Round 5 – Port Adelaide v St Kilda: Sainters just that bit better

 

 

Port Adelaide v St Kilda

7:15pm, Sunday April 12

Adelaide Oval

 

A quick and classy St Kilda Saints produced its best win of the season with a tough 14-point win against Port Adelaide Power to complete Gather Round at Adelaide Oval on Sunday night – 12.9 to 9.13.

The Saints booted the first four goals of the game in mostly rainy and slippery conditions with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Liam Ryan and Max Hall in everything.

Port pressed in the second half to get within nine points at three-quarter-time but coach Ross Lyon’s men held on.

Carlton recruit Jack Silvagni along with Saint skipper Callum Wilkie were heroic in defence and the ‘Son of Steve’ iced the game with a goal – courtesy of a 50-metre penalty by Jason Horne-Francis ‘standing rule breach’ that put the Saints 15-points clear.

Matthaes Phillipou then capitalized on a Port turnover to caress home his second goal.

The hosts had no spread early in the game despite the best gut-running efforts of captain Zak Butters, the grit of Darcy Byrne-Jones at half-back and Willem Drew, who tried to be the best support act for Butters.

Strangely, Port coach Josh Carr opted to start Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines and the versatile Miles Bergman up forward and the Power lacked drive out of the middle.

With promising tough-nut Hugh Boxshall not leaving Port Adelaide’s firestarter Horne-Francis out of his sights in the first half – and with Wines and Bergman out of the centre square – coach Carr was stuck in a jam and the game-plan in a gridlock.

Hall swept on a loose ball to get the Saints to a 31-point lead before somewhat of a mini-comeback by the hosts brought the margin to 20 points.

Corey Durdin used his body cleverly to dribble through a goal and when Jack Sinclair did a rare error to have his kick intercepted by Byrne-Jones, the crowd was into the game.

However, the unpredictable Saint, Mitchito Owens, made an uncertain Port defence pay with a snap that put his team ahead beyond four goals just prior to half-time.

The rain got heavier and so did the deficit for Port after Mitchito received a 50-metre penalty from having his jumper grabbed.

The Saint booted his second goal when minutes earlier Horne-Francis’ shot on goal was a spike on the review graphic.

Drew then hit-up JHF and the latter blasted a beauty from the 50-metre arc but enter that man Nas.

Bergman was penalized for holding the ball and Drew then fumbled which then allowed Wanganeen-Milera to snap through his second major.

There was a major shift in the game and Butters epitomised Port’s lift in its endeavour with a crunching tackle on Wanganeen-Milera.

Joe Berry was at the end of another third-term Power surge, and he curled another goal as the hosts closed within two goals.

But the Saints steadied and did enough to get home.

 

 

 

PORT ADELAIDE   1.2  4.5  8.11  9.13(67)

ST KILDA    4.4  8.8  10.8  12.9(81)

 

GOALS

Port Adelaide: Georgiades; Durdin 2; Horne-Francis; Byrne-Jones; Berry; Butters

St Kilda: Wanganeen-Milera; Owens; Phillipou 2; Sharman; Silvagni; Wood; Ryan; Hall; Garcia

 

BEST

Port Adelaide: Butters, Byrne-Jones, Drew, Horne-Francis, Aliir

St Kilda: Silvagni, Wanganeen-Milera, Wilkie, Sinclair, Hall, Hill, Garcia, Windhager

 

Crowd: 47,319

 

 

 

Read more Gather Round Reports HERE.

Read more from KOSSYPOWERMAN (Nick Kossatch) HERE

 

Visit Nick’s website HERE.

 

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