Australian Football

Match Report

Port Adelaide has scored an against-the-odds win over West Coast at Subiaco to reclaim a place in the top four and further enhance its credentials as a premiership contender. The Power came into the match a game plus percentage clear of the Eagles, but a strong home-ground advantage saw West Coast go into the match as favourites. The Eagles looked like living up to that favouritism after overcoming a slow start to lead by as much as four goals at one stage, but an eight-goal final term saw Port run away with the match after scores had been level at the last change of ends.

West Coast looked anything but favourites and certainly not at home for the first 15 minutes of the match, as Port flew out of the blocks with goals to Ollie Wines, Charlie Dixon, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard giving the Power a 23-point lead. Jack Darling finally snapped the Eagles' first goal at the 17-mnute mark, and that brought about a 180-degree shift in momentum, with the home side adding three further goal through Mark LeCras (two) and Lewis Jetta to go into quarter time with a four-point lead.

Momentum stayed with the home side in the early part of the second term as Jack Darling kicked his second and third goals and LeCras his third inside the first 10 minutes. The Eagles had further chances to stamp their authority on the match but Darling, Jamie Cripps and Dom Sheed all missed shots before time on saw another momentum swing, with Port Paddy Ryder and Travis Boak goaling to cut West Coast's margin from 24 to 11 points at the half.

The two sides went goal for goal in the early stages of the second half, with majors from Eagles Darling and Drew Petrie getting respective replies from Port's Charlie Dixon and Hamish Hartlett. The margin was nine points West Coast's way midway through the third quarter but a goal to Dixon followed by a string of behinds to the Power had scores level after 26 minutes. A strong mark and goal to Justin Westhoff gave Port the lead before the same from Jetta had both sides locked on 10.8.68 at the final end-change.

An early last-quarter goal to Dixon saw the Power with their noses in front but LeCras marking and kicking truly at the five-minute mark levelled the scores again and it looked like being a 'down to the wire' affair. But Port dominated the next eight minutes and goals to Jackson Trengove, Westhoff and Robbie Gray saw it jump out to an 18-point lead. A mark and 50-metre penalty saw Nathan Vardy goal and pull the margin back to 12 points but further majors to Robbie Gray and Dixon over the next 12 minutes took Port's lead out to 25 points and virtually settled the result.

Cripps clawed one back for the Eagles to cut the deficit to 19 but the Power closed out the match with majors to Trengove and Ryder and in the end the visitors prevailed by a more than comfortable 32 points.

Port had many winners but Ryder (39 hitouts, six tackles) and Dixon (five goals, 14 possessions) particularly stood out while for West Coast Liam Duggan (22 touches, five marks), Andrew Gaff (28 possessions, three marks) and Elliot Yeo (21 disposals, six marks) were all solid contributors.

Sitting in side the top four on percentage from Melbourne, the Power will look to protect that place with a big home win against 17th-placed North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles find themselves out of the eight on percentage, and will need to defeat Fremantle in the year's second Western Derby on Sunday to stay in touch. 

GOALS
West Coast: Darling, LeCras 4; Jetta 2; Petrie, Vardy, Cripps
Port Adelaide: Dixon 5; Gray 3; Westhoff, Trengove, Ryder 2; Wines, Wingard, Boak, Hartlett

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
West Coast: Gaff, Darling, Jetta, Mitchell, Duggan, LeCras
Port Adelaide: Ryder, Dixon, Wingard, Ebert, Westhoff, Trengove

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
West Coast: Duggan, Mitchell, Gaff, LeCras, Hutchings, Jetta
Port Adelaide: Dixon, Ryder, Ebert, Westhoff, Wingard, Wines

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Port Adelaide: Powell-Pepper (shoulder)

UMPIRES: Dalgleish, Harris, Pannell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Brad Johnson, Matthew Pavlich, Ben Dixon