PORT ADELAIDE has moved into outright third on the AFL ladder after a comfortable 54-point win over St Kilda on ANZAC Day evening.
Hosting an ANZAC round game for the 17th consecutive time – notwithstanding last season’s COVID-19 enforced break – Port embraced the occasion and paid tribute to the 130 past players and officials who had served the nation, coming away with a 14.9 (93) to 5.9 (39) victory.
Saint Jack Higgins silenced a vocal Adelaide Oval crowd with a ridiculous goal from the boundary line inside the first two minutes.
From there Port piled on the next six goals – four in the first quarter including two to Steven Motlop.
While on the scoreboard it appeared that way, Port did not have it all its own way.
The Saints had 19 inside 50s to seven in the first quarter but were wasteful and when Motlop booted his second over the back of the pack, the home side was 15 points up at the first change.
Debutant Martin Frederick looked comfortable at the level and received a cheer from the crowd every time he got near the ball. His first disposal led to a goal to Connor Rozee and he was also involved in the build-up to Motlop’s second.
Port had the game on its terms in the second with Mitch Georgiades – fresh from winning a second Rising Star nomination during the week – booting consecutive goals, both from 50 metre penalties.
Brad Hill stopped the drought for St Kilda when he ran into an open goal for his first major but the release was temporary as Port responded through Motlop for his third and Boak late in the term to open up a 34-point lead at the main break.
Karl Amon, a Saints fan growing up, was the dominant player on the ground with 26 touches, 13 marks and a clearance to half time.
It did not get much better for the visitors in the third term with Port getting the opening three majors through Robbie Gray, Charlie Dixon and Fantasia.
Gray’s goal came after a down field free kick after Ollie Wines was bumped high and Saint Daniel McKenzie was put on report.
Fantasia was unlucky not to have had a long goal with 22 minutes on the clock when Motlop juggled the ball over the line as it was headed through for a major but the former Bomber got his reward within a minute when he roved off the pack for his second goal of the game and push the margin beyond 50 points.
To their credit, the visitors kept plugging away and somewhat fortunately responded through Jake Carlisle after a contentious down-field free kick that was not popular with most of the 33,125 at the venue.
Connor Rozee marked strongly inside 50 to boot his second and Dixon did the same two minutes later to stretch the margin to 60 points.
A late goal to Tim Membrey cut the margin back to nine goals.
Ollie Wines was awarded the Peter Badcoe VC Medal as the player who best demonstrated the ANZAC spirit and qualities of skill, courage in adversity, self-sacrifice, teamwork and fair play during the game.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.1 8.3 11.8 14.9 (93)
ST KILDA 1.4 2.5 3.7 5.9 (39)
Goals
Motlop, Fantasia 3, Georgiades, Dixon, Rozee 2, Boak, Gray
Best
Amon, Wines, Houston, Motlop, Jonas, Lycett
