PORT ADELAIDE has suffered a disappointing loss to Melbourne at Adelaide Oval, punctuated by a knee injury to Zak Butters.
The Demons blew the home side away after an at times cagey first half, as a tired Port Adelaide slipped to its third home loss of the season 12.14 (86) to 8.7 (55).
The blow to Butters, having landed awkwardly while taking an intercept mark, came in his first game back since an ankle injury in Round 4.
It was a low-scoring opening with both sides inching forward with slow, methodical play.
In his 200th game, Steven Motlop missed the chance to boot the opening goal of the game after winning a holding the ball free kick on forward 50.
Instead, it was the Demons who struck first when ruckman Luke Jackson marked strongly in front of a pack.
Two quick goals to Karl Amon and Ollie Wines had Port in front. Amon’s in particular was a perfect display of balance, poise and a beautiful left foot kick, as the wingman somehow found a way to get back onto his preferred foot, turn inside two opponents and snap truly.
The away side responded with two late goals in a minute to 50-gamer Charlie Spargo and Tom McDonald to hold a six-point advantage at the first change.
The visitors started to play the game on their terms in the second term with Port’s delivery inside 50 continually rushed, giving the Demons’ talls too many opportunities to intercept the play.
Despite that, it was Connor Rozee who drew first blood when his clean one-handed pickup saw him through on goal and able to bend the ball home off the outside of his right boot.
It was all Melbourne from there with five of the next seven goals and four in a row to open up a lead of 26 points at one stage deep in time on in the first half. The raucous Adelaide Oval crowd was stunned when a controversial mark was paid to Kysaiah Pickett – a graduate of Port Adelaide’s Aboriginal AFL Academy - but not before he was tackled by Port skipper Tom Jonas. The resulting 50 metre penalty taking him to the goal line for the youngster’s second goal of the contest.
Trent McKenzie’s 60-metre bomb (his first goal for the club) and a major to Charlie Dixon after the half time siren pegged the margin back to 20 but Port coach Ken Hinkley and his side had plenty of work to do in the second half.
Port seemed to respond early in the third with Mitch Georgiades lighting up the game. First, he took a mark of the year contender that had the parochial crowd on its feet.
He missed the resulting set shot but marked on the lead four minutes later and made up for it. The Dees fought back again but could only manage four behinds before Georgiades marked strongly deep inside 50 and nailed his second for the night to get Port to within nine points.
In his return from a long injury layoff, Zak Butters – who had been quiet to that point – came from the field after jarring his right knee before Tom McDonald got involved and booted consecutive goals to stretch it back to 22 points.
To that point Port had actually gone inside 50 more often than the visitors but was inefficient.
Medical substitute Martin Frederick was introduced in the last term with Port needing a spark, but it was the Dees who continued to stream forward as Port’s five-day turnaround started to take its toll.
The damaging Christian Petracca and Pickett each booted their third goals for the night as the margin blew out to six goals, and the game fizzled out.
It was just Melbourne’s third win in its last 13 games against Port and a message to the rest of the competition that the Demons are building at the business end of the season.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 2.2 5.3 7.5 8.7 (55)
MELBOURNE 3.2 8.4 10.9 12.14 (86)
Goals
Georgiades, Dixon 2, Amon, Wines, Rozee, McKenzie
Best
Wines, Drew, Jonas, Clurey, Georgiades
