PORT Adelaide has suffered a narrow three-point loss to Richmond in a tense tussle in Alice Springs on Friday night.
The Power led by nine points at three-quarter time and appeared headed for victory when Danyle Pearce extended his team's lead with the opening goal of the final term.
But Richmond refused to yield and steadied with consecutive goals to Angus Graham and Melbourne recruit Brad Miller.
Ruckman-turned-forward Tyrone Vickery, who finished the night with five goals and kept the Tigers in the game in a see-sawing third term, stepped up when his team needed him in the dying stages of the match.
The 200cm ruckman/forward, who showed enough to suggest he could form a potent two-pronged attack with injured Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt, added another two goals to consign Port Adelaide to a 13.11 (89) to 14.8 (92) loss.
Vickery wasn't the only feel-good story at Traeger Park on Friday night.
In the Port Adelaide camp, embattled forward Daniel Motlop appeared to rediscover his passion for the game in front of the Northern Territory crowd.
Motlop kicked three goals in the first half and gave off another to hand prized draftee John Butcher his first goal at AFL level, but it was lanky goalkicker Justin Westhoff (four goals) who topped the goalkicking for the Power.
The club also unearthed a potential back-up for veteran Dean Brogan, with forward Daniel Stewart spending considerable time in the ruck, while rookie Jarrad Irons pressed his claims for a berth on the senior list with a polished display.
For the Tigers, Miller (two goals) and former Essendon onballer Bachar Houli showed encouraging signs in their first games for the club, while mature-age recruit Tom Dericx looked comfortable in the ruck.
Skipper Chris Newman was a late withdrawal for the Tigers, but young star Trent Cotchin impressed in his first hit-out for the season and livewire Robin Nahas was also handy, kicking two goals.
The Power were criticised for lacking intensity in their first-round NAB Cup matches and responded strongly in the opening minutes on Friday night.
Westhoff, Motlop and a rejuvenated Chad Cornes generated plenty of forward-line pressure, combining to kick three goals to give Port Adelaide a handy 14-point lead at quarter time.
The lead changed several times in the second quarter, with neither side able to maintain their dominance for more than a few minutes and the story was much the same in the third term, as Vickery and Westhoff went goal-for-goal.
It wasn't until the dying stages of the match that Port Adelaide, nursing several underdone players, ran out of legs and Richmond was finally able to pull away.
PORT ADELAIDE 3.3 7.6 11.9 13.11 (89)
RICHMOND 1.1 7.4 10.6 14.8 (92)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Westhoff 4, D Motlop 3, Pearce 2, Schulz, Butcher, Gray, M Motlop
Richmond: Vickery 5, Miller, Nahas 2, Batchelor, King, Houli, Martin, Graham
BEST
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, K Cornes, Cassisi, D Stewart, D Motlop, Chaplin
Richmond: Vickery, Nahas, Cotchin, Martin, Houli
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Richmond: Nil
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
