A STRAIGHT kicking St Kilda outfit has spoiled Port Adelaide’s homecoming with a 29-point win at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
The Saints withstood some period of Port pressure before breaking the game open with the last five goals of the game to win 12.1 (73) to 6.8 (44) on a clear but slippery evening in Adelaide.
It was a happy return for former Port players Dougal Howard and Paddy Ryder while it was a miserable night for the home side which failed to kick a last quarter goal.
Port Adelaide supporters had waited six weeks to see their side live in Adelaide and they were treated to a ferocious and low scoring opening with neither side giving an inch.
Rowan Marshall opened the scoring with a goal from a free kick for a ruck infringement but Sam Powell-Pepper responded with a snap from the pocket after Port pressured the Saints out of it inside 50.
The scoring then dried up until Robbie Gray marked on the lead and nailed the set shot from a similar position to where he kicked the match-winner last week against Carlton to give the home side a six-point lead at the first break.
St Kilda had it back on level terms within eight minutes of the restart when Dan Butler marked and finished from 40 metres out but Port Adelaide then had the better of the play for about ten minutes.
Mitch Georgiades, playing just his second career game showed some promise with a high leaping grab before getting on the end of another mark and kicking truly for his first major of the night from 45 metres out directly in front.
Almost poetically, former Port Adelaide ruckman Paddy Ryder kicked a goal after a holding free kick and then his protégé, wearing his former number 4, Todd Marshall, marked and snuck home his kick to respond almost immediately.
Darcy Byrne-Jones was getting plenty of the ball off half back with his repeated efforts a real feature of his play as he led all comers with 15 first half disposals.
The Saints booted the last two goals of the first half as their high-pressure play started to play dividends – the second after a controversial 50 metre penalty to Nick Hind – as they went into the main change with a three-point advantage.
Port coach Ken Hinkley must have said something good at the break because his team came out breathing fire in the second half.
Charlie Dixon nailed a set shot within 50 seconds to put his side back in front as Port went to work dominating territory and inside 50s.
But for all Port’s effort, the Saints were able to withstand the storm of the first 15 minutes and fire back with consecutive goals through Dean Kent and Rowan Marshall.
Port wingman Xavier Duursma’s courage was rewarded when he ran in from the side of a pack to mark in front of Ryder and he nailed the set shot to close the margin to just one point at the final break.
Despite being away from home, in front of a parochial Port Adelaide crowd and having played at the same venue just five days earlier, the Saints got the final five goals of the match, starting with a dribbled effort by Jade Gresham and a Butler set shot after a turnover by Justin Westhoff, who was a late inclusion after Trent McKenzie pulled out with back spasms.
Port peppered the goal but kept missing while the Saints were impressively accurate, including Ryder who roved off a pack and dribbled the ball home from the pocket.
The pick of the bunch, however, was a fortuitous soccer-style bicycle kick on the goal line by Membrey who deflected a Tom Jonas punch into the goal.
Max King sealed the deal with a strong pack mark and set shot, and having not won a game at Adelaide Oval in eleven attempts until last Monday’s victory over the Crows, the Saints have now won two in a week to move into the competition’s top four.
Port Adelaide will retain top spot on the ladder for now ahead of a game against Melbourne at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 2.1 4.4 6.6 6.8 (44)
ST KILDA 1.1 5.1 7.1 12.1 (73)
Goals
Powell-Pepper, Gray, Georgiades, Marshall, Dixon, Duursma
Best
Byrne-Jones, Duursma, Houston, Jonas
Crowd
Approximately 19,000 at Adelaide Oval
