PORT
Five goals from Daniel Motlop and three from Warren Tredrea helped the Power to come from behind twice to spoil Fremantle’s 300th AFL game celebrations winning 16.7 (103) to 10.15 (75).
The Power’s win inflicts further misery on the Dockers who slipped to their fifth defeat in succession after leading at three quarter time.
More importantly, it keeps the Power in touch with the top eight with a match at home against
Kane Cornes celebrated his 150th AFL game with a sparkling 31 possession game while David Rodan marked his 100th game with a typically hard running, high impact 24 possession game with two goals.
Port
But it was their opposite number Aaron Sandilands who would prove to be the decisive factor in the opening quarter, continually drifting forward to give the Dockers a potent marking option and kicking two goals.
Fremantle’s midfield was on top and goals to Matthew Pavlich, Heath Black and Jeff Farmer saw the home side take an 18 point lead into the first break.
Within a minute of the restart young Fremantle forward Chris Mayne was stretchered off with a badly cut forehead after an accidental clash of heads with Steven Salopek.
Salopek also required some medical attention but he quickly returned to collect nine possessions and a goal for the quarter to help drag the Power back into the game.
The Port Adelaide midfield lifted with Salopek, Kane Cornes, Jacob Surjan and David Rodan all coming into the game to spark a Power revival.
Chad Cornes was moved to full forward in a move designed to draw some of the defensive attention away from Tredrea who responded by shaking loose Antoni Grover to kick three goals for the quarter.
Luck was also running the Power’s way when a Fremantle goal was disallowed after a controversial holding the ball ruling against Kepler Bradley. The Power quickly raced the ball downfield where Daniel Motlop kicked his third goal – effectively a 12 point turnaround.
After trailing by 20 points early in the quarter, the Power had rattled off six unanswered goals to take a 14 point lead into the long break.
The momentum swung back to the Dockers in the third quarter and the Power relied on early goals against the run of play to Danyle Pearce and Rodan to hold their advantage.
But the Dockers had lifted around the ground and a hat-trick of goals saw them draw level as time-on loomed before misses to Farmer and Pavlich edged them in front.
Ahead by two points at the final break, the Fremantle huddle headed toward the Dockers’ cheer squad for an extra psychological lift.
The Power threw out an immediate challenge with a freakish dibbled goal to Motlop from the boundary line before the Dockers responded through a Garrick Ibbotson snap.
Justin Westhoff’s first goal restored the Power’s lead before a heart-breaking defensive error by Shaun McManus gifted Rodan an easy goal.
The Dockers continued to torment their home crowd with several promising forward moves which only resulted in a solitary point before the Power steadied with goals to Robbie Gray, Westhoff and Motlop.
Rodan, Motlop, Kane Cornes, Salopek and Tom Logan were high among the Power’s best while Aaron Sandliands and Rhys Palmer continued their recent impressive form for the Dockers.
Fremantle 5.1 5.7 9.13 10.15 (75)
Port Adelaide 2.1 8.3 10.5 16.7 (103)
GOALS
Fremantle: Sandilands 2, Pavlich, Black, Farmer, Grover, McPharlin, Thornton, Crowley, Ibbotson
Port Adelaide: Motlop 5, Tredrea 3, Rodan 2, Westhoff 2, Lade, Salopek, Pearce, Gray
BEST
Fremantle: Palmer, Crowley, Sandilands, Bradley, Johnson
Port Adelaide: Rodan, Logan, K Cornes, Motlop, Logan, Salopek, Pearce
INJURIES
Fremantle: Chris Mayne (cut head), Peter Bell replaced in selected side by Byron Schammer
Port Adelaide: Chad Cornes (cut ear), Steven Salopek (cut head), Michael Pettigrew (hamstring), Domenic Cassisi replaced in selected side by Paul Stewart
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Ryan, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 34,236 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
