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AFL

Power surges late to edge Dogs in a wet Gather Round thriller

2023-04-15T00:00+10:00

Port Adelaide has jumped into the top eight after they defeated the Bulldogs by 14-points in a see-sawing Saturday night thriller.

The contest evenly poised with both sides facing a similar start to the year.

Two great wins. Two debilitating losses.

Both sides have underperformed over the past 18 months, with neither fan nor expert knowing what to expect from these two wildcard teams.

Port Adelaide forward Sam Powell-Pepper got the Power off to an electric start as he snapped the first goal of the match from 40 metres out with both teams looking to kick goals early before the heavy forecasted rain set in.

But before the match even hit the five-minute mark, rain began to pour down on Adelaide Oval as the match quickly became a see ball, grab ball, get the ball forward in any which way you can, style of game.

The Power were able to handle the wet weather conditions the best as they took a 15-point lead into the first break.

As the rain slowed down at the start of the second quarter, Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli began to run rampant.

At the five-minute mark of the second quarter Bontempelli (who already had eight clearances to his name) set up key forward Aaron Naughton who ran in and kicked the Bulldogs second goal of the match.

Two-time All Australian Kane Cornes was strong in his thoughts on the Power’s treatment of Bontempelli as he pleaded for one of Port Adelaide’s midfielders to put some time into the Bulldogs skipper.

“They (Port Adelaide) are just allowing Marcus Bontempelli to do whatever he wants,” Cornes told SEN’s AFL Nation.

“He’s having a massive influence on this game.

“We’ll wait and see whether it’s Wines, whether it’s Drew, whether it’s anyone that starts to give him the respect (he deserves).

“It doesn’t matter who it is. Someone, if you’re at a stoppage and Bontempelli is there just go and stand on him.

“He’s in Brownlow Medal form.”

On his return from injury small forward Cody Weightman was electric for the Bulldogs as he took a spectacular mark and kicked three of the first five goals for the Dogs.

It’s been an interesting start to the year for All-Australian defender Darcy Byrne-Jones who found himself in a new role as a defensive forward to start the match. But the 27-year-old was able to grab the opportunity with both hands as he kicked two goals in the first half in horrible conditions.

Port Adelaide star Travis Boak’s form has been questioned on his return from injury, but the former captain’s class was evident when he kicked a beautiful goal from the boundary line.

Halfway through the third quarter Port Adelaide made their sub with small forward Jackson Mead replacing ruckman Scott Lycett as the Power searched for some speed in the wet while the Bulldogs replaced Josh Bruce with Toby McLean at the start of the fourth quarter.

Bulldogs’ ruckman Tim English continued his impressive start to the year as he delivered an imposing performance collecting 23 disposals, 28 hit outs and six marks.

With 12 minutes left in the match the Power were left in a bitter-sweet situation as they took the lead through Todd Marshall who kicked two goals in a row while his key forward counterpart Charlie Dixon sat on the bench with a heavily strapped knee.

As the heavy rain continued on for most of the game it was a night to forget for the key forwards for both sides with three goals kicked between Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Rory Lobb, Charlie Dixon, Jeremy Finlayson and Todd Marshall.

Despite the Bulldogs' fast start to the final quarter the Power were able to withstand the onslaught and hold on before they returned serve in the final 10 minutes, with Zak Butters kicking the sealer in a best on ground performance.

After the Power showed their willingness to fight their way through horrible conditions and against a quality opponent, SEN's AFL Nation commentator Kane Cornes believes Port Adelaide's future may be brighter then some of his counterparts may think.

"One of Port Adelaide's greatest players said the situation was untenable. Well, it looks pretty tenable now," Cornes said.

FULL SCORE

Port Adelaide: 3.5, 5.8, 6.10, 10.10 (70)

Western Bulldogs: 1.2, 4.5, 7.6, 8.8 (56)

GOALS

Port Adelaide: Byrne-Jones 2, Marshall 2, Houston 1, Powell-Pepper 1, McEntee 1, Boak 1, Duursma 1, Butters 1

Western Bulldogs: Weightman 4, English 1, Bontempelli 1, Hannan 1, Naughton 1

BEST

Port Adelaide: Butters, Aliir, Houston, Rozee, Horne-Francis, Wines

Western Bulldogs: English, Bontempelli, Weightman, Richards, Treloar

INJURIES

Port Adelaide:

Western Bulldogs:

CROWD: TBC at Adelaide Oval

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