Port Adelaide has wrapped up its third pre-season hit-out with a spirited five-point loss to Melbourne in its official AFLW practice match at Alberton Oval on Saturday. 

In the club's second to last clash before Round 1, the Power went toe-to-toe with one of the competition's strongest sides, producing an encouraging performance before falling just short, 6.7 (43) to 7.6 (48). 

After an arm wrestle through the opening three quarters, Port Adelaide finished strongly, kicking three final-quarter goals to nearly overhaul the Demons in a promising display heading into the home-and-away season. 

"It was an exciting game," senior coach Glenn Strachan said. 

"I thought that our ability to stay resilient and have a really successful fourth quarter and be able to get on the scoreboard was pleasing. 

"It felt like across the game we had some really good looks, we just couldn't quite capitalise, and then we got some stuff right in the last quarter. It felt like we were actually able to get some reward for effort, which was great. 

"They're a really good team, so it was nice to compete against them, and it's all learning for us." 

Port Adelaide made an energetic start, matching Melbourne around the contest to head into quarter time level after Gemma Houghton finished a slick passage of play involving Abbey Dowrick and Lauren Young. 

Young's relentless pressure and aerial presence again stood out throughout the opening term, continuing an impressive pre-season where her contested marking has become a genuine weapon. Her defensive work without the ball also continued to set the tone inside forward 50. 

In the midfield, reigning best and fairest Matilda Scholz gave Port Adelaide first use at stoppage with another dominant display in the ruck, combining superbly with Dowrick, while Shineah Goody made an immediate impact in her first match minutes of the pre-season with her trademark intensity around the contest. 

The Power controlled large periods of the second quarter through the middle of the ground, generating repeat forward entries from stoppage despite not fully capitalising on the scoreboard. 

Dowrick was rewarded for her outstanding defensive pressure with a goal after producing a crunching tackle that earned a holding-the-ball free kick, while Goody's chase-down tackle created another scoring opportunity deep inside 50. 

Grace Parsons continued to impress with her competitiveness in the ruck, Katelyn Pope's pace and composure caught the eye, and Indy Tahau showcased the strength that made her one of the competition's most dangerous forwards last season, repeatedly standing up in the contest and breaking tackles. 

"I thought we had some good opportunities, we just couldn't quite capitalise on them," Strachan said. 

"There was some skill execution stuff, as there always is. Footy is a game of turnovers and sometimes mistakes, but I still felt like we had some good looks. 

"We probably missed some moments, and we could have picked our speed a little bit better - we went too fast at times."

Melbourne gained ascendancy during the third quarter, generating repeat inside 50s in slippery conditions, but Port Adelaide's defence stood tall under sustained pressure. 

Ella Heads was outstanding across half-back, while first-year players Olivia Crane and Sophie Eaton again demonstrated why they have impressed throughout the pre-season. 

Crane competed brilliantly in several one-on-one contests, including an exceptional two-on-one marking effort in the final term, while Eaton's pressure and willingness to defend were again features of her game. 

"I thought they were both great at times," Strachan said. 

"They're far beyond their years with their ability to play our system already after only having been here a short amount of time. 

"Soph is a great offensive weapon and working really hard defensively, and then Craney is a great defensive weapon who's working hard offensively. 

"I've really enjoyed both of what they've done across the pre-season, and it was another step forward today for both of them." 

Scholz's dominance around stoppage was rewarded with a goal in the third quarter before Port Adelaide produced its strongest football after the final change. 

A centre-square chain involving Scholz, Ash Woodland, Piper Window and Tahau helped swing momentum back the Power's way, before another polished transition featuring Dowrick, Tahau and Lauren Young resulted in captain Justine Mules-Robinson finding the goals. 

Houghton then added two final-quarter majors, including a strong contested mark inside forward 50, as Port Adelaide surged late before ultimately falling just short. 

Scholz was again among the Power's best, controlling the ruck and providing her midfielders with quality service throughout the afternoon. 

"It was a dominant performance," Strachan said. 

"She's someone who right now is locked in to being the best player she can be, which is cool to see. 

"I think the biggest asset for Matilda is how much she can help everybody else. How much can her ruck craft help the midfield? I thought she did a great job of that today." 

Young's outstanding pre-season also continued, with the key forward once again providing a strong aerial target while bringing pressure at ground level. 

"The consistency part of her game is awesome now that she's had a full pre-season under her belt," Strachan said. 

"I think the marking is a byproduct of her leaning into the system. 

"It feels like she's getting a lot of stuff right from what we need forward of the ball, and that's not only helping her, but I think that also helps release Gemma and Indy. 

"It's been great to watch her do it across three games." 

Goody also enjoyed an encouraging return after featuring in her first match minutes of the pre-season. 

"How nice was it to see her out there?" Strachan said. 

"I thought she was great. She worked really hard, harder than we probably wanted to at times - we were just telling her to calm down a little bit! 

"She did a great job for her first hit-out, and I think she'll be much better for the run." 

Despite the result, Strachan was particularly pleased with the continued evolution of Port Adelaide's defensive system against one of the AFLW's strongest attacking sides. 

"I thought it was awesome today," he said. 

"I thought our pressure from the forwards was great, and I thought our ability to defend through the midfield against such a strong group in Melbourne was really good. 

"We forced it wide as much as we could, which against a good team you need to, and then I thought our defenders were just tremendous. They won some great one-on-one battles and repelled a lot of inside 50s at times. 

"I'm really happy with the way we defended. The next evolution is how can we do it higher up the ground." 

Port Adelaide will now prepare for its final pre-season hit out against Adelaide at West Lakes on Sunday, 2 August at 2pm.