AS Port Adelaide prepares to face Carlton at the MCG in Round 15 of the 2018 AFL season, portadelaidefc.com.au looks back on the last time the sides met.

It was Round 5 of the 2017 season and Port Adelaide had opened the season with two wins, before suffering two losses to Adelaide and GWS.

Kicking off the ANZAC Round with Friday night football at Adelaide Oval the Power was determined to return to the winner’s list in front of its home crowd.

The signs were ominous for a young Blues outfit when Power forward Charlie Dixon hooked around his body from the pocket to bag the opening major inside two minutes.

What followed was a procession of scoring with the result never in doubt.

The Power led by 33 points at the main break and then piled on 12 goals in the second half after having 71 inside 50s to 38.

The Blues didn’t score at all during the third quarter but added four goals to add some respect to the scoreboard in the final term.

Robbie Gray booted five goals and had 22 touches and nine marks to win the Peter Badcoe Medal as the player who best demonstrates the qualities of skill, courage in adversity, self-sacrifice, teamwork and fair play.

Brad Ebert was also busy with 31 touches and 14 tackles, while Jackson Trengove kicked three goals for the first time in his career.

It was a dream start for debutant Aidyn Johnson who finished with two goals, including one with his first kick in AFL football.

Johnson had only received a late call-up after Hamish Hartlett was ruled out before the game with a quad injury, while captain Travis Boak suffered a hamstring cork and was put on ice in the third quarter.

PORT ADELAIDE   5.3   8.6   14.16   20.17  (137)
CARLTON              1.4   2.9     2.9      6.11   (47)

GOALS
Port Adelaide: R.Gray 5, Trengove 3, Johnson 2, Dixon 2, Polec 2, Young 2, Wingard, S.Gray, Broadbent, Westhoff,
Carlton: Casboult 4, Silvagni, Gibbs

BEST
Port Adelaide: R.Gray, Ebert, Trengove, Broadbent, Wingard, Pittard, Wines
Carlton: Casboult, Cripps, Simpson

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Boak (hamstring), Hartlett (quad) replaced in the side by Johnson
Carlton: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Stephens, Hoskin

Official crowd: 43,120 at Adelaide Oval