PORT Adelaide has opened its 2008 account with a 24-point win over West Coast at Subiaco Oval, marred only by another last-quarter fadeout.

In charge of every quarter and wasteful only in the first, the Power turned a two-point deficit into a 37-point lead with a brilliant eight-goal second quarter, withstood an Eagles flurry in the third and had the game buried before the home side added a swag of face-saving goals late in the final term.

Daniel Motlop and Brett Ebert kicked four goals each in the 19.14 (128) to 16.8 (104) win, with Ebert’s coming in a 10-minute blitz straddling quarter time. The gap was 68 points early in the last quarter before the Power conceded seven goals in 15 minutes, sparking memories of last week’s capitulation to the Brisbane Lions.

Importantly, the Port Adelaide’s small forwards ran into some form with both Daniel Motlop and Brett Ebert kicking four goals. Ben McKinley provided a bright light for the Eagles with five goals in another impressive performance.

The result lifts the Power above West Coast into 13th spot, while the Eagles – last year’s semi-finalists and the 2006 premiers – join rivals Fremantle in the bottom three.

With both teams desperate for a confidence-boosting win, the opening quarter was a tough and tight contest.

Port Adelaide established an early dominance in the midfield but failed to punish the home side on the scoreboard with a string of missed shots.

Kane Cornes started on Daniel Kerr and kept him touchless for the first 27 minutes while collecting the ball at will himself. He was well supported by brother Chad while David Rodan and Travis Boak were winning clearances around the ground.

Motlop and Adam Thomson both goaled for the Power before Dean Cox provided a rare highlight for the home crowd, holding off Toby Thurstans to juggle a one-handed mark before goaling.

Port Adelaide stepped up the pressure in the second quarter with Motlop and Thomson again kicking goals – Motlop dancing around three West Coast defenders to slot his.

David Wirrpanda conjured up a piece of magic with a brilliant snapped goal from the boundary line but West Coast was struggling to match the Power’s intensity around the ground.

The floodgates soon opened with a run of five unanswered Port Adelaide goals including a clever snap by 200-gamer Brendon Lade.

The Power forwards continued to benefit from the on-ball pressure provided by the likes of Rodan, Boak, Thomson and Kane Cornes, who was proving to be a nightmare for Kerr.

Trailing by 37 points at half time, the Eagles rediscovered their running game in the third quarter and threw out a challenge to the Power. Consecutive goals to Matt Spangher, Chad Jones and Quinten Lynch helped lift the home side.

But Lynch then missed a set shot from just five metres out and the Power again capitalised on unforced skill errors from the Eagles to steady through goals from Ebert and Dom Cassisi to lead at the final break by 42 points.

Port began the final term with a hat-trick of goals to Ebert before McKinley led the Eagle’s late surge. But the Power had done enough to hold on.

Kane Cornes led the way for Port along with the relentless Rodan, Boak, Thomson and Motlop. McKinley provided the heroics for the West Coast with three final term goals and was backed by solid performances by Wirrpanda and Lynch.

GOALS
West Coast: McKinley 5, Wirrpanda 2, Selwood 2, Lynch 2, Cox, Armstrong, Spangher, C Jones, Kerr
Port Adelaide: Motlop 4, Ebert 4, S Burgoyne 3, Thomson 2, Tredrea 2, Lade, Westhoff, Cassisi, Rodan

BEST
West Coast: Wirrpanda, Selwood, Lynch, Embley, Jones
Port Adelaide: K Cornes, Boak, Rodan, Motlop, Thomson, C Cornes, Brogan, Cassisi

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Port Adelaide: Thomson (shoulder), Chaplin (concussion)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Ryan, Wenn, Nicholls

Official crowd: 38,302 at Subiaco