Charlie Dixon cut an imposing figure up forward during Port Adelaide's intra-club match, booting four goals and leading his side to a win.

PORT ADELAIDE enjoyed its first competitive hit out of 2020 with several young guns catching the eye at the club’s annual intra-club match.

A strong second half performance, led by four goals from key forward Charlie Dixon, helped propel Team Black to a 13.15 (93) to 10.4 (64) win over Team White in front of 2700 vocal Port Adelaide faithful at Alberton Oval on Friday night.

Dixon was the star with his quartet of goals, but first-year forwards Mitch Georgiades and Dylan Williams also provided plenty of excitement with cameos up front.

Defender-turned-midfielder Dan Houston showcased why senior coach Ken Hinkley declared him a “lock” in Port Adelaide midfield with a classy display, while Connor Rozee’s dashing pace also caught the eye.

02:17

Team White got off the mark first as second-year sensation Rozee turned on a burst of speed through the middle of the ground before hitting Tobin Cox with a pinpoint pass at the Scott Hodges end.

However, it didn’t take long for Team Black to wrestle back control after veteran Robbie Gray sent Sam Powell-Pepper through to an open goal and Steven Motlop curled home a classy checkside on the run.

High-leaper Georgiades extended the lead for Team Black soon after before fellow first-year forward Williams hit back for Team White with his first goal in Port Adelaide colours.

Jake Patmore celebrated his return from an ACL injury suffered during the 2019 pre-season with a classy snap and Miles Bergman – Port’s first pick in the 2019 draft – added his first soon after to give Team White a four-point lead at the first change.

Georgiades showed more glimpses of why the Power took him 18th overall last November with two strong marks to start the second quarter as he continued to throw himself into packs throughout the game.

00:30

It was another young gun in Zak Butters that opened the scoring in the second stanza after copping a high tackle and roosting his set shot from 50m out to a strong applause from the Bob Quinn Grandstand.

Big key forward Dixon started to impose himself on the game, taking a strong mark and kicking his first before working up the ground and throwing his weight around.

The hulking former Sun shared a lighter moment with the diminutive Butters shortly after as the second-year forward took a cheeky grab over his taller teammate, drawing a wry smile from the 29-year-old Queenslander.

Ultimately Team White held its nerve to take a 16-point advantage into the major break.

The coaches shuffled the magnets at the long break, with Rozee and Butters swapping jumpers and Tom Jonas being sent to marshal an under-siege backline for Team Black.

The changes proved to be the spark Team Black needed to get going as Karl Amon got them off to a fast start with his first.

Rozee danced around a defender to add another for his new team before Boyd Woodcock nabbed his first for Team White.

The momentum quickly swung in favour of Team Black, kick-started by Trent McKenzie launching a goal from inside the centre square.

Dixon grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck shortly after, clunking two strong marks and converting both set shots – the second a long-range effort to a rousing applause from the Alberton crowd – and Team Black rode a five-goal quarter to a 14-point lead at the final change.

The goals kept flowing for Team Black after the restart, with Motlop kicking his second, Dixon his fourth and Dan Houston snapping his first to a big applause.

Father-son rookie Trent Burgoyne kicked a classy set shot from the north-western pocket, but a reply from former skipper Travis Boak shortly after all but sealed the deal for Team Black, despite Williams managing to add his third.

Team Black

3.3

4.5

9.12

13.15

93

Team White

4.1

7.4

8.4

10.4

64


Goals:

Team Black: Dixon 4, Motlop 2, SPP, Georgiades, Amon, Rozee, McKenzie, Houston, Boak

Team White: Williams 3, Cox, Patmore, Bergman, Butters, Marshall, Woodcock, Burgoyne