Port Adelaide could not give former skipper Travis Boak the win he wanted in his 250th AFL game

There was no fairytale milestone game for Port Adelaide’s Travis Boak — but the form he’s found this year suggests he could get another chance in his 300th.

• Match report: Power fails Friday night test of the best
• Match centre: All the stats and SuperCoach scores

So there was no fairytale milestone game for Travis Boak, but the form he’s found this year suggests he could get another chance in his 300th.

Boak, 30, was again in elite form as the Power found out where it needs to improve before it can be considered a genuine premiership contender.

First things first: did Boak’s 250th game make a difference?

There has always been debate over whether milestone games make a difference and on the evidence of last night’s match at the Docklands, they don’t.

You would have thought that, if anything, the team trying to win for a mate would start well because of all the energy and adrenaline coursing through its veins, but Collingwood smashed Port Adelaide in the first quarter and never looked like surrender the buffer created.

It might have made a difference to Boak, because between him, housemate Sam Powell-Pepper and Ollie Wines — three midfield bulls — something happened in the second quarter.

Travis Boak of the Power (second from right) reacts after kicking a goal during the Round 7 match against Collingwood. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

It began with Boak kicking a goal, and after Collingwood had kicked the only seven in the first quarter, the Power gradually played itself into the match with a dominant passage. Then again, it is unlikely to have had anything to do with the milestone game: Boak has been outstanding all season after relinquishing the captaincy to Wines and Tom Jonas and returning to the midfield.

The greatest lesson for Port Adelaide against Collingwood — which has emerged as the benchmark this season — was the amount of A-graders on the ground.

Coach Ken Hinkley had pointed it out beforehand — the Pies have super talent in every line and if the Power dropped off at any stage it would find itself in trouble, and that’s how it played out.

When the talented Jaidyn Stevenson and Jamie Elliott are given as much space as they were in the first quarter, Collingwood is just too good.

Give the Magpies and inch and players such as Adam Treloar, Jordan De Goey, Brodie Grundy and even Ben Reid will cut you to shreds. And they were missing the difficult-to-stop Mason Cox.

Yes, the Power is missing players such as its superstar Robbie Gray, co-captain Tom Jonas, key forward Charlie Dixon and Hamish Hartlett and that will make a difference when they return.

But Collingwood right now is more than a few steps ahead of the Power.

This is not to put any extra pressure on star recruits Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma, because the trio has been such a highlight of the club’s good start to the season this year.

But only when they become influential on a weekly basis — and that is a lot to ask — will the Power be as advanced in talent as Collingwood.

That’s not to say that the Power can’t beat the Pies as soon as this year, but it has to do it with contested ball, controlling the pace and getting the most out of its list.

They were smashed by top talent in the first quarter at Marvel Stadium and that was the game.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER

FIRST QUARTER

MAGPIES 7.6 (48)

POWER 0.3 (3)

Jaidyn Stephenson kicks the opening goal of the match! #AFLPiesPower pic.twitter.com/cPUubcx4yJ

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2019

COLLINGWOOD brought its own ball to the Docklands and showed no interest in sharing it with the Power.

The Magpies dominated disposal, made Port Adelaide look rattled every time it laid a glove on it and played the quarter in their forward half.

Jayden Stevenson had three goals that could have been five by quarter time and Jamie Elliott two. It looked like there would be a bloodbath ahead.

Collingwood had never kicked a bigger first-quarter score against Port Adelaide.

SECOND QUARTER

MAGPIES 8.12 (60)

POWER 5.6 (36)

Boak!

A much-needed goal from the milestone man.#AFLPiesPower pic.twitter.com/bZdNou5QH1

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2019

IT was left to the milestone man, Travis Boak, to do something for the Power in his 250th game.

Boak, housemate Sam Powell-Pepper and co-captain Ollie Wines typified Port Adelaide as it denied Collingwood a bit of time and pace and slowed down the pace of the game with its physicality.

Dougal Howard took the mark of the quarter and Ryan Burton kicked a long goal despite earlier having had treatment on his right hamstring.

Port was playing with some confidence again.

THIRD QUARTER

MAGPIES 11.17 (83)

POWER 6.7 (43)

The start of the third quarter is looking Rozee! #AFLPiesPower pic.twitter.com/zXDEeLNTFn

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2019

RISING star nominee Connor Rozee kept the momentum of the Power’s fightback up with a nice snap to open up the scoring after half time.

It meant Port Adelaide had kicked five unanswered goals, were within three and had kicked out of the previous seven.

But Collingwood’s response was telling. The next goal came from some of the classiest ball movement and crisp kicking from the Magpies before ending with a goal from Will Hoskin-Elliott.

Collingwood pulled away from there with more class and were 40 points ahead at three-quarter time.

FOURTH QUARTER

MAGPIES 15.18 (108)

POWER 10.9 (69)

That was clever from the Hoff! #AFLPiesPower pic.twitter.com/m0sQezcC0X

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2019

PORT Adelaide kicked three goals early in the quarter but it still didn’t raise the temperature at Marvel Stadium; Collingwood steadied and the buffer it created in the first quarter was never threatened.

There were two discernible differences in this match: Collingwood had a wider smattering of class through its side and the Power didn’t come to play until the second quarter.

With talent in every line, the Magpies were never going to give up a seven-goal lead. More of the Magpies played for four quarters, but that is to be expected by a more experienced side.

Congratulations @travisboak10 on an incredible milestone. In one of @PAFC darkest hours you put your hand up & wanted to lead us back. You did just that with courage, compassion & a true sense of what it is to be part of this great club. We will be forever in your debt. Play well

— David Koch (@kochie_online) May 3, 2019

COLLINGWOOD V PORT ADELAIDE

Friday, May 3, 7.20pm,

Marvel Stadium

WEATHER: Mostly fine, max 20C (roof closed)

TV: Channel 7, Fox Footy

RADIO: FIVEaa, ABC891, TripleM

LIVE STREAM: Kayosports.com.au

MAGPIES

B: B. Maynard, J. Roughead, J. Howe

HB: J. Crisp, D. Moore, T. Langdon

C: S. Sidebottom, S. Pendlebury, T. Phillips

HF: J. Thomas, B. Reid, J. Elliott

F: J. Stephenson, B. Mihocek, W. Hoskin-Elliott

Followers: B. Grundy, T. Adams, J. De Goey

Interchange: A. Treloar, C. Brown, L. Greenwood, D. Beams

IN: Reid, Elliott

OUT: Cox (injured), Varcoe (omitted)

POWER

B: R Bonner, T. Clurey, D. Houston

HB: R. Burton, D. Howard, D. Byrne-Jones

C: X. Duursma, T. Rockliff, J. Westhoff

HF: T. Marshall, B. Ebert, Z. Butters

F: S. Gray, P. Ryder, C. Rozee

Followers: S. Lycett, O. Wines, T. Boak

Interchange: J. Lienert, W. Drew, S. Powell-Pepper, K. Amon

IN: Amon

OUT: Gray (injured)