PORT ADELAIDE has held on to win a hard-fought contest against North Melbourne by 16 points at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
Port held the momentum for the majority of the game but could never quite put the Kangaroos away in front of 36,099 people in ANZAC Round.
The Power led by as much as 40 points before North kicked five unanswered goals to reduce the margin to two majors but it was eventually the home side who held firm.
The crowd made their intentions clear early when Jasper Pittard got his first possession, and it got to the now Roo, giving away a free kick 100m off the ball.
Sam Gray then opened the scoring with a beautiful left-foot snap from the boundary before Paddy Ryder followed up with a freakish snap of his own.
The visitors hit back through a Cameron Zurhaar set shot mid-way through the opening term.
Playing against his old side, Jared Polec burst through the pack and slotted one from the tightest of angles, before goals to Sam Gray and Xavier Duursma extended the lead to 17 points late in the first quarter.
Tom Rockliff and former Skipper Travis Boak were very productive in the midfield in the opening term, while Dougal Howard and Tom Clurey were strong in the backline.
The second term started in a very contested manner but it was the Kangaroos skipper Jack Ziebell who kicked the first goal five minutes into the quarter.
A third first-half goal to Sam Gray extended the margin the 18 points before a 20-minute goalless period from both sides.
Justin Westhoff broke the deadlock two minutes before the half-time siren, as the home side headed into the main break with a 28-point advantage.
Howard continued his very good form in the second quarter, spoiling and marking every Kangaroo entry, while Travis Boak kept racking up the footy.
Nick Larkey - with his first goal in AFL - kicked the opening goal of the second half followed by a major to Mason Wood to reduce the margin to 16 points.
A bit of Connor Rozee magic to toe-poke the ball to himself and then lace out Boak who kicked a steadying major for the home side.
The number five pick in last year’s draft then took a huge contested grab and kicked truly to hand Port back the momentum.
Aaron Hall brought the margin back before Ebert kicked his second of the night to hand the Power a 27-point lead heading into the final term.
Scott Lycett extended the margin to 33 points early in the final term with a banana from deep in the pocket before Sam Gray pushed it out to seven goals the difference.
Five consecutive goals to the Roos gave the visitors some hope but it wasn’t enough as Ken Hinkley’s men made it 4-2 to start season 2019.
Howard, Clurey and Dan Houston were excellent in the back half of the ground, but it was Boak with 38 disposals, 11 clearances and 9 inside 50s who won his third Peter Badcoe Medal.
SCOREBOARD:
PORT ADELAIDE 5.2 7.7 10.9 12.16 (88)
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.3 3.3 6.6 11.6 (72)
GOALS: S. Gray 4, Ebert 2, Ryder, Duursma, Westhoff, Rozee, Boak, Lycett
BEST: Boak, S. Gray, Howard, Clurey, Houston, Ebert, Rockliff, Rozee
CROWD: 36, 099
