Australian Football

Match Report

A disappointing season for Port Adelaide finished on somewhat of a high on Saturday night, with the Power recording a comfortable win over the Gold Coast Suns at Carrara on Saturday night. In a natc that never reached any great heights, Port overcame a tardy start which saw it fail to score for the first 15 minutes, to gradually get on top and lead by as much as 39 points in the third term before causing to a comfortable 23-point victory in the end. 

Gold Coast had the best of the early exchanges, with a mark and goal to Matt Rosa and a couple of behinds to Sam Day. Port finally hit the scoreboard with a behind to Jesse Palmer and then Travis Boak kicked accurately at the 15-minute mark to give the Power their first goal. Each side then added a couple of behinds but there was only one other goal kicked in the quarter, to Jay Schulz, playing his last game for Port after being told by the club that he would not be offered a 2017 contract. At the first break, the Power led by five points.

Port said up a decisive break in the first 15 minutes of the second quarter as Aaron Young, Robbie Gray and Schulz all kicked majors to take the margin out 23 points. Brandon Matera pulled one back for the Suns with a nice snap from 25 metres out but that was to be Gold Coast's only major of the term, with Sam Gray adding another one for Port to give the Power a lead of 21 points going into the long break. 

The first seven minutes of the third quarter more or less decided the result as Robbie Gray marked and goaled after just one minute and then followed up with another major - his third - a few minutes later, and when Schulz marked and kicked his third at the eight-minute mark, Port led by a game-high 39 points. Brayden Fiorini and Day chimed in for a couple of Gold Coast goals but Robbie Gray's fourth had Port's lead back out to 34 points going into time on. The time-on period saw Gold Coast sudden,y turn things around, with Fiorini and Day both goaling again, and Alex Sexton then chimed in with another major to see the Suns within 15 points at three-quarter time. 

Jarman Impey scored the first goal of the final term for Port but Darcy McPherson answered for the Suns at the seven-minute mark. Debutant Will Snelling kicked his first AFL goal to extend Port's lead to 21 points but Tom Lynch's first major, after he had kicked four earlier behinds, had Gold Coast back within 16 points midway through the term. That was to be the Suns' last goal, though, and Brad Ebert settled the result with a mark and goal at the 23-minute mark, the Power holding on for an ultimately comfortable 23 points. 

Second-gamer Fiorini was one of the Suns' best, laying 12 tackles and having 32 possessions to go with his two goals, while Robbie Gray was outstanding for the winners, with 34 touches and four goals. 

Both sides will now reflect on disappointing seasons, with Port's 10 wins falling a long way short of what most expected, while Gold Coast finished with only six wins after starting the year off with three in a row. The Suns' poor return could be partly blamed on a rotten run with injuries, but there are signs of discontent at the club with midfielders Dion Prestia and Jaeger O'Meara both requesting clearances to other teams. 

GOALS
Gold Coast: Fiorini, Day 2; Rosa, Matera, Sexton, MacPherson, Lynch
Port Adelaide: R. Gray 4; Schulz 3; Boak, Young, S. Gray, Impey, Snelling, Ebert

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Miller, May, Hallahan, Lynch, Fiorini
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Wines, Bonner, S. Gray, Ebert, Broadbent

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Fiorini, Lynch, Miller, Martin, May, Rosa
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Wines, S. Gray, Bonner, Broadbent, Boak

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
Port Adelaide: Austin (lower leg)

UMPIRES: Stephens, Hay, Wallace

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Adam Papalia, Dermott Brereton, Alastair Lynch, Ben Dixon