Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak celebrates a goal with Robbie Gray. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: Sunday Mail (SA)
IT just keeps getting better for Port Adelaide.
The Power's dream start to the year continued at AAMI Stadium last night when it produced one of the great AFL comebacks.
Trailing by 41 points 19 minutes into the third quarter, Port lived up to its "never give in" catchcry to stun one of this year's premiership favourites, West Coast.
In a remarkable revival, the Power kicked 10 goals to three in the second half and five goals to one in the final term.
It hit the front for the first time 11 minutes into the last quarter.
The Eagles regained the lead with a Brad Dalziell goal entering time-on.
But Port - as it has done all season under first-year coach Ken Hinkley - hit back to kick the winning goal through Angus Monfries after some superb work from rookie sensation Jake Neade and Robbie Gray.
Kane Cornes, in his 250th game, scores a crucial goal against the Eagles. Picture: Sarah Reed.
The Power kicked just two goals in a dreadful first half but was inspired by best afield Hamish Hartlett - who won the Peter Badcoe VC Medal - and captain Travis Boak.
The star midfielders kicked three of Port's five final quarter goals to help extend Port's record winning start to a season to five.
"This win shows what we are made of," said a jubilant Hartlett after the game.
"We never give up and the boys are really proud to have won this game for Kane Cornes (who was playing his 250th game)."
The Power has now beaten Melbourne, GWS, Adelaide, Gold Coast and the Eagles in the opening five rounds to put one foot in the finals door.
It is an incredible turnaround for Port which hasn't made the finals since 2007 and in the past two seasons won a combined total of eight games.
Last night proved once and for all that this Power side is made of stern stuff.
Its first half was woeful and reminiscent of the dark days under previous coach Matthew Primus.
It was taught a football lesson by a finals-hardened Eagles side which, at 1-3, was playing for its finals life.
At half-time, Port had not taken a mark inside 50 while West Coast had hauled in 16 on its way to a 38-point lead.
The Power had crumbled under the weight of the Eagles' immense pressure in what became a tale of two halves.
Port was forced into a late change when defender Jasper Pittard failed to recover from soreness suffered in last week's win against Gold Coast.
His withdrawal paved the way for former Eagle Lewis Stevenson - an unlucky omission from the Power's named side - to play his first game against his former club. Stevenson started at half-back on brilliant playmaker Daniel Kerr.
Within four minutes, West Coast appeared to have its back to the wall.
Ace midfielder Matt Priddis was knocked out when he had his arms pinned in a perfect tackle from Monfries and he crashed head-first into the AAMI Stadium turf.
He was stretchered from the field on a mini-ambulance and was subbed out of the game 15 minutes later.
By that time, the Eagles - with Priddis's replacement Jamie Cripps on fire - had skipped to a 21-point lead, kicking the first 3.3 of the game.
Displaying a fierce desire to win the hard ball, West Coast dominated possession while Port crumbled under the pressure.
The Power struggled to get the ball out of its defensive half of the ground and it took a classy finish from Hartlett to break its scoring drought after 23 minutes when he burst inside 50 to goal on the run.
Amazingly, Port did not take a mark for the final 16 minutes of the term and when Kennedy broke clear of Alipate Carlile to kick his third goal of the quarter, the Eagles had broken to a 22-point lead at the first change.
The mark numbers highlighted West Coast's early dominance, with the visitors taking 30 to the Power's meagre seven.
Kennedy was at the forefront of nearly every Eagles attack and continued to give the Port defenders, in particular Carlile, nightmares in the second term.
The Power missed some gilt-edged chances in front of goal to keep itself in the match and when Kennedy bobbed up for his fourth major and Josh Hill and Jack Darling slotted goals, West Coast was out to a commanding 38-point lead at the long break.
Looking for some inspiration, Hinkley threw his side around after half-time with the move of Chad Wingard to full forward paying dividends.
He kicked two classy goals in the third quarter to give Port a glimmer of hope. That was all it needed.
PORT ADELAIDE 1.0 2.5 7.7 12.12 (84)
WEST COAST 4.4 7.13 9.16 10.19 (79)
Best - Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Boak, Wingard, Neade, O'Shea, Cornes. West Coast: Selwood, Shuey, Glass, Kennedy, Gaff, Waters.
Injuries - West Coast: M. Priddis (concussion).
Report - D. Glass (West Coast) for rough conduct by field umpire Pannell against P. Stewart in the second term.
Umpires: G. Fila, C. Kamolins, T. Pannell.
Crowd: 26,132 at AAMI Stadium.
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