, Baguley, McDonald-Tipungwuti
Port Adelaide: Watts 3, Dixon, Marshall, Westhoff, Boak, S. Gray, Amon, Byrne-Jones, Rockliff, Bonner

BEST 

Essendon: Hurley, Stringer, Merrett, Heppell, Zaharakis, Hartley, McDonald-Tipungwuti
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Wines, Polec, Ebert 

INJURIES 

Essendon: Brown (calf) replaced in selected side by Hartley, Stewart (rolled ankle), Saad (upper leg)
Port Adelaide: Marshall (concussion), Rockliff (calf)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Brown, Nicholls, Mollison

Official crowd: 30,900 at Etihad Stadium

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