Australian Football

Match Report

A strong final quarter has seen the GWS Giants record their third win of the season, defeating a plucky Port Adelaide outfit by 31 points at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Saturday afternoon. The sides were neck and neck for the first three quarters, equal on goals at each break in play but the Giants superior class saw them break away in the final term, kicking five goals to nil, to record what was ultimately a comfortable win. 

Port Adelaide looked in control in the early minutes of the match, but could convert that control into not more than a couple of behinds, one each to Chad Wingard and Charlie Dixon. The first goal of the match eventually went to the Giants' Rory Libb at the seven-minute mark but Travis Boak replied for the Power six minutes later giving Port a one-point lead. GWS then took its turn to miss a couple of shots, after which Robbie Gray marked and goaled and it was the Power by five points. A brace of goals to Sam Reid gave the Giants a seven-point lead and, after a couple of further behinds, Jeremy Cameron added another goal and GWS led by 15. But Port responded with late goals to Sam Gray and Dixon and GWS's lead was cut back to three points at quarter time.

A strong mark and goal to Jonathon Patton extended the Giants' lead to eight points early in the second term but Port responded through Karl Amon at the six-minute mark and the margin was back to two. The Power had a couple of chances to grab the lead after that but misses to Wingard and Jasper Pittard levelled the scores eight minutes in. GWS looked like getting on top after that, with Patton kicking his second and Dylan Shiel his first but Port fought back again, and majors to Boak and Aaron Young saw scores tied early in time on. Greene goaled for GWS but Wingard replied once more, after which Port added two behinds to one to take a lead of one point into the long break.

As they had done at times in the first half, the Giants threatened to break away early in the third quarter, with goals to Patton and Greene giving them a two-goal lead after 11 minutes, but Port Adelaide again responded, and majors to Jackson Trengove and Ollie Wines had the Power back in front by a point after 17 minutes. They communed to attack after that, adding three further behinds and a major to Justin Westhoff, and they led by 10 points at the 24-minute mark. GWS rallied with a late goal to Patton - his fourth - and it was Port by just four points at the last change.

It seemed the stage was set for a grandstand finish when the final quarter began but, in truth, the Giants dominated the term from go to whoa. They added only behinds in the first five minutes but when Greene kicked his third goal at that point, it sparked a string of goals that saw GWS run away with the match. Greene kicked his fourth a few minutes later, and then Patton added two more of his own before Jacob Hopper saw out the match with a final goal that gave the Giants a comfortable 31-point victory in the end.

Along with Patton, who kicked six goals, Dylan Shiel was a standout for the Giants, with 28 possessions and eight tackles, while Brad Ebert (21 disposals, seven marks) and skipper Boak (20 possessions, two goals) were among the best for Port.

Having won their last three, the Giants have moved into the top four and will go into their derby match against the winless Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday night full of confidence. Port (seventh, 2-2) will look to return to winners list on Friday night when it hosts Carlton at Adelaide Oval.

GOALS
GWS: Patton 6; Greene 4; Reid 2; Lobb, Cameron, Hopper, Shiel
Port Adelaide: Boak 2; R. Gray, S. Gray, Dixon, Amon, Young, Wingard, Trengove, Wines, Westhoff

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
GWS: Patton, Scully, Shiel, Greene, Kelly, Haynes
Port Adelaide: Ebert, Boak, Houston, Trengove, Pittard, Wines

BEST - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
GWS: Shiel, Scully, Kelly, Lobb, Greene, Patton
Port Adelaide: Boak, R Gray, Pittard, Houston, Wines

INJURIES
GWS: Shiel (shoulder), Shaw (shin)
Port Adelaide: Nil

UMPIRES: Rosebury, O'Gorman, Pannell 

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Adam Papalia, Dermott Brereton, Alastair Lynch, David King