Round 9
	V
Essendon 14.12 (96)		Port Adelaide 23.8 (146)

For the second successive year Port Adelaide forward Warren Tredrea brutally exposed Essendon’s lack of quality tall defenders as the Power continued the great run of non-Victorian sides at Telstra Dome this season.

The Power’s 23.8 (146) to 14.12 (96) win was the fifth time in seven matches this season a non-Victorian side has beaten the home town side at Docklands with Tredrea proving the difference with a devastating display at centre-half-forward.

When these two sides met in the home-and-away season last year Tredrea also proved the difference, kicking four goals in a 59-point win in a game also played at Docklands.

On that occasion the Bombers’ premier tall defender Dustin Fletcher was out with a groin injury and he was missed just as badly on Friday night when he could not play due to an ankle injury.

Without Fletcher, the Bombers’ defence was again exposed for a lack of class as Tredrea kicked seven match-winning goals while at various times playing against Mark Bolton, Scott Lucas and Sean Wellman.

The Bombers also went into the game without James Hird, Matthew Lloyd and Adam Ramanauskas but as was the case against Richmond two weeks ago they came up against a side also with plenty of injured stars but with a far better ability to cover them.

The Power was without number one ruckman Matthew Primus, star midfielder Josh Francou, key forward Chad Cornes and goalsneak Stuart Dew, who kicked six goals in this game last year.

But the visitors showed their depth runs far deeper than Essendon’s although the Bombers may have uncovered a star of the future in fifth gamer Marc Bullen, who was instrumental in Essendon’s brief second-half comeback.

After Tredrea and Byron Pickett – who played by far his best game for Port with three second quarter goals – had kicked five goals between them in the second quarter, the Power led by 31 points at half-time.

And what made their devastating second quarter onslaught even more remarkable was that it came despite going scoreless for the opening 12 minutes of the term.

However in the third quarter the Bombers – with Bullen making a big impression and Cory McGrath kicking three goals for the term – at last made the game a contest even though they only reduced the deficit from 31 points at half-time to 27 points at the last change.

But when Damien Peverill and then the impressive Bullen kicked goals in the opening six minutes of the final term, the Bombers were only 15 points down and charging home with a 35,000 strong crowd behind them.

However a moment of madness from Dean Solomon, who gave away a stupid 50 metre penalty to Che Cockatoo-Collins resulting in an easy goal, cost the Bombers vital momentum and then Tredrea popped back up a relatively quiet third term to finish the home side off.

Tredrea not only kicked one sealing goal but three as he finally produced a game where his kicking for goal – 7.1 including several great shots for goal from tough angles – matched his amazingly consistent ability to mark the ball.

By this stage Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy had resorted to moving Tredrea’s original opponent – the hopelessly outclassed Bolton – back onto him as he, along with the Bombers’ army of fans, could only ponder just when Fletcher will return to bolster a defence that on this showing is that of nothing more than a middle of the road side.

While this win strengthens Port’s claims for a third consecutive top four finish, the glory days of 2000 when the Bombers won the flag after losing just one game seems a lifetime ago for Essendon fans.

In fact the Bombers – who last missed the finals in 1997 – will now find themselves out of the top eight by the end of this round and given their inability these days to cover their injured stars the only way they will get back there is if Hird, Lloyd and particularly Fletcher resume playing very soon.

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