AN inaccurate Port Adelaide outfit has gone down to Sturt in a hotly contested SANFL pre-season trial game on Friday night.
After a low scoring start, the game broke open in the third term as Port took control, but a seven-goal to one final quarter saw the Double Blues storm home for a 14.8 (92) to 8.13 (61) win.
On a balmy night at Alberton and in front of a small but vocal crowd, it was a slow start as both sides got a feel for each other without doing much damage on the scoreboard.
Sturt led by four points at the first change after a late Zane Kirkwood goal cancelled out Port’s early lead thanks to a 45-metre set shot goal from young forward Mitch Georgiades.
First-year player Lachie Jones started to show his strength and impose himself on the game in the second term with some composed defensive play across half back that belied his youth and inexperience.
The Double Blues made an immediate imprint on the scoreboard with Kirkwood punishing Port for a sloppy turnover inside 50 to boot his second for the evening, as the entire AFL selected side watched on from the balcony of the Allan Scott Power Headquarters.
Georgiades got his second too after squandering one chance. His third effort for the night sailed straight through from 30 metres to bring the margin back to three points after he first leapt high to take a strong mark.
Port cut the seven-point half time margin to five with a couple of early behinds but Sturt responded with a classy goal to Josh Hone.
With Jones watching on from the sidelines after being taken out of the game, the home side continued to push and skipper Cam Sutcliffe had the Alberton crowd cheering when he steered home a long bomb from 55 metres after it bounced twice just past the outstretched leg of a Sturt defender.
The Double Blues made wholesale changes at the main break and it seemed to lift the intensity. Consecutive goals to Ash Johnson had them open up an 18-point lead before a long goal from Jackson Mead brought Port back into it.
It seemed to spark the home side who made it four goals in a row after Campbell Wildman booted consecutive majors and Sam Mayes followed him with a 50-metre set shot from hard up against the boundary.
Mayes initially looked to pass it off but encouraged by his teammates on the balcony the experienced campaigner went back and nailed the set shot to put his side seven points up.
Aryan Sareen, who sat out the first quarter for Port, showed desperation late in the quarter to spoil a certain Sturt mark inside 50 and preserve his side’s lead at the final change.
The Double Blues’ fresh legs started to show the longer the final quarter progressed with five goals in nine minutes breaking the game open.
Port struggled to execute going inside 50 and the Double Blues made them pay at the other end with talls Aiden Hollans, Lachlan Burrows and Johnson each helping themselves to majors.
With the sun setting and shadows stretching across Alberton Oval, Dylan Williams grabbed one back to stem the tide with a simple finish after roving over the back of a pack.
But it was too little too late. Late goals to Mihail Lochowiack and Johnson – his fourth after the siren - stretched the margin back out to 31 points and that was how it finished.
Port will have one more trial game against Adelaide before getting its SANFL season underway against traditional rival Norwood at the Parade on April 1.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 1.4 2.8 7.12 8.13 (61)
STURT 2.2 4.3 7.5 14.8 (92)
Goals
Georgiades, Wildman 2, Sutcliffe, Mead, Mayes, Williams
