ON THE same afternoon Brisbane announced itself back in premiership contention with a 79-point thumping, Port Adelaide's 2024 campaign hit rock bottom.

The Lions slaughtered Ken Hinkley's team at Adelaide Oval, kicking 12 consecutive goals across the second and third quarters to bankroll a 23.14 (152) to 10.13 (73) triumph.

POWER v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

It was Brisbane's third consecutive victory following the mid-season bye and moves it momentarily inside the top eight with a record of seven wins, six losses and a draw.

As Port celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its 2004 premiership, things could hardly have been worse, with the home crowd reduced to boos, groans, a Bronx cheer for a third quarter behind and eventually many walking out well before full-time.

Led by ruckman Oscar McInerney (three goals from 18 disposals that included eight clearances), the Lions' midfield destroyed their vaunted Port counterparts.

Brisbane had winners all over the ground in a performance that often looked more like a training run than two quality teams battling it out.

Lachie Neale (37 and 10 clearances) and Josh Dunkley (32) also had field days, helping the Lions win the stoppage battle (42-27) and providing their forwards with a whopping 71 inside 50s to 46.

And the front seven did not miss out.

Eric Hipwood continued his mid-season surge, booting five goals and looking supremely confident in the air (10 marks) and with his set-shot goalkicking.

Joe Daniher added three, with Logan Morris, Cal Ah Chee, Charlie Cameron, Bruce Reville and Hugh McCluggage kicking two apiece.

Port looked totally bereft of confidence in its third straight loss.

Even when it was streaming through the middle of the ground, the number of forced and unforced errors that went back the other way was incredible.

Kicking the first two goals of the day was about the only highlight for the hosts, as Brisbane got its uncontested marking game going early.

Port got within a goal early in the second quarter, but that's when the Lions flexed their muscles.

Hipwood bombed his second goal from 55m, Cam Rayner took a strong contested mark and finished neatly for another, while impressive youngster Morris and ruckman McInerney added two each before the main break.

Morris continues to be a revelation for Brisbane, summing up his first goal superbly, with a clean gather at top pace before steadying and drilling his shot on the run from 40m.

A 45-point lead at half-time was as good as game over.

Zak Butters was his team's best player, finishing with 35 disposals and battling through a shoulder injury that saw him leave the field during the third quarter before returning to play the game out.

Debutant Logan Evans can also hold his head high.

Here come the Lions
At 2-5 and coming off a second-half mauling from Greater Western Sydney, Brisbane's season looked at the crossroads. Now, with five wins and a draw from its past seven outings, they look back. With games against Melbourne and Adelaide – both at the Gabba – in the next fortnight, and Will Ashcroft set to return from injury, the opportunity is there to march back into the eight and again give themselves a chance at a premiership push.

Ring a Rozee in the middle
The midfield match-up was always going to be a fascinating one and the teams did not disappoint. Zak Butters, effectively tagged by the Giants last week, ran straight to Lachie Neale at the first bounce to ward off any potential attention from Jarrod Berry. As a result, the Lions tagger went to Port skipper Connor Rozee. The result? Everyone got plenty of the footy! Neale finished with 37, Butters 35 and Rozee 28. Brisbane clearly took the midfield points though, and would have no problems with how these match-ups panned out.

Hippy Hippy Hooray
Just as his team has surged following the mid-season bye, so has Eric Hipwood. The lanky Brisbane forward had kicked 11 goals from his first 10 games, but since returning from a one-match suspension has booted six against the Western Bulldogs, two against St Kilda and now five against Port. He looks a totally different player, crashing packs, sure-handed at ground level and lethal with any set shot from any distance. Although the goals might not continue to flow at the same rate for the remainder of the season, this version of the 26-year-old makes the Lions an entirely different proposition to defend.

PORT ADELAIDE      3.2     5.5      6.9       10.13 (73)  
BRISBANE               5.5     12.8    18.11    23.14 (152)

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Georgiades 3, Lord 2, Sinn, McEntee, Marshall, Finlayson, Butters
Brisbane: Hipwood 5, McInerney 3, Daniher 3, Reville 2, McCluggage 2, Morris 2, Cameron 2, Ah Chee 2, Rayner, Bailey

BEST
Port Adelaide: Butters, Evans, Rozee, Ratugolea
Brisbane: McInerney, Neale, Dunkley, Hipwood, Rayner, Bailey

LATE CHANGES
Port Adelaide: Willie Rioli, replaced in the selected side by Quinton Narkle
Brisbane: Nil

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Sweet (head)
Brisbane: Lohmann (corked quad)

SUBSTITUTES
Port Adelaide: Quinton Narkle (replaced Brandon Zerk-Thatcher at half-time)
Brisbane: Shadeau Brain (replaced Kai Lohmann at three-quarter time)

Crowd: 32,862 at Adelaide Oval