Port Adelaide Magpies in last hit-out defeat Glenelg Tigers 96-80

THE Port Adelaide Magpies, in their last hit-out before becoming Power's reserves team, have beaten Glenelg by 16 points at the Bay.

THE Port Adelaide Magpies built a club on foundations of fighting spirit, an incredible competitive passion and a fierce lust for success.

And all those qualities were there to the end. The Magpies are no more under their current status and next year will become the Power reserves.

They gave fans a glimpse of their proud history when they came from behind to beat Glenelg by 16 points at Brighton Road in a terrific advertisement for SANFL football.

Appropriately, Magpies captain James Meiklejohn kicked the team's final goal 23 minutes in the last quarter in his final game to give his side a commanding 23-point lead and put the result beyond doubt. The full-time siren sparked amazing scenes when fans rushed onto the ground to join the players in singing the club song in the centre square.

''At half-time we were down and out and looking pretty bad,'' Meiklejohn said. ''Credit to the boys - they dug really deep and played like Port Adelaide does and got the result they deserved. ''I spoke to the players about the resilience they have shown. They have been kicked and kicked and kicked and they keep bouncing back. It is a shame it is never going to be again.''

At three-quarter time, Magpies coach Ken McGregor took his players to the northern end in front of the team's cheer squad, hoping to feed off the fan's emotion and the side responded with a stunning final quarter.

The visitors had opened the contest with intent, hungry for the contest and desperate to make an early statement.

Zane Kirkwood was dominate in defence for the Magpies, shutting down threatening raids before sparking plenty of run. Sam Gray, favourite to claim the Magpies' best and fairest, also had little trouble finding the ball.

The first quarter was an entertaining affair as both teams looked to move the ball with pace and the action swung from end to end. There was an abundance of turnovers because of skill errors from both sides but many were the result of players attempting to be creative and attack with conviction.

After withstanding the early assault from the visitors, the Tigers found fluent run and their movement became more confident. They used the loose man in defence to telling effect and linked well to launch attacking raids.

Magpie Steven Summerton snapped a goal on the quarter-time siren to give his side a four-point lead before the Tigers seized control in the second term.

Ensuring there was strength in numbers in defence, the Tigers charged forward as players worked to find space and become an option in the chain.

Four unanswered goals for the Tigers enabled them to build a 20-point buffer and put the Magpies under the pump and needing answers. Andrew Bradley continued his productive form for the Tigers along with Chris Curran, whose influence has been a key factor in the late-season resurgence.

When Jacob Carger kicked a goal for the Tigers six minutes into the third term, their advantage was 21 points and they were seemingly in control.

However, this was a Magpies outfit determined to finish off the season in style after months frustrated by an unknown future, and they fought back to cut the deficit to just one point before Ruory Kirkby nailed a Tigers goal just before the three-quarter time siren.

PORT 3.4 4.7 8.9 14.12 (96) GLENELG 2.6 7.9 9.10 11.14 (80)