Gray the hero as Port edge Blues

By his lofty standards, Robbie Gray had done stuff-all this season. But with 20 seconds to go against Carlton, the Port Adelaide star proved his worth.

Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray celebrates after kicking the matchwinning goal against Carlton at the Gabba. Picture: Getty Images

By his lofty standards, Robbie Gray had done stuff-all in six games this season and almost threw the game against Carlton away with one minute to go on Sunday.

But there’s a reason you can buy a T-shirt with ‘The Goat’ and Gray’s face on it at Port Adelaide and it’s because of what happened next.

With 20 seconds to go against Carlton at the Gabba, Gray marked the footy on the boundary and went back after the siren and slotted the shot with a drop punt that most players in the competition could only dream of kicking.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Moments earlier he unselfishly gave a handball to Todd Marshall at the top of the square only for the big man to miss it.

But he totally redeemed himself and just his fourth goal for the year was the one that mattered most.

Port Adelaide’s incredible three point win — 9.10 (64) to 9.7 (61) — was another test of its resilience after yet another pre-dawn flight to Queensland and two men down (Ryan Burton and Steven Motlop) in the final quarter.

Gray was the hero but Port Adelaide’s big men reigned supreme – at both ends of the ground.

Tom Jonas lost one one-on-one contest against Harry McKay and didn’t put another foot wrong for the rest of the game and it was his and Trent McKenzie’s intercept marking and spoiling that saved the game from getting away from them.

Despite nearly throwing the game away, Todd Marshall sprung to life after a quiet month with crucial lead-up play and pinpoint passes, Charlie Dixon dominated Liam Jones kicked 3.4 and was the dominant forward on the ground and Peter Ladhams dominated Marc Pinnonet to suggest he may keep his spot when Scott Lycett recovers.

The exception was Justin Westhoff who couldn’t get into the game with just one handball in three quarters but some important moments in the last.

Robbie Gray is swamped by teammates at the end of the game at the Gabba. Picture: Getty Images

It was a heartbreaking end for Carlton but not a big picture disaster.

After blowing the Bulldogs away last week, they had to slug it out for three quarters just to stay with Port Adelaide and when Patrick Cripps stood up, at long last he didn’t have to do it on his own.

Sam Walsh and Sam Docherty both took courageous marks going back with the flight of the ball in defence and Walsh kicked an important goal, Michael Gibbons and Ed Curnow provided midfield support, Harry McKay kicked three goals and Jacob Weitering was awesome in defence.

The Blues played fast, play-on-at-all-costs type footy and this should be the norm now. Four goals from four inside 50s in the first term was a sign of good things to come. They just needed to do it for 30 seconds longer.

Port Adelaide won this game in defence. The run of Darcy Byrne-Jones who comes off the square like a fourth midfielder at centre bounce, Hamish Hartlett and Ryan Burton, and the rock solid Jonas and McKenzie.

McKenzie stopped a certain goal by leaving his man at an important time in the third quarter and Zak Butters’ workrate to get back and mark the footy on the goal line was another sign of Port’s desperation.

Butters is arguably the smartest player on Port’s list now. His ball use and creativity set them up and he ran all day.

The Advertiser