Woodville-West Torrens’ 11-game winning streak ended by professional Port Adelaide

THE Eagles’ winning streak was halted at 11 games as the Magpies strengthened their hold on a top-five spot with a 41-point shock at Woodville on Saturday.

THE Eagles’ winning streak was halted at 11 games as the Magpies strengthened their hold on a top-five spot with a 41-point shock at Woodville on Saturday.

Port Adelaide wrestled and eventually overran Woodville-West Torrens, inflicting the ladder leader’s first loss since the opening round of the season.

Led by fearless Sam Gray, Port Adelaide was harder, tougher and more mentally switched on than its opponent. Simply, the Magpies were more professional.

Port responded from a goal-less second quarter to boot 10 in the second half in a dominant display highlighted by Jarrad Redden’s ruck work, the midfield presence of Kane Mitchell and Andrew Moore, the linking work of Sam Colquhoun and a spread of goalkickers that, in the end, piled 11 deep.

Coach Garry Hocking said it had been the perfect response, against the league’s most formidable opponent, to the previous week’s one-point loss to Norwood.

“We don’t like to lose any game, so after last weekend we needed to respond and the boys did well,” he said.

“We out-tackled them, out-possessed them, and looks like we got a bit of run back, too.”

After a tight first half, Port blew it open in the third term.

The Magpies failed to goal in the second quarter to trail by four points at the half.

But a long, wobbly goal from impressive second-gamer Tom Gray followed quickly by a brilliant conversion from Karl Amon two minutes later sparked Port Adelaide.

Amon dodged, baulked, weaved and wheeled on to his left to slot his only goal from just on the 50m paint — and the Eagles never really recovered from the blow.

Redden soon capitalised on a superb tackle to extend the margin to a game-high 13 points and when Anthony Biemans ran on to a loose ball from a long kick inside 50 a minute later it appeared to be Port Adelaide’s game to lose.

The Eagles hit back through Michael Wundke just before the last change and had the first three scores of the final term but, as was a pattern, they burnt their chances and added just 1.2.

From there, Port Adelaide stormed away. The Magpies booted the last five goals of the game, including three in time-on, to turn what had been a compelling contest into a walkover.

Jared Petrenko was influential for the Eagles, Jarred Allmond was important in his 100th game and Sam Martyn was rewarded for his hard work with two goals.

“It was disappointing, but it’s a hard one to react to because you are so proud of what the players have been able to do over the past 11 weeks,” Eagles coach Michael Godden said.

“One part of you says ‘it’s only one, and we won 11’, but the other part of you wonders why couldn’t we uphold the standards.

“The simple errors was the disappointing part. Missing blokes by 10m, fumbling handballs — we haven’t done that all year. That tells me it’s a mindset thing, but we’ll bounce back pretty quick.”

MAGPIES 4.1 4.4 9.7 14.12 (96)

EAGLES 3.5 4.8 6.10 7.13 (55)

Best: Port Adelaide: S. Gray, Redden, Moore, Amon, T. Gray, Mitchell, Summerton. Eagles: Petrenko, Martyn, Allmond, Poole, Rowntree, Schwarz.

Goals: Port Adelaide: Colquhoun, T. Gray, Redden 2, Mitchell, Moore, Summerton, Amon, Howard, Biemans, Reynolds, Wagner. Eagles: Wundke 3, Martyn 2, Petrenko, Schwarz.

Injuries/reports: None.

Umpires: Fleer, Haussen, Hundertmark.