PORT Adelaide has won its final NAB Challenge game against Richmond at Etihad Stadium by 48 points.

But aside from the Power's solid turnout against the Tigers, the talking point at the end of the night was undeniably the high attrition rate of Richmond players.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick was reportedly denied a request by the AFL to shorten the game after being reduced to just 18 fit men midway through the quarter.

Hardwick moved from the coaches' box to the bench when the Power was comfortably in front to pull his top players from the ground - eventually leaving just 15 players on the field.

Port Adelaide established its lead with a dominant second quarter that held the Tigers goalless after falling behind late in the opening term. 

The Grays - Robbie and Sam - were influential as running forwards, while Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines and Brendon Ah Chee also won plenty of ball. 

For Port Adelaide, the game was a fait accompli once its lead had eked out to a four-goal lead with the Tigers losing its players through injury.

Positives included a first goal to Charlie Dixon - who played the second half - and encouraging efforts from last year's late bloomers Brendon Ah Chee and Sam Gray, will give enough grief to Ken Hinkley as he plans selection for Round 1 against the Saints on Easter Sunday.

Port Adelaide will return to Adelaide on Friday ahead of its opening round match in two weekends' time.

GAME REVIEW

FIRST QUARTER

With full rules (and supergoals for dramatic effect) in play for this NAB Challenge game, the Power started strongly with early goals to Jay Schulz and Justin Westhoff coming off the back of Port Adelaide's superiority forward of centre.

The Tigers were able to mount their response through some precision ball movement, though, and strung together the next four goals in a dominant end to the quarter.

Jack Riewoldt sparked the Tigers by slotting two fast goals.

Along the way, the Power coughed up possession with damaging free kicks in defence and with Ty Vickery slotting an easy one directly in front and Brett Deledio slamming home a supergoal.

The Tigers led by 14 points at quarter time.

One of the key talking points from the first term was the 'stricter'deliberate out of bounds interpretation, which saw Jarman Impey penalised for a territory-gaining kick.

 

PTV: Deliberate rule

The new deliberate rule is in full effect.What did you think of this one?#weareportadelaide #NABChallenge #afltigerspower

Posted by Port Adelaide Football Club on Thursday, 10 March 2016

SECOND QUARTER

Port Adelaide turned the game back in its favour after quarter time.

Both teams continued to scrap for the ball, but the Power was more effective with its run forward.

Robbie Gray broke the score drought running into an open goal early, before Matt White, Jake Neade and Sam Gray joined the part with Richmond only able to puncture Port's scoring with behinds.

 

While the Power had fallen behind the Tigers for overall possession, its contested ball was ahead of the Tigers, and it was showing with a number of instances of physical, ball-winning hardness. 

Nowhere else was this apparent than with the hardness shown by small players like Jake Neade, Jarman Impey and Sam Gray in diving for marks and absorbing heavy hits from bigger opponents.

Neade in particular won fans for his attack on the footy, and the scoreboard.

THIRD QUARTER

Port Adelaide continued to push ahead in the third quarter, but the early attention of fans would have been on Charlie Dixon in his inaugural appearance wearing a Power guernsey.

While Dixon attacked the ball hard, Hamish Hartlett was going hard at it with Jacob Townsend. 

The spirited battle between the pair ended when Townsend came off second best in an attempted tackle of Hartlett late in the third term. 

The incident stopped play as a stretcher was brought out for the stricken No. 21 Tiger.

The quarter itself belonged to the Power, with goals to Schulz, Ah Chee and Wingard pushing the Power further ahead. 

This was the first time the Power had come up against old teammates Andrew Moore - now at Richmond [pic: AFL Media]

FOURTH QUARTER

Port Adelaide controlled the game to the end and with the Tigers losing six players off the bench early in the term.

The Power kicked comfortably in front with goals to Wingard, Robbie Gray, Matt Broadbent and new forward Charlie Dixon. 

But the story of the game was undoubtedly the decision of Damien Hardwick to pull his top shelf talent from the field after the AFL refused a request to shorten the game. 

Reduced to around 18 fit men, the Tigers were no match for a relatively unscathed Power, which marched on to a 48-point final margin.

 

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE               0.2.3         0.6.7          0.9.7          0.13.15(93)
RICHMOND                      1.3.2         1.3.5          1.4.11        1.4.12 (45)

PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU’S BEST
R. Gray, S. Gray, Neade, Hartlett

GOALS
Schulz, Wingard, R. Gray 2, Westhoff, White, Neade, S. Gray, Ah Chee, Dixon, Broadbent

SUPERGOALS
nil

CROWD
TBC at Etihad Stadium