PORT ADELAIDE has won its twelfth game of the season and the 100th of coach Ken Hinkley’s time at the club with a 36-point win over North Melbourne.
Port conceded the first goal of the game on the Gold Coast but never trailed after that, blowing the game open with a six goal to two third quarter.
Travis Boak was brilliant through the middle and was well supported by vice-captain Ollie Wines and the prolific Tom Rockliff as Port kept hold of its place at the top of the ladder and boosted its percentage with a 11.12 (78) to 6.6 (42) victory.
After a poor showing last week, the Kangaroos showed they had another level of intensity in the opening ten minutes of the game. They dominated the opening stages, so much so that Port couldn’t manage a mark for around seven minutes.
Yet, after Trent Dumont missed a golden chance from 25 metres out and Todd Goldstein had the opening goal of the match, it was all Port after that.
The ladder leaders booted the next four goals of the quarter, and it was big Charlie Dixon, fresh off signing a three-year contract extension during the week, who got the ball rolling with his side’s first of the evening.
Back in the side, Steven Motlop won a holding the ball free kick inside 50 and converted the set shot – his 200th AFL goal - and then Zak Butters marked courageously and Karl Amon did the same on the lead, and each kicked truly to give Port an 18-point advantage at the first break.
It could have been closer but North’s Mason Wood missed a set shot after the siren.
Port would have to see out the rest of the match one man down after luckless defender Ryan Burton hobbled off with a quad injury.
As they did in the first quarter, the Kangaroos were high on energy and intensity in the second. They got lucky a couple of times early when a mark to Trent McKenzie was not given and from the resulting stoppage, Cam Zurhaar was able to snap what was called a goal through three sets of hands, despite Port players protesting that the ball was touched.
It was to be their only score of the quarter while Port peppered the goals but could only manage three behinds for the quarter through Robbie Gray, Darcy Byrne-Jones and Sam Powell-Pepper, another who signed a contract extension during the week.
Port’s midfielders were getting plenty of the ball in a highly contested outing with Ollie Wines the pick of them with a game-high 16 touches and five clearances to the main break, but Travis Boak and Tom Rockliff had also racked up 15 disposals.
They were also dominating the clearances, leading 20-14 at half time including 6-2 out of the centre, and despite trailing the inside 50 count 18-20, Port still held a 15-point advantage heading into the second half.
After being held goalless in the second term, Port showed it was determined to avoid a repeat and within a minute Dixon had his second after a strong mark on the lead from a tight angle. His 29th goal of the season taking him to second in the race for the Coleman Medal.
Nick Larkey got one back for the Roos after a terrible turnover by Motlop inside defensive 50 and another turnover by Trent McKenzie should have been punished, and the home side would be left to rue a miss by skipper Jack Ziebell.
From there it was all Port with five consecutive goals, including one to Robbie Gray from a set shot just seconds after Ziebell’s miss.
Wines continued on his merry way – the vice-captain nailed a long set shot from right on 50 before nailing a second with a snap three minutes later. In the meantime Boak got on the end of a chain of handballs as Port continued to dominate the centre clearances.
Aaron Hall finally stopped the rot with a long goal after a chip inside 50 bounced through.
North also went a man down after Jy Simpkin was ruled out under the concussion protocols after a high bump by Butters that might see the dynamic teenager looked at by the Match Review Officer.
By three quarter time, Port had a 40-point lead and Boak (29 disposals, eight tackles and a goal), Rockliff (25 disposals, eight tackles) and Wines (22 disposals, five clearances, two goals) were doing as they wished out of the middle.
Despite the result being a foregone conclusion, the Kangaroos continued to fight it out and managed consecutive goals for the first time in the match when Josh Walker took a strong mark inside 50 and goaled.
It was three in a row when Wood got his first for the night, but Sam Powell-Pepper sealed the result after marking courageously and then getting a strange 50 metre penalty that took him to the goal line after teammate Todd Marshall was held 30 metres away.
Boak could probably bank another three Brownlow Medal votes after finishing with 34 disposals, nine clearances, a goal, eight score involvements and a game high 485 metres gained.
Scott Lycett, too, was impressive against Todd Goldstein – who was destructive the last time the sides met – winning 27 hit-outs to 23, 12 disposals to nine and five clearances to two, to take the ruck honours on the night.
The result keeps Port on top of the AFL ladder, where it was been since Round 1, way back in March.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 4.5 10.8 11.12 (78)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.2 2.2 4.4 6.6 (42)
Goals
Dixon, Wines 2, Motlop, Butters, Amon, Gray, Rozee, Boak, Powell-Pepper
Best
Wines, Boak, Rockliff, Lycett, Hartlett, Amon
Crowd
TBC at Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast
