PORT Adelaide has climbed into third spot on the SANFL ladder and increased its win/loss ledger to 7-2 after accounting for West Adelaide by 50 points at Richmond Oval on Saturday.
After a slow start and a tight first quarter, the Magpies piled on the goals and held the Bloods goalless in the second term to set up the win.
It was the consistent performance coach Garry Hocking and the black-and-white faithful had craved after only just falling over the line in the past few weeks.
Ah Chee, Mitchell, Moore, Sharrad and skipper Summerton were instrumental in the win by winning at stoppages and running through the middle of the ground to give their forwards ample supply.
Neade, Moore and Wagner combined in attack for two goals each, while Krakouer, Logan and Byrne-Jones were the Magpies' pillars in defence.
In a match where both sides were desperate to grab the two points heading into the break, easy possessions were scarce and players from both sides attacked the ball hard.
The Magpies almost doubled the Bloods’ inside-50 count at quarter time, but found it hard to hit a clear target, while
West used the football effectively to lead the Magpies by a straight kick at the first break. as the game looked poised to be an arm-wrestle.
Mids take charge
Port’s midfielders took charge at the stoppages in the second quarter.
Moore, Sharrad and Summerton won the one-on-one battles, while the likes of Mitchell and Logan were set free to carry the ball into the forward 50 as the Magpies piled on five unanswered goals, including one to debutant Dougal Howard, who was able to steal the ball from a stoppage up forward and snap his first league goal.
Port Adelaide, held a 25-point buffer at half time and the start of the second half was all one-way traffic.
West Adelaide finally ended its goal drought at the 14-minute mark of the third quarter through Middleton. Then goals to Krakouer and Butcher off the back of contested ball wins pushed Port Adelaide's lead back out to 39 points at the final break.
Goals were scarce in the final quarter, but three out of the four produced went Port Adelaide's way.
The win puts the Magpies a game clear of West Adelaide, which sat in third spot before the matchand aids Port Adelaide's claim for top-two spot ahead of the mid-season break.
The Magpies will have a bye next week and will return to Alberton on Saturday 28 June to play the second SANFL Showdown for the year against the Adelaide Crows.
LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 2.1 7.4 10.7 13.9 (87)
WEST ADELAIDE 3.1 3.3 4.4 5. 7 (37)
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S BEST
Summerton, Ah Chee, Mitchell, Sharrad, Krakouer, Logan
GOALS
Moore, Neade, Wagner 2, Butcher, Harvey, Howard, Krakouer, Mitchell, Harvey, Summerton
INJURIES
Nil
ACADEMY REPORT
PORT Adelaide's Academy side now finds itself half a game out of the top five on the Reserves ladder after a stellar performance beating West Adelaide's reserves by 73 points.
The Magpies were again able to hold a side goalless in the first quarter, while themselves booting 4.4..
But it was the young side's mammoth final term that was most impressive.
The Academy held a 27-point lead at the final break, but heaped on nine majors against the home side's two in the final quarter.
Coach Mark Clayton was proud of the mature effort from his youngsters.
Clayton drilled the message of "team care" into his side coming into the match and hoped to continue the momentum going into next week's clash against fourth-placed Norwood.
"The biggest message was team care and being able to back up what we did last week," Clayton said.
"Even though Westies were lower on the ladder, it was important for us not to be complacent and roll out and think it was going to happen.
"We need to keep doing the things we've done right to keep getting the same result.
"They are starting to realise that when they do the things we (coaches) ask them to do, they are getting the results, so it's easy to get them to do those things if they get the rewards.
"We've got a big game against Norwood next week, they smashed us the first time we played them, so it will be a big test."
ACADEMY SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.4 9.6 11.10 20.12 (132)
WEST ADELAIDE 0.1 5.2 7.4 9.5 (59)
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S BEST
Produe, Ross, Miller, Northeast
GOALS
Gordon 4, Proude, Miller, Northeast 3, Ross, Cook 2, T Gray, Reynolds, Cooper
