PORT ADELAIDE’s hopes of a premiership in its 150th year have come to a heartbreaking end with a six-point loss to Richmond in the Preliminary Final.
The margin never got beyond ten points in a tight, low-scoring affair, with the reigning premiers getting over the line 6.10 (46) to 6.4 (40) at a wet Adelaide Oval.
There was a dribble of rain before the bounce but it was coming down solidly by quarter time, when Port led by two points.
In front of the biggest crowd seen at Adelaide Oval since February, even seeing Port miss two golden chances on goal and then concede the first two goals to Tiger stars Dustin Martin and Jack Reiwoldt did nothing to dim the electric atmosphere.
The home side started to get the game on its terms as the quarter progressed and when captain Tom Jonas ran 40 metres off his opponent to turn the ball over at half back and then Connor Rozee toe poked the ball over the goal line after his teammates repeatedly forced it forward up the wing it was able to settle the nerves.
Fellow 2018 draftee Xavier Duursma then nailed a set shot and one of his best bow and arrow celebrations to get the crowd going and put Port in the lead at the first break.
The teenager had veteran Robbie Gray to thank for the set-up after he showed clean hands, sharp decision making and elite skills to find Duursma inside 50.
Ruckman Peter Ladhams went on report for a low hit on Noah Balta in that quarter when the defender tried to block him on the mark.
With the rain the game became an arm wrestle. Port started brightly with Rozee’s second major – an exceptional gather and snap from the boundary in slippery conditions.
He was back in the action soon after but from a similar spot his centred pass slipped through Duursma’s hands.
Port had 32 inside 50s to 22 by the main break but the Tigers did well to withstand the pressure for the first ten minutes before exerting some of their own after Martin pushed Darcy Byrne-Jones out of the way and marked inside 50 before slotting his second major.
Port started to win the ball around the contest and had 20 clearances to 13 by half time with Ollie Wines gathering 14 touches and Duursma 12, as the sides went in level at the break in a low-scoring affair.
The game did not open up in the third despite Port dominating hit-outs, territory and inside 50s.
Both sides managed a solitary goal – the Tigers first through Tom Lynch after a pack mark and then Port through ruckman Scott Lycett after marking 45 metres out on a slight angle.
Lycett earned the major after bursting up the wing and showing remarkable pace to run past an opposition tackler to get the ball forward before running inside 50 to mark and complete the play.
Wines continued to get Port going in the middle and Brad Ebert started to find plenty of the ball as the away side took a two-point advantage into the final change.
It was the best possible start to the last quarter for Port with Charlie Dixon taking his first mark inside 50 for the game. His kick from a difficult angle next to the boundary line and 50 metres out sailed through to lift the partisan crowd to its feet.
The Tigers, though, were too experienced to hang their heads for too long and Kane Lambert put them back in front with a dribbled effort out of a pack.
Lambert’s second six minutes later gave the visitors a ten-point advantage and Port was up against immense pressure.
A free kick to Peter Ladhams inside 50 saw him put Port back to within four points with about seven minutes to go.
Ebert was inspirational running back with the flight to prevent a mark to Riewoldt and needed to be helped off the ground and his teammates kept fighting as the time ticked away.
Riewoldt would get a free kick in the dying stages and boot a behind to take the margin to six points and that was where it stayed as Port finished with its second lowest score of the season in just its fourth loss.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 2.3 3.3 4.4 6.4 (40)
RICHMOND 2.1 3.3 4.6 6.10 (46)
Goals
Rozee 2, Duursma, Lycett, Dixon, Ladhams
Best
Wines, Rozee, Lycett, Ebert, Duursma, Powell-Pepper, Jonas, Byrne-Jones
Crowd
Approx. 25300 at Adelaide Oval
