Australian Football

Match Report

Geelong has recorded an impressive away win over Port Adelaide in a fiery encounter at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. The Cats overcame a tardy start to win in a canter by 48 points and cement a place in the top four. The match looked to be heading in there opposite direction at quarter time, though. The Power was four goals clear when the siren sounded and a melee involving most players on the ground erupted. It took several minutes to untangle the various scuffles and by the time the two sides assemble in their quarter-time huddles, it was almost time to recommence play. When play did restart, Geelong firstly halted Port's scoring, before taking over the match completely midway through the second term. The Cats were never challenged again.

Matthew Broadbent got Port off to a good start with a goal at the two-minute mark, the result of a fine tackle and consequent free kick. The two sides traded in behinds for the next 10 minutes before Ollie Wines kicked the Power's second and they led by 10 points. Another major to Charlie Dixon had Port 16 points clear as the quarter entered time on before Cam Guthrie finally scored Geelong's first at the 22-minute mark. Port closed out the term strongly, though, and majors to Karl Amon and Brad Ebert had the Power ahead by 24 points when the quarter-time 'festivities' broke out.

Whatever was said by the respective coaches to their charges after the melee, it was Geelong which settled and regrouped the better after the quarter-time break. The Cats stemmed there Port tide and, although neither side scored a goal for the first half of the term, when the dam wall broke, it broke Geelong's way. The Cats added six straight goals over the next 15 minutes, two of those to Patrick Dangerfield, who had been the subject of some close attention from Port players, to lead by 11 points at the half.

With the margin under two goals at the long break, the match appeared very much up for grabs when the third quarter began. Dixon cut the margin back to six points with his second at the six-minute mark but the Cats then took full control, kicking five of the next six majors to lead by an even five goals at the last change of ends. 

If Port was going to make a game of it in the final term, it needed to kick the first goal of the quarter but it was Geelong which did all the attacking to take a stranglehold on the match. Two majors to Daniel Menzel followed by another to Shane Kersten put the result beyond doubt, the Cats 50 points ahead half way through the term. Dixon scored a consolation third goal at the 19-minute mark but Josh Caddy closed out a strong win for Geelong with the last goal of the match.

Captain Joel Selwood was a fine player for the winners, picking up 28 touches and taking eight marks, while Travis Boak (26 possessions, five tackles) was consistently good for the Power throughout the evening. 

The Cats will be heavily favoured to improve their record to 5-1 when they host the Gold Coast Suns at Kardinia Park on Saturday night, while Port will look to resurrect its season against Richmond at the MCG at the same time.

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dixon 3; Wines 2; Broadbent, Amon, Ebert
Geelong: Menzel 3; Dangerfield, McCarthy, Kersten 2; Selwood, Stanley, Guthrie, Hawkins, Motlop, Cockatoo, Caddy

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Port Adelaide: Byrne-Jones, Boak, Pittard, Wines, Pittard, Toumpas
Geelong: Selwood, Duncan, Enright, Guthrie, Menzel, Dangerfield

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Port Adelaide: Boak, Wines, Byrne-Jones, Pittard
Geelong: Selwood, Dangerfield, Menzel, Motlop, Stanley, Blicavs

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Geelong: Nil

REPORTS: Nil

UMPIRES: Dagleish, Hosking, Kamolins

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

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