Wingard soars, Power remains top
All-Australian takes mark of the year monty as Power blitzes Saints at the Adelaide Oval.
With Robbie Gray booting four goals, and Jay Schulz and Chad Wingard kicking three apiece, the scoreboard quickly ballooned from a deadlock late in the second quarter to 50 points at the same point in the following quarter - the league leaders eventually running out 10-goal winners.
Wingard was at his acrobatic best - taking a suite of high marks including the undoubted mark of the year so far.
His screamer at the 11-minute mark of the third term was the highlight of a game played in two halves after the Saints successfully halted the Power's opening four-goal run to level the scores late in the second quarter.
Despite an efficient start, the Power struggled to maintain possession - or hold a mark - in the second term and the Saints won out in an excruciatingly underwhelming 30 minutes of football.
It was only thanks to a 'junk time' surge that the home side was able to reopen a 19-point lead at the main break.
But if that was the surge, the blitz was yet to come.
The Gray-Schulz-Wingard combination led the way as Hamish Hartlett and Jasper Pittard provided the running impact through the middle to kick nine unanswered goals and put the game beyond doubt.
It was one of the Power's most entertaining halves for the year - by no means a walk in the park, with the Saints continuing to pressure and attack the footy - but laced with creative and ambitious play to open the game up.
The boisterous home crowd got into the action in the outer as well as the Power hopped out to a 76-point lead late in the game.
Importantly late ring-ins Sam Gray and Ben Newton performed servicably, ensuring the Port Adelaide selection panel has ample depth to choose from with the hopeful returns of skipper Travis Boak and forwards Angus Monfries and Matt White from injury next week.
But the Power will investigate a possible injury concern for playmaker Jared Polec, who was substituted in the third term.
Polec was aided from the ground in the opening quarter, but returned to assist in the Power's third quarter master class as one of the best afield before his subbing.
The win is an important boost ahead of the Power taking on short-priced premiership favourites Sydney at the SCG next week.
More to come...
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.3 7.6 13.10 19.15 (129)
ST KILDA 2.2 4.5 9.5 9.5 (59)
Goals
R. Gray 4, Wingard, Schulz 3, Polec, Trengove, Hartlett, Impey, Westhoff, Pittard, Lobbe, Ebert, Cassisi
portadelaidefc.com.au’s best
Hartlett, R. Gray, Pittard, Wingard, Polec, Impey, Wines, Westhoff
Injuries
Polec (TBC)
Reports
Nil
Crowd
42,374 at the Adelaide Oval