Power pounce on top-four opening; Saints’ horror moments could seal finals fate: 3-2-1
Port Adelaide returned to the top four after holding off St Kilda by 13 points in a dour but thrilling clash at Marvel Stadium.
Both sides were wasteful in front of goal all afternoon but it was the Saints (8-9) who were left to rue mistakes, with three bad turnovers in defence in the final 10 minutes gifting the Power (12-5) the lead.
The visitors then held off a late charge, with Charlie Dixon kicking the sealer, to move a game above Brisbane and into the ladder’s top four with five rounds remaining.
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Port Adelaide won 10.14 (74) to 8.12 (60).
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT
There were no late changes for either side with Jack Bytel (St Kilda) and Jed McEntee (Port Adelaide) the medical subs; McEntee, the Power’s mid-season draftee, makes his AFL debut.
Port’s early tactic was clear - play on from uncontested marks and try and use their height advantage - but poor inside 50 entries, including two kicks out on the full, made it difficult to do so.
Jack Steele gave the Saints the opening goal of the game, before a strong Mitch Georgiades mark and set shot goal got the visitors on the board.
Karl Amon was forced off the ground in pain after a knee knock, given painkillers by club doctors and having his left knee massaged.
St Kilda went into quarter-time up 2.4 (16) to 1.0 (6).
The Power continued to waste chances as Paddy Ryder - not exactly your typical crumbing forward - stepped into the role to extend the hosts’ lead.
It was up to Amon to steady the Port ship, kicking consecutive goals to level the scores at 23 as the defensive slog continued.
However the game was stopped as Daniel McKenzie was stretchered off the ground in a neck brace after he laid a tackle on Mitch Georgiades and appeared to be concussed upon landing.
Port hit the front for the first time off a Scott Lycett behind, with a Georgiades goal putting them up 4.6 (30) to 3.5 (23) at halftime.
Rowan Marshall became the latest player from both sides to miss a makeable set shot before Boyd Woodcock did the same up the other end.
“My kingdom for a good kick!” Jason Dunstall declared on Fox Footy.
The misses only continued with six consecutive behinds, Nick Riewoldt calling both sides “error-riddled” before Woodcock finally broke the drought for Port.
Marshall then gave the Saints their first major in almost a quarter and a half - with what was more a pass than a shot on goal - getting them back within a kick.
Port lifted with Ollie Wines just making contact with a soccer along the ground, putting them up 19 points and making it “panic stations” for the Saints, per Riewoldt.
It took a Jimmy Webster major - his first since 2017 - just before three-quarter-time to break Port’s run of scores, and a totally blatant throw by Dan Butler was completely missed by the umps to allow Max King to goal with seconds left in the term.
“Every time I see it it makes me cringe,” Dunstall said on Fox Footy.
Port Adelaide led 7.11 (53) to 6.9 (45) at the final break, and Rowan Marshall cut the margin to a point with the first goal of the fourth quarter.
A fantastic Georgiades mark and clean finish put the Power back out to a seven-point lead with 15:43 left, but Bradley Hill walked into an open goal to level things at 59-all with 13 minutes to play.
But Hill soon became the villain, with consecutive bad turnovers creating consecutive Port behinds, putting the visitors up by one before Sam Mayes made it a seven-point lead.
Rowan Marshall missed a set shot with 3:15 remaining directly in front to make it a goal the difference, and a minute later Todd Marshall milked the clock from a mark 50 metres out and sent through a handy point.
But Charlie Dixon was the match-winner, juking old teammate Dougal Howard for the sealing goal with a minute left.
THE 3-2-1 (by David Zita)
3) BRILLIANT WIN PUTS POWER BACK IN TOP FOUR
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Brisbane Lions’ almost-certain spot in the top four has been thrown into turmoil.
There to pounce on the Lions’ latest loss was Port Adelaide, with a win over St Kilda putting Ken Hinkley’s side into fourth spot with a half-decent run home to match.
The next fortnight against Collingwood and the Giants could prove telling, while a match-up against the Dogs in the final round could be vital, but the Power have finally taken control of their own destiny with this win on the road.
With a plethora of injuries to key players, Saturday’s win was significant, while for the Saints it could prove equally so.
Depending on results the Saints could drop down to 12th a fall at least a game behind other top eight contenders.
It could bring a rude end to the Saints’ late-season resurgence and prove the catalyst for the Power’s late charge at a home final.
2) HORROR BLUNDERS COST SAINTS GOLDEN CHANCE
Perhaps the Saints were just trying to be too cute with the ball - whatever the case, a series of howling errors likely proved the deciding factor in a tight, tight contest at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Ironically, it was youngster Leo Connolly‘s composure and precision with the ball in hand that set up the first of the Saints’ lapses.
A bullet kick across the defensive 50 led to an easy handball receive for Brad Hill, whose usually clean use came undone as he butchered a ball right into the hands of Charlie Dixon.
The key forward wouldn‘t convert, but Hill then shanked another kick coming out of defence, handing the ball to Aliir Aliir and setting up a second shot at goal in the space of a minute, which Sam Mayes missed.
Capping it off, a lazy kick from Jack Sinclair on the edge of defensive 50 resulted in a turnover, with the Power this time making the most of the opportunity and converting via Mayes.
Going the other way shortly after, Dan Butler butchered a golden opportunity with extra numbers heading inside 50, shanking it and handing over the ball.
“The Saints just look to be falling into the trap over the last five minutes of trying to play perfect footy. There comes a time when you just have to take the game on forward of centre and surge it ,” Nick Riewoldt told Fox Footy watching on.
1) HORROR GOAL-KICKING SEASON CONTINUES
Playing under a closed roof at Marvel Stadium presents an audit of sorts for any side‘s ability to execute their game plan and, most importantly, convert scoring opportunities.
Both the Saints and the Power, based on Saturday‘s effort, comprehensively failed the composure test.
There was no excuse for the number of missed opportunities, with coach Ken Hinkley actually pointing to good use of the footy as a potential positive to look forward to pre-game.
“You would‘ve been faced with some really difficult conditions (if the roof was open) ... we’d like to think we can use the ball with a little more composure with the roof on but so will St Kilda,” he told Fox Footy.
Instead, it was a shocking display of accuracy in front of the big sticks, which left goalkicking legend Jason Dunstall at a loss in the commentary box.
“We just know that it can win games for you, so why aren‘t teams addressing it to the degree they should be?”, he asked.
Nick Riewoldt agreed, adding, “At the moment we‘ve just got two teams that haven’t got the killer instinct to put teams away.”
The match itself remained tight throughout the afternoon, but it was another showcase of one of the biggest pet peeves for footy lovers across the country.
Topping it all off - the Saints didn’t kick a goal from a set shot for the entire match.
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