Round 17
	V
Port Adelaide 17.14 (116)		Melbourne 17.10 (112)

Port Adelaide hung on to record a tense four-point victory over a tenacious Melbourne side in the wet at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.

The Power had the upper hand for most of the night before the Demons mounted a stirring last-quarter fightback to take the lead with ten minutes to go.

Power captain Matthew Primus was the hero of the night restoring Port’s lead with the final goal of the evening and as the final siren sounded it was Port Adelaide 17.14 (116) over Melbourne 17.10 (112).

The Power started proceedings as if conditions were perfect, with slick ball-movement and strong marking features of their game.

Primus had the better of Jeff White in the centre square, allowing his runners to pump the ball into the Power attacking 50 with apparent ease.

Warren Tredrea, Chad Cornes and the Burgoyne boys – Shaun and Peter – looked dangerous every time the ball entered their area and they combined well to give the Power an 18-point lead at the first break.

The Demons were guilty of some undisciplined play in the first half with two Port Adelaide goals resulting from 50-metre penalties and several spiteful skirmishes erupting around the ground.

The Power had extended their lead to 43-points before Melbourne was able to drag themselves back into the game with Cameron Bruce and Demon captain David Neitz chiming in with three goals each to bring the margin back to 21-points at half-time.

The driving rain that had been a constant factor during the first half cleared as the third quarter got underway but, strangely enough, this caused scoring to dry up with both sides only managing two goals for the term.

After starting the game on the bench Andrew Leoncelli was important for the Dees, gathering several possessions and providing valuable run through the midfield.

A Brent Guerra goal in the first 30 seconds of the last quarter gave the Power a 28-point lead and the opportunity to put the Demons away after appearing to have the better of the contest for the majority of the match.

However, Melbourne refused to lie down and amazingly stormed back to snatch the lead from the Power after Peter Vardy bagged his fourth goal of the night in the 22nd minute.

Primus had the crowd on its feet when he stood tall, marked and goaled five minutes later to restore his side’s lead, but soon after Demon forward Russell Robertson had the chance to level the scores with a set shot from 50.

His attempt skewed off the side of his boot and was rushed through for a behind. Robertson could have snatched it for the Dees minutes later, but his attempt off the ground bounced to the right of the goalpost to end the scoring for the night.

After the game, Power coach Mark Williams paid tribute to his captain and the fighting qualities of his team. “I thought it was great leadership by our captain tonight,” he said, “I thought he just stood out. He went forward and kicked goals when he had to - he refused to let us lose. I thought that it was great that in two of the last three weeks our players have refused to lie down under extreme circumstances. Given the fact that we had lost a couple of players early, it made it quite difficult to be that flexible around the place and each and every one of the players really worked hard to get us over the line.”

With Port Adelaide and Brisbane now two games clear of the chasing pack, Williams refused to be drawn on whether the race for the minor premiership was now a two-horse race. “We’re not getting into that,” he said. “I only focus on next week and as much as we can, we’ll try and win that game and I’m sure Brisbane are looking at their’s. If we keep winning we just look after our own backyard and let others look after their own.”

Melbourne coach Neale Daniher was obviously disappointed but managed to remain positive after the match. “I was really proud of the boys (and) the way they worked away at the game,” he said. “They (Port) jumped away, obviously, early and the boys just hung in there. It can be a hostile environment over here, we could easily have been blown away earlier in the game, but I’m really proud of the way they fought it out and with a bit of luck (we) could have won the game.”

Highlight:

Lowlight:

FOOTY REPORT ARCHIVE

Click here to read in depth, sometimes controversial, but always thought provoking previous round reports...