Australian Football

Match Report

Port Adelaide, the surprise packet of 2013, has maintained its unbeaten run this season with a 38-point win over the Gold Coast Suns at Carrara on Saturday night. The victory was achieved largely on the back of a brilliant second quarter, in which the Power kicked nine goals to one.

The first quarter of the match was a relatively even affair with early goals to Port by Chad Wingard and Justin Westhoff matched by Jarrod Harbrow and Steven May for the Suns. Wingard's second wads responded to by Zac Smith and Brandon Matera and the Suns took a seven-point lead into quarter-time.

A goal in the first minute of the second term by Hamish Hartlett kicked off an Port Adelaide avalanche. Jake Neade and Westhoff kicked the next two before Jaeger O'Meara kicked one to provide brief respite for the Suns. The respite was very brief as the Power piled on the next six majors through Hartlett, Westhoff, Renouf, Neade, Wingard and Hartlett again.

Gold Coast began the long climb back from a 43-point deficit with a goal to Rory Thompson but this was soon answered by Jay Schulz for Port. Schulz also kicked the next two and at three-quarter time the margin had blown out to 54 points.

To their credit, the Suns fought it out in the last term, kicking 3.4 to the Power's one goal and the final margin was a respectable 38 points.

Best for the Power were Hartlett and Westhoff, who is in career-best form. For the Suns, Gary Ablett was his usual brilliany self, garnering 35 touches, while Brandon Matera was also very good.

The Suns will now travel to Manuka Oval in Canberra to take on the Giants, while Port Adelaide return home to take on the struggling Eagles in a winnable game that could see the move to 5-0.

GOALS
Gold Coast: Thompson 2; Brennan, Matera, Harbrow, Hall, Smith, O’Meara, May
Port Adelaide: Schulz 4; Wingaard, Westhoff, Hartlett 3; Neade 2; Renouf

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Ablett, Matera, Broughton
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Wingard, Hartlett, Cornes, Shulz, Boak

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Ablett, Thompson, Matera, O’Meara, Dixon
Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Cornes, Westhoff, Schulz, Wingaard, Wines, Cassisi

COACHES' COMMENTS
Guy McKenna (GC): We started really well but the second quarter, I think we've now kicked four goals in the four games we've played so...that's disappointing. You back off one step, no matter who you're playing against, and they'll expose you. We got exposed.

Ken Hinkley (Port): It was a good result for us. Clearly we faded in the last quarter. We ran out of energy a little bit but to the Suns' credit, they just kept coming. To come away with a six-goal win, travelling, you'd be always happy enough to take it.

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Wilkinson (ankle), Warnock (shoulder), Bennell (hamstring replaced in selected side by Russell)
Port Adelaide: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Luke Russell was subbed on for Joel Wilkinson (ankle) in the second quarter.
Port Adelaide: Robbie Gray was subbed on for Jake Neade in the third quarter.

UMPIRES: Ryan, Findlay and Fisher