3 minute read
Port Adelaide have moved a game clear on the top of the AFL ladder with a fourth-quarter burst delivering a 9.9 (63) to 6.10 (46) win over GWS on Sunday.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley believes his team's 17-point AFL win over Greater Western Sydney shows they deserve their place at the top of the ladder.
The 9.9 (63) to 6.10 (46) win over the Giants was far from a polished performance by either team at Metricon Stadium but it ticked an important box for Hinkley following last weekend's loss to Brisbane.
"Good teams respond. Good teams win when they have to, they win after they've had a poor performance," Hinkley said.
"That's really pleasing against quality opposition.
"That's a significant step for us and we're on top of the ladder, we deserve to be on top of the ladder."
The victory puts the Power a win clear at the summit with five victories and just the one defeat in 2020.
The Power began brightly and restricted GWS to just one point in the opening term, with the Giants' first goal not coming until the eighth minute of the second quarter when 150-gamer Toby Greene snapped home.
Port failed to take advantage on the scoreboard however and the Giants responded in the third term to hit the front, with only Charlie Dixon's goal after the three-quarter-time siren ensuring the Power headed into the final term ahead.
Jeremy Finlayson put the Giants back in front at the start of the fourth but it was a 55m drop punt on the run by Kane Farrell which provided the crucial momentum shift.
From there Port kicked two more goals to take an unassailable lead and claim their first win in five years over the Giants.
Farrell was one of nine separate single goalkickers for the Power while Jeremy Cameron's two goals for GWS made him the only multiple goalkicker of the match.
Both teams lost a player before halftime with Connor Sutcliffe injuring his right hamstring for the Power and Daniel Lloyd succumbing to concussion after a first-quarter collision with Cameron.
Power veteran Brad Ebert is also facing a nervous wait after being placed on report in the first quarter for a hip and shoulder on GWS midfielder Harry Perryman.
"It's not for me to decide," Hinkley said of Ebert's bump.
"Brad's as fair a player as you can get. He's had as many head knocks as anyone in the world, so he understands what goes on ... we'll let the people who look at those things take care of it."
Giants coach Leon Cameron felt his team had battled hard against a good opponent but were clearly second best in the closing stages of the match.
"Up until three-quarter time it was probably a pretty even battle in patches but they put the foot down and we didn't," Cameron said.
"They dominated us in the last 15 minutes of the game."
The Power are back in Queensland next weekend against Carlton at the Gabba while the Giants host Brisbane in Sydney.
