Port Adelaide gave their campaign a stirring shot in the arm, while dealing a blow to the Western Bulldogs’ prospects with a brave victory at wet, wintry Adelaide Oval.
The supremacy of Tim English and Marcus Bontempelli around the contest, allied by Cody Weightman’s four-goal haul in his first appearance of the season, saw the Dogs ease their way into pole position before a late Power surge completely altered the temperature of the seesawing encounter.
Trailing by eight points after Weightman’s fourth major, Port’s response was supreme.
The Power defied heavy conditions to overturn three quarters of Bulldogs’ territorial ascendancy. Credit: Paul Kane, Getty
Todd Marshall goaled twice in a row – the first via a brawny contested mark and the second from the tightest of boundary-hugging angles towards the Cathedral End – to put the Power in front.
Xavier Duursma converted a free kick to extend the advantage before Zak Butters, the architect of the revival, picked off a tired turnover from Tim O’Brien and nailed the sealer. Jason Horne-Francis, who was unsighted across the first three terms, burst to life in the fourth to join Butters on the ride as the Power defied heavy conditions to overturn three quarters of Bulldogs’ territorial ascendancy.
Architect of the revival: Zak Butters. Credit: Sarah Reed, Getty
Port looked more convincing in front of the ball early, while their defence, which has endured varying degrees of bleeding already, stood firm.
The Power’s robust pressure all across the park forced the Dogs into ill-advised overuse via hand during the torrential downpour that engulfed Adelaide throughout the opening quarter.
The rain softened in the second term, as did Port’s grip on the contest, the Bulldogs beginning to dominate both territory and clearance.
English, arguably the competition’s premier ruckman, was getting on top of Scott Lycett around the ground, combining spectacularly in the clinches with Bontempelli, who at one stage had more individual clearances than the Power’s entire team.
With Ed Richards, Jason Johannisen and Caleb Daniel linking, running and creating, the Dogs sliced their 15-point quarter-time deficit to two midway through the second term.
Marcus Bontempelli, right, spills a mark during round five. Credit: Paul Kane, Getty
Veteran Travis Boak responded with his first goal of the year – and a beauty at that – shaking off Bailey Williams and snapping spectacularly from the scoreboard pocket.
Nullifying the impact of the dangerous Bailey Dale, makeshift defensive forward Darcy Byrne-Jones booted his second major in the shadows of half-time to push Port ahead by nine points.
Adam Treloar got busy in the third and the Doggies went with him.
Bontempelli was shadowed by Willem Drew after the long break and the Bulldogs superstar duly dragged the smaller Power tagger into the goal square, outmarked him one-on-one and converted to give the visitors their first lead.
The match was the Bulldogs’ for the taking but Port, like they did against Sydney seven days earlier, found a second wind.
They finally solved the Bontempelli riddle and seized complete control of the arm wrestle with what is fast becoming a trademark late flourish.
FLEA FLYING AGAIN
Making his first appearance for the year, Weightman hit the highlight reels with his first touch of the footy.
After missing the first month of the season with a groin issue, Weightman showed no ill-effects of his injury when he soared majestically over Kane Farrell for a stunning mark-of-the-year contender at the seven-minute mark.
Weightman booted three of his side’s first five goals, finished with four and despite the final result, the Dogs’ forward line, problematic at times in 2023, undoubtedly looks better with his lively presence.
POWER GO SMALL-BALL
Almost immediately after the Bulldogs forged their first lead of the night, early in the third term, the Power pulled the pin on Lycett’s dirty night.
Port’s No.1 ruckman was kickless, rendered ineffective thanks to a combination of the slippery, wintry conditions and the mint form of English.
The Power activated the sub, replacing the lumbering Lycett with Jackson Mead.
With ruck duties subsequently shared by Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson,
Dixon won an important forward stoppage tap against English before the slick hands of Connor Rozee and Ollie Wines finished with Dan Houston’s successful bomb from 50m, which gave Port the lead during the third term. The Power looked slicker from the moment of Lycett’s exit.
Best
Port Adelaide: Butters, Rozee, Houston, Byrne-Jones, Wines, Aliir, Horne-Francis.
Western Bulldogs: English, Treloar, Bontempelli, Weightman, Johanissen, Daniel.
Cody Weightman celebrates a goal. Credit: Sarah Reed, Getty
