Australian Football

Match Report

When these two sides met earlier in April in the year's first Showdown, Port Adelaide were expected to put up a strong showing and demonstrate that it was to return as a force in 2016. Instead, the Power capitulated meekly as Adelaide put them to the sword to the tune of 58 points. This time around, on Saturday night, with Port's finals chances shot, it was not expected to provide the Crows with much resistance. But the Power again bucked the predictions, taking game right up to the third-placed Crows to be within a point at the last change, before Adelaide finished slightly the stronger to eke out a 15-point win. 

Port started strongly and dominated general play for much of the first 10 minutes. The Power converted that into a 14-point lead, with goals to Robbie Gray and Jesse Palmer, but misses from Karl Amon and Jay Schulz prevented the margin being as much as four goals. The Crows finally hit the scoreboard with a goal to Eddie Betts in his 250th AFL match cutting the deficit to eight points. Aaron Young responded for Port with his first goal but Adelaide then hit its straps with majors to Betts, Mitch McGovern and Betts again seeing the Crows take the lead for the first time. Young then marked strongly and kicked his second, and the Power took a one-point lead into quarter time. 

The start of the second quarter signalled a distinct change in momentum. Adelaide dominated from the opening minute and could have set up a big lead had it not been for inaccuracy. The Crows kicked six behinds in a row, two each to Taylor Walker and Tom Lynch with another two to McGovern and Betts, before finally straightening up to kick three goals in a row to Lynch, Betts and McGovern, before the inaccuracy returned and Charlie Cameron, Walker and McGovern all missed again. Throughout that period, Port rarely went forward and utterly failed to score as Adelaide raced to a 26-point lead, until a late Jake Neade goal was followed quickly by another to Young and, for all Adelaide's dominance, the Crows led by only 13 points at the half. 

Taylor Walker gave the Crows some breathing space with the first goal of the second half, but Justin Westhoff's first had Port back within 14 points after six minutes. Luke Brown added another for Adelaide but when Jared Polec added another goal at the 12-minute mark, the margin was 13 points once more. The two sides continued to go goal-for-goal after that but three majors in a row to close out the quarter from Port's Gray, Neade and Travis Boak, the Power was back within a point at the last end-change. 

Adelaide got the vital first goal of the final term, Walker's second extending the Crows' lead to seven points. They then attacked heavily, but Betts, Jenkins, Walker and David Mackay all missed, leaving the door ajar for Port. McGovern took the margin out to 16 points but a great goal to Amon had Port back within nine but a third goal to Walker after a strong mark saw the Crows sneak out to a 15-point lead again. Port came one final time with a beautiful long goal from Matthew Broadbent but with time running out, the Crows sealed the deal in the best possible way with Eddie Betts kicking one off his renowned 'freak' goals from an 'impossible' angle. 

Matt Crouch was a standout for the Crows, with 33 possessions and six tackles, while Ollie Wines played a fine game fir the Power, picking up 28 touches and laying six tackles. 

The win lifted Adelaide to second on the ladder and a further victory over West Coast at Adelaide Oval on Friday night will virtually ensure a home final for the Crows, and possibly even a top-of-the-ladder finish. Port will see out its season with a trip to the Gold Coast to take on the Suns, hoping to finish with a 10th win for the year and finish on a positive note. 

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Young 3; R.Gray, Neade 2; Palmer, Westhoff, Polec, Toumpas, Boak, Amon, Broadbent
Adelaide: Betts 5; McGovern 3; Lynch, Jenkins, Walker 2; Brown

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Port Adelaide: Wines, R.Gray, Boak, Impey, Polec, Ebert
Adelaide: M. Crouch, Lyons, Sloane, Betts, Atkins, Thompson

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Wines, Clurey, Amon, Boak, S. Gray
Adelaide: M. Crouch, Lyons, Betts, Laird, Jacobs, Atkins

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Adelaide: Smith (concussion)

UMPIRES: Farmer, Kamolins, Harris

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Jason Dunstall, Mark Ricciuto, David King