PORT ADELAIDE has taken a huge step towards its first NAB AFLW finals berth, blowing away fellow top-eight hopeful St Kilda in the first quarter to set up a 15-point win at Alberton Oval.
The Power poured on five goals to one in the opening term, including two brilliant snapped majors from a dominant Abbey Dowrick, to lead by 25 points at the first change.
POWER v SAINTS Full match coverage and stats
While the Saints stemmed the defensive bleeding from the second quarter onwards, the damage had been done and Port Adelaide rode dominant games from young ruck star Matilda Scholz and first-year gun Shineah Goody to win 7.5 (47) to 5.2 (32).
Having won just three of its first 20 AFLW games since entering the competition in season seven, Port Adelaide has now won four games in a row and has its finals destiny in its own hands.
Scholz was outstanding, setting the tone from the game's opening bounce when she roved her own tap and burst clear out the front of the stoppage to pump the ball inside 50.
However, her night ended prematurely when she collided with Tyanna Smith while chasing a ground ball. She immediately grabbed at her right knee before limping from the field in pain. Scholz finished with 22 disposals, five clearances and 30 hitouts, before telling Channel Seven post-match that there appeared to be no structural damage.
Goody accumulated 22 touches, 11 marks and eight tackles, with her ability to read the play and precise ball use setting her apart from the rest of the game's on-ballers, while Dowrick had 19 touches, two goals, eight clearances and 10 tackles.
Jaimee Lambert's intensity at the content never wavered and she had 18 touches and five tackles in a typically industrious outing while Smith racked up 12 disposals, two goals and 10 tackles to be a solid contributor.
If Scholz was the catalyst for Port Adelaide's fast start, Dowrick's explosive goals were the resulting reaction. Twice inside five minutes during the first quarter, she gathered a loose ball and showed her power off a couple of steps, snapping accurately from beyond 35m.
The Power's pressure was too much for the Saints, preventing the visitors from moving the ball with any precision or purpose. A pair of late goals to Nat Plane and Smith tidied up the scoreboard, but it was little more than window-dressing on a comprehensive defeat.
Goody's great night
Power youngster Shineah Goody has had an outstanding debut season and the 18-year-old showed composure beyond her years against the Saints, on her way to a career-high 22 disposals and 10 marks, including six intercepts. Goody's ability to read the play and capitalise on St Kilda's panicked exits from defence was crucial to Port's outstanding start.
Port turns up the pressure
Port Adelaide's first-half dominance was evident on the scoreboard and on the stats sheet, with the home side racking up more inside 50 entries (21-10), ground balls (45-31) and forward 50 disposals (25-8). The Power also matched their season average of 16 forward-50 tackles per game in the first half alone. While St Kilda narrowly won the overall tackle count 87-86, it was Port Adelaide's 24 inside-50 tackles to the Saints' six that was most telling.
Up next
For the AFLW's Indigenous Round, Port Adelaide will head to last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon to play the Suns at People First Stadium. Meanwhile, St Kilda will face the improving Western Bulldogs on Sunday at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.
- with Michael Rogers
PORT ADELAIDE 5.1 6.2 7.4 7.4 (47)
ST KILDA 1.0 3.0 3.0 5.2 (32)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dowrick, Saint 2, Levicki, Pope, Wendland
St Kilda: Smith 2, Stuart, Lambert, Plane
BEST
Port Adelaide: Dowrick, Goody, Scholz, Saint
St Kilda: Lambert, Smith, Plane, McDonald
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Scholz (knee)
St Kilda: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 2,486 at Alberton Oval
