PORT Adelaide's inconsistent SANFL season has continued after a lacklustre effort against Sturt at Unley Oval on Sunday.
The Magpies again let a golden opportunity to move into third spot slip by going scoreless in the second quarter and eventually falling by 27 points.
POWER: AFL side gets thrilling win
Sturt booted four unanswered second-quarter goals to take a 34-point lead at the main break.
Port Adelaide lifted its defensive pressure in the third term and was doing most of the attacking.
Despite holding Sturt to 2.1, while booting 2.5, an inability to take advantage of their dominance and place scoreboard pressure on the Double Blues hurt the Magpies heading into the final quarter.
Sam Gray, Steve Summerton and Tom Logan battled hard all day, but Port Adelaide was ultimately beaten across the field and in most of the key statistics.
Sturt strikes in the second
The home side handled the muddy conditions better than Port Adelaide and late goals to Hansen and Crocker gave Sturt an eight-point advantage at quarter time.
From the first bounce of the second quarter, it was all the Double Blues, as its midfield and forwards sliced through Port Adelaide by breaking tackles and almost casually sweeping the ball from defence to attack.
The Magpies could not keep up with Sturt's quick ball movement and the Double Blues had runners all over the ground.
By half time, Port Adelaide's inside-50 count was more than doubled by Sturt, which held a 42-point lead.
Sturt flew out of the blocks in the third with two early goals through Beard and Smith, but from the six-minute-mark, Port Adelaide had taken control and the contingent of true believers were teased by a slim chance of a comeback.
Small response not enough
Goals to Ah Chee, Amon and Mitchell midway through the final quarter helped cut the margin back to 21 points after facing a near seven-goal deficit as Sturt pulled away again.
But after being held to just eight points at half time, Port Adelaide never had any real ascendency and Sturt deservedly took home the two points.
Sam Gray (30 disposals, six tackles, four inside 50s and two defensive rebounds), Mitchell (22 disposals, five tackles) and Logan (20 disposals, four tackles and four defensive rebounds), flew the flag for Port Adelaide in a display that again fell short of the mark.
Port Adelaide has now dropped to fifth on the ladder, after South Adelaide's one-point win over Norwood and faces Central District at Alberton Oval on Saturday 1 August.
With the Magpies sitting two wins clear of the sixth-ranked Bulldogs, Garry Hocking won’t accept anything short of a win.
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LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 1.2 1.2 3.5 6.6 (42)
STURT 2.4 6.6 8.5 10.9 (69)
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S BEST
Summerton, S. Gray, Frampton, Mitchell, Logan
GOALS
Harvey 2, Howard, Ah Chee, Mitchell, Amon
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ACADEMY REPORT
Earlier in the day, Port Adelaide's Academy side kept its finals aspirations in healthy shape by accounting for third-placed Sturt by 18 points.
This year’s youthful and somewhat inexperienced side has worked hard to make inroads in just its second year as a rebuilt program in the SANFL reserves.
Its win against the Double Blues was a good response to its loss against the undefeated Eagles last week.
Port Adelaide led on the scoreboard all day in a tightly-contested match, but it was in the final quarter where the side booted five goals to three and rubber-stamped its win.
Tom Corcoran was the Magpies pillar down back, while it was Miller and Reynolds who starred up forward booting two goals apiece.
ACADEMY SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 2.2 4.6 7.7 12.10 (82)
STURT 0.3 2.4 5.6 9.10 (64)
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S BEST
Corcoran, Reynolds, Hawkins, Proude, Sawford
GOALS
Miller, Reynolds 2, Deeley-Godfrey, Foster, Halkias, Phelps, Prude, Sawford
ps, Prude, Sawford
