DESPITE a dominant second half, Port Adelaide has gone down a firing Melbourne outfit at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Power produced their worst opening term in season 2017 – scoring just 0.3 to Melbourne’s 4.4 – and were outclassed in every key area in the first quarter.
Scrappy play and inefficient disposal had the Power’s
Max Gawn was dominant in the ruck and Port Adelaide was virtually unable to win a clearance; the Dees continuously
After 7 unanswered goals, the Power managed to hit the scoreboard through Justin Westhoff in the second
A move into the midfield saw Robbie Gray come out firing in the third term, winning clearances and laying plenty of defensive pressure across the field.
The skipper followed suit, prolifically hunting the ball and hitting the scoreboard multiple times; instilling a sense of hope among his team and Power supporters alike.
A nasty collision with Melbourne’s Sam Frost saw Chad Wingard leave the field with an ankle issue late in the third term.
He briefly returned to the field in the fourth quarter but was unable to finish the game, remaining on the sidelines for the remainder of the day.
Ice is out. Wingard's day is done. Port are coming though!! #AFLDeesPower pic.twitter.com/wPKYX3PLIc
— AFL Nation (@AFLNation) July 22, 2017
A sniff of a win came in the final term with goals to Boak and Charlie Dixon put Port Adelaide within 16 points of the home side.
Despite a dominant performance after half time and winning the third quarter the Power was chasing too great a deficit and simply couldn’t hit the front.
The Power worked tirelessly for their points, but the Dees were consistently able to respond and were the eventual victors; claiming a 23-point victory on their home ground.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 0.3 3.6 6.10 9.11 (65)
MELBOURNE 4.4 8.8 11.8 13.10 (88)
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S Best
Boak, R Gray, Jonas, Ebert
Goals
Injuries
Chad Wingard (Ankle) - TBC
Crowd
27,068 at the MCG
