Port Adelaide fail in their test to jump into the AFL top four

PORT Adelaide wasn’t exposed as a fraud in its moment of truth on Saturday night but the jury is still out on its finals credentials after a 10-point loss to West Coast at home.

Port Adelaide’s Hamish Hartlett battles against West Coast’s Brad Sheppard. Picture Sarah Reed

PORT Adelaide wasn’t exposed as a fraud in its moment of truth on Saturday night but the jury is still out on its finals credentials after a 10-point loss to West Coast at home.

Billed as judgement day after beating up on bottom-four opponents the last two weeks, the Power is yet to beat a top-eight side and still searching for polish in front of goal.

Saturday night their run was often stifled and they lacked the finishing skills up forward with a wasteful 12.15 despite smashing the Eagles in inside 50s 68-39.

Four goals in 10 minutes saw the visitors blow the game open in the third quarter, yet the Power was still alive entering time-on of the final quarter after Matthew Broadbent’s 50m bomb.

But as they’d done all night, West Coast had the immediate answer and sealed a rare victory on the road.

While Port’s improvement in the first seven weeks of the season is undeniable, external talk about top-four potential has proven very premature and finals far from a given.

Despite the loss, you could mount an argument that Port’s key defenders - Tom Jonas (on Josh Kennedy), Tom Clurey (on Jack Darling) and Jack Hombsch (on Nathan Vardy) - won their one-on-one battles.

The bigger problem was mercurial small forward Mark LeCras who produced a best-afield four-goal, 17-disposal performance.

The Eagles also won the midfield with too many of Port Adelaide’s prime movers down. Robbie Gray (15 disposals), Travis Boak (20) and Ollie Wines (20) were quiet and Aaron Young - who kicked 37 goals last year - has now gone goalless in three games this season.

The major positive was Charlie Dixon who for the second week in a row was enormous.

He has now taken 22 marks in the past two games - the result of his workrate all over the ground which is as good as any key forward in the competition. Dixon also kicked three goals and his third from the pocket was all class.

The ever consistent Brad Ebert was Port’s best midfielder and Sam Powell-Pepper’s game should be judged on more than stats alone with his physical pressure immense.

But the Eagles had the game on their terms for most of the night. They were happy to slow play, deny Port Adelaide possession and inch their way forward.

Port on the flipside had to work so hard for its goals. Jarman Impey booted two and Sam Gray kicked a beauty which was the result of Port switching play in the second quarter.

Despite the third-quarter onslaught Port was still in the game at the final break when Luke Shuey was denied a certain goal and Paddy Ryder kicked one at the other end just before the siren.

The margin got to 13 points heading into time-on of the final term but a coast-to-coast goal to Brad Shephard sealed the result.

At 4-3 Port Adelaide will now head to China to play the Gold Coast with their season alive but they are yet to convince the footy world that’s how it will stay.

West Coast Eagles’ Matt Priddis breaks past Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines. Picture: SARAH REED

SCOREBOARD

WEST COAST 4.1 7.3 12.4 15.7 (97)

PORT ADELAIDE 2.3 5.6 7.13 12.15 (87)

BEST - West Coast: LeCras, Priddis, Yeo, Barrass, Shuey, Gaff. Port Adelaide: Dixon, Ryder, Broadbent, Ebert, Jonas, Clurey, Wingard.

GOALS - West Coast: LeCras 4, Hill, Darling, Kennedy 2, Sheed, Mutimer, Masten, Yeo, Shephard. Port Adelaide: Dixon 3, Impey 2, Wingard, S. Gray, Ryder, Westhoff, Boak, Broadbent, Ebert.

UMPIRES - C. Donlon, M. Stevic, A. Mitchell.

CROWD - 38,333 at Adelaide Oval.