Australian Football

Match Report

The other four games all played out at the same time on Saturday afternoon, we now head up north to the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Magpies. Back in Round 6 at Alberton, it was the 'Pies with a 34-point win. They were made to earn it though against a game Bulldogs, the final term was the one that broke their backs as Port scored five goals to two. The Dogs gave their fans one of their more memorable moments for the year with their 19-point win at The Parade last week, while the Magpies slogged it out in the wet at Unley for their 15-point victory. With the imminent departure of coach Roy Laird it was hoped that the Dogs would put up one last fight, but against a Power-loaded line-up it was going to end in tears. 

Early on the Dogs looked like they could make a real game of it but accuracy was a problem. Not so much for Port, who scored 5.1 to the Dogs' 2.7 to lead by two goals at quarter-time. The Magpies' started to get a bit wayward at their end in the second term, but Centrals' struggled to break into their 50 and their 1.1 to 5.7 saw the deficit run out to seven goals by half-time. A further point would be added to the gap by the final change, both teams scoring three goals each along with Port's four misses to the Dogs' three. At the final change, it was a 43-point Magpies lead. But then came the exclamation point. Centrals scored a further two goals, Port would smash through 9.5 on their way to a brutal 15-goal victory. 

Sam Mayes was named best for the Magpies, while the Dogs named Travis Schiller as their standout.