Australian Football

Match Report

Port Adelaide has won its way through to its first Preliminary Final since 2007 with a stunning second half against Fremantle at the Dockers' fortress, Subiaco, on Saturday night. The Power were staring down the barrel of a Semi Final exit for the second year running when they trailed by 24 points at the long break but through caution to the wind in the third term and were in front at the last change. They then surrendered that lead early in the last quarter before running over the Dockers to win by 22 points.

Angus Monfries got Port off to a fast start with a goal at the three minute mark, after which Fremantle attacked heavily bit could notch up only three behinds. After Robbie Gray kicked the Power's first behind, Nat Fyfe finally broke through for the Dockers' first major after receiving a handball Chris Mayne in the goal-square. Michael Barlow made it two for Fremantle after a mark at the 22-minute mark, giving the Dockers a nine-point lead. Fyfe ran into an open goal and booted his second at the 26-minute mark to make the difference 15 but Chad Wingard brought it back to nine with a snap around the corner just before the quarter-time siren.

Fremantle opened the second term with a goal in the second minute after a mark by Aaron Sandilands and then kicked four consecutive behinds - three of those to Michael Walters - to take the margin out 19 points before Barlow finally kicked one straight after a beautiful tap down from Sandilands. The difference ballooned out to 31 when Hayden Crozier goaled on the run at the 22-minute mark. But Chad Wingard reprised his late first-quarter effort with a last-minute goal to reduce to difference to 24, allowing the Power to leave the field for the long break with some sense of hope. 

Having had 17 shots to eight at half time and there was a sense amongst many that the Dockers had perhaps squandered chances to put the match beyond Port. And so it proved to be. The Power came out firing from the beginning in the third quarter and Robbie Gray had a goal in the board within a minute of the commencement of the second half. He added another at the six-minute mark and when Oliver Wines kicked his first at the 13-minute mark, the difference was suddenly just four points. Walters pulled one back to give the Dockers some breathing space but Wingard reduced the margin back to four with his third as the quarter entered time-on. Five minutes later Gray goaled again and Port was in front for the first time since the early minutes of the match. Walters kicked his second to give the lead back to Fremantle but Robbie Gray again came to the fore with a free kick and goal, his fourth, to give the Power a two-point buffer at the last change.

The question on the lips of many at the start of the last quarter was whether Port would have enough left in the tank after its withering third-term burst and, when Walters and Crozier kicked majors within the first four minutes to restore a 10-point Docker lead, it appeared the answer would be, "no". But after a seven minute arm-wrestle in which neither side scored, Wines kicked his second to set the Power back on the path to victory. He kicked another at the 12-minute mark, giving Port a three-point lead, one which they would not relinquish. Matt White made it nine points the Power's way after 14 minutes and the two sides traded behinds for the next nine minutes before Danyle Pearce goaled to bring Fremantle back within a goal and give Dockers' fans hope. But Port rose to the occasion in the last few minutes of the match. Wingard made it 10 points when he bounced one through at the 26-minute mark and Jay Schulz and Jared Polec made sure of a memorable win for Port Adelaide with the last two goals of the match, the Power finishing 22 points clear at the final siren.

Robbie Gray was outstanding for Port, with 21 touches and four goals, as were Hamish Hartlett (33 disposals, eight marks) and Ollie Wines (26 possessions, three goals). For Fremantle, Nat Fyfe (11 tackles, 28 disposals), Lachie Neale (32 possessions, three marks) and Aaron Sandilands (50 hitouts, five marks) were valuable contributors throughout the match.

The Power will now take on the might of Hawthorn in a Preliminary Final at the MCG next Saturday in a bid to make their first Grand Final since 2007. The Dockers, Grand Finalists last year, have slipped back to sixth in 2014 but coach Ross Lyon vowed that Fremantle would be a contender for the 2015 flag. 

GOALS
Fremantle: Walters 3; Fyfe, Barlow, Crozier 2; Sandilands, Pearce
Port Adelaide: Gray, Wingard 4; Wines 3; Monfries, White, Polec, Schulz

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
Fremantle: L Neale, N Fyfe, A Sandilands, M Barlow, R Crowley, S Hill
Port Adelaide: H Hartlett, R Gray, O Wines, C Wingard, J Westhoff, J Pittard

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Fremantle: Fyfe, Neale, Walters, Mayne, Mundy, Sandilands
Port Adelaide: Gray, Wines, Wingard, Hartlett, Carlile, Westhoff

INJURIES
Fremantle: Silvagni (hamstring tightness) replaced in selected side by de Boer. Taberner (groin), Ibbotson (shoulder)
Port Adelaide: Jonas (hip)

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Matt de Boer replaced Matt Taberner in the third quarter
Port Adelaide: Aaron Moore replaced Tom Jonas at half-time

REPORTS: Zac Dawson for striking Robbie Gray in the third term

UMPIRES: Margetts, Stevic, Schmitt

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Brian Taylor, Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling