PORT ADELAIDE has returned to the winners’ list with a commanding performance to beat Melbourne by 51 points on Thursday night.

Port booted the first six goals of the game to take full control at the Gabba, before running out 12.11 (83) to 4.8 (32) winners on a slippery night in Brisbane.

Challenged to respond after a poor showing against St Kilda last week, Port’s midfield was well on top to help the Power retained its spot at the top of the ladder and boost its percentage.

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It was a strong start by the Power with Charlie Dixon finding Mitch Georgiades inside 50 on the lead within one minute. The youngest player in the side slotted the resulting set shot from 35 metres out.

Not to be outdone, the oldest man on the list, Justin Westhoff marked his eligibility for AFL Life Membership with a goal of his own seven minutes later after Ollie Wines landed a stab pass on his chest 45 metres out.

The Demons were getting the ball inside 50 but failing to hit a target, and on one of a number of turnovers, Port made them pay.

Quick hands from Hamish Hartlett started a chain of passes up the field which landed in the arms of Connor Rozee 25 metres out from goal. Rather than take the set shot, the 20-year-old snapped around the body to boot his first major of the evening.

The Demons should have had a goal of their own after the quarter time siren when Clayton Oliver was given a free kick for a controversial holding the ball on ruckman Peter Ladhams but he missed the set shot to leave Port leading by 18 points at the first break.

Port picked up where it left off in the second term as Westhoff split a pack to claim a clean mark and slot his second goal before Charlie Dixon booted his first of the night after winning a free kick in a ruck contest with Max Gawn.

The Demons skipper had previously won four free kicks of his own against inexperienced Power ruckman Ladhams and he was not impressed when one went against him.

Things continued to go Port’s way after that as Sam Mayes was awarded what appeared a soft 50 metre penalty after being pushed following a mark and the former Brisbane Lion scored his first goal from 50 metres out to push the margin out beyond six goals.

It took until the last minute of the half for the Demons to get their first major of the contest through Christian Petracca’s clever snap off one step.

And the main break margin of 33 points could have been worse, had Kane Farrell’s late snap on goal not been overturned after a video review showed it had been touched by Dees defender Steven May.

Having been smashed in the clearances 10-5 in the first quarter, Port found a way to turn that stat on its head with 12 clearances to five in the second, despite losing the hit-outs 22-8.

Again it was Port making the early running with three goals in the first 12 minutes to effectively kill the contest.

Ollie Wines, who was winning plenty of the ball, was taken high inside 50 and converted within three minutes to get the ball rolling before another snap by Rozee and a neat build up through the centre of the ground led to a goal to Kane Farrell from a 25 metre set shot.

When Georgiades got his second after some Robbie Gray class roving off a pack, the margin was out to 58 points.

Rozee almost had another with a toe poke off the ground only to be denied by the outstretched hand of Michael Hibberd playing goal keeper on the line.

The Demons finally got the ball moving how they would like with a couple of minutes to play, finding the last two goals of the quarter through Jake Melksham and Sam Weideman to cut the deficit to 46 points at the final change.

But that is as close at they got as Port took full control. Georgiades showed he belonged at the level in just his third game taking mark after mark including a hanger from the side of a big pack before he booted his third goal.

The teenager could have had five majors if not for inaccuracy but had to settle for three, before Travis Boak made up for a miss of his own to snap a major in high traffic and take the margin out to 58 points.

Weideman got a consolation second goal with a late set shot and Melksham’s shot after the siren was touched by the man on the mark, leaving Port 51 points in front and going home to Adelaide with an important win before its Round 10 encounter with the Western Bulldogs in just four days.

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE            3.2     6.6        10.9     12.11   (83)             

MELBOURNE                  0.2      1.3         3.5       4.8     (32)              

Goals

Georgiades 3, Westhoff, Rozee, 2, Dixon, Mayes, Wines, Farrell, Boak

Best

Wines, Georgiades, Amon, Boak, Mayes, Jonas, Byrne-Jones

Crowd

TBC at the Gabba