Australian Football

Match Report

Across town to the east-side of the city, we head down The Parade to the Coopers Stadium where the Redlegs faced their bitter rivals in the Magpies. The Magpies faithful had a year they'd rather forget in 2012 with their seventh-placed finish. The Redlegs on the other hand had finally achieved the success that the Magpie fans of today have only been able to dream of. The 'Legs raised the 2012 premiership flag, a stark warning to Port that it may not be long before their record comes under threat. The last eight contests between these clubs have been all Redlegs victories ranging from three points to 100, the previous battle ended in a 37-point win at Norwood which could have been far worse had they been more accurate. You'd have to go back to 2009 to find a Port win... and it was about to get worse in front of 7,500 people.

There doesn't seem to be any traces of a premiership hangover, the Redlegs keeping the 'Pies to just four behinds in the first term while they scored 5.2 to take a 28-point lead at quarter-time. The Redlegs didn't exactly put the pedal to the metal in the second term, but they seemed to be toying with their rivals a bit if you looked at the scores. The Magpies still couldn't find the big sticks, managing just three behinds while the Redlegs added 3.4 to take their lead out to 47 points at the long break. Port finally managed to notch a goal on the board when play resumed, but it would be the only one of their third term. Along with two behinds, it would hardly make an impression on an ever-widening gap. A further 4.2 to the home side would see the deficit extend to 65 points going into the final term. It would be a debut to forget for new Port coach Ken McGregor, the Redlegs finished the night with a 4.3 to 3.1 last quarter to take a 73-point win and send a message to the rest of the competition that 2012 may have been just the beginning.

Matt Thomas was voted best on ground for the Redlegs, while Luke Slattery was one of Port's few shining lights.