Round 21
	V
West Coast 10.5 (65)		Port Adelaide 14.19 (103)

In wet and windy conditions at Subiaco Oval, Port Adelaide has kept its bid for top spot alive with a 38-point win over West Coast.

The win on Saturday night means Port is the only visiting team to have won twice at Subiaco this year.

Next week, Port faces Brisbane at AAMI Stadium in a much-anticipated match that will decide top spot, with both teams locked on 17 wins.

The 14.19 (103) to 10.5 (65) result is West Coast’s second loss in as many games at the ground dubbed “Fortress Subiaco” earlier in the season because of the WA teams’ dominance there, and their fourth in succession.

Results fell the right way for West Coast on Saturday. With Melbourne and Geelong being thrashed, West Coast can still make the eight with the right results next week when they take on the Kangaroos at Canberra.

Geelong (seventh) is looking tired after a long season for their kids, while Melbourne (sixth) – already desperately short of talls – will be sweating on the tribunal hearing for David Neitz, reported in their march against Sydney.

The Power were led by their midfield in the wet conditions – Roger James, Josh Francou and Nick Stevens had 47 touches between them by half-time, and were too fast and precise for their opponents, while Shaun Burgoyne kicked four goals.

Despite appearing to be carrying a leg injury, West Coast defender Ashley McIntosh battled hard in the backline with fellow veteran Glen Jakovich and youngsters Chris Judd (three goals) and Ashley Sampi did well further up the ground.

Despite being unimpressed with his team’s finishing in the poor conditions, Port coach Mark Williams was happy to take the win.

“It’s a great effort to come over to Western Australia and win twice in one year,” Williams said. “It says about the quality of the side.

“I thought the conditions were tough – if we’d have kicked straight we’d probably have won by 12 goals and we’d have been on top of the world, but we’ll take that win as a very productive win.”

West Coast coach John Worsfold appeared more upbeat this week than after the loss to Melbourne. Worsfold said that he was happy with the way his side ran out the game, but that Port was too good.

“Skill, run, experience,” Worsfold said when asked where Port had won it. “All those areas.

“They’ll (the players) learn a lot, I’m sure. Playing against a side that is second on the ladder, but equal-top basically, you learn from that, and hopefully players who played on some of the real top players in the competition learn a lot from it.”

Port had three goals on the board before West Coast grabbed a major and led by 16 points at the first break.

The main feature of the quarter was the amazing ball-handling displayed by Port in the atrocious conditions.

In the second term, Port grabbed the first two, but the highlight of the term was two goals in three minutes to Judd, who teamed well with fellow youngster Sampi in the buildup to both goals.

Five goals to two in the quarter set up a match-winning 33-point lead at the long break.

Port then got the first three of the third, including a ripper to Shaun Burgoyne, but West Coast then booted the next five and went to the last change with a sniff – a 25-point margin.

Port got the first of the last – a miracle goal to Chad Cornes, after good work in the pocket. Jared Poulton laid on the bump that gave Cornes space to kick on his right. He squeezed it through to take the Power to a 32-point lead.

In the end, Port showed why it was sitting at the top end of the ladder, winning by a convincing margin in far from ideal conditions.

Ladder:
Brisbane Lions 68
Port Adelaide 68
Adelaide 56
Collingwood 52
Kangaroos 48
Essendon 46
Melbourne 44
Geelong 44

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