PORT ADELAIDE will return to South Australia victorious – and a confirmed AFL finallist - after a thrilling whole-team effort against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon claimed the AFL’s historic first match for points in Ballarat.

A three-quarter shootout finally ended in Power victory, after a hotly contested encounter was put to bed by five consecutive Port Adelaide goals.

The Bulldogs opened with plenty of momentum, drawing first blood through Bailey Dale and Matthew Suckling but Port were quick to respond, dominating play from halfway through the third term.

Port Adelaide put their bodies on the line and held strong against a skilful Bulldogs attack.

The Power showed toughness, physicality and played the game on their terms, but had difficulty capitalising - Paddy Ryder had their only two goals by the first break.



Round 21 Rising Star nominee Dan Houston came off the field late in the first term after hurting his shoulder in a tackle, but later returned to the field.



Four lead changes in the second term saw a fierce contest unfold; goal-for-goal; the Dogs moving the ball cleverly by hand and many key stats spread evenly across the sides.

Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy missed a free kick after the siren and felt the fire, with plenty of words shared in a halftime melee.



Entering the second half chasing a six-point deficit, goals to Ollie Wines, Chad Wingard and skipper Travis Boak kept Port in the game, until six unanswered scoring shots saw the Dogs lead by 14 points late in the third term.

The second half showed little between the sides - scores were levelled for the fourth time early in the final quarter thanks to a goal from Sam Gray deep in the left pocket.



Tom Liberatore and Bailey Dale put a two-goal buffer between the sides, but Charlie Dixon was able to keep Port alive, hitting the scoreboard back-to-back with two crucial goals.

At the 20th minute, the game was still in the balance - but the Dogs simply couldn’t shake a determined Power, which finished the game on their terms with the final five goals to claim a 17-point victory.



The win puts Port fourth on the ladder, narrowly ahead of Sydney on percentage. A loss to Richmond against Fremantle on Sunday would keep the Power inside the top four heading into the final round.

Port Adelaide plays Norwood at Alberton Oval on Sunday at 2.10pm to close out its weekend, before returning to the AFL stage next Saturday 26 August at 7.10pm ACST with its final minor round game against Gold Coast at the Adelaide Oval.

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE 2.2 5.5 8.10 14.12 (96)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.3 6.5 9.11 11.13 (79)

Goals
Dixon 4, R Gray, Ryder, Wingard 2, Boak, Polec, Wines, S Gray

Best
Dixon, Boak, Polec, Wines, Jonas, Ryder

Injuries
TBC

Crowd
10,087 at Mars Stadium, Ballarat