Port Adelaide have kept their slim finals hopes alive with a 63-point win over St Kilda.
>>MATCH REPORT: Port Adelaide thrash St Kilda
Chad Wingard’s four goals where the highlight of a game where neither side really seemed to get out of second gear.
The Power were probably lucky early on to be let off the hook by some poor kicking in front of goal from the Saints.
However they motored away in the second half to win by a sizeable margin and give themselves a sniff at cracking back into the top eight by year’s end.
Port Adelaide 17.10.112 def. St Kilda 6.13.49
The Port Adelaide Power must win to keep any chance of finals alive when they host the St Kilda Saints at Adelaide Oval today. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 12:40pm Local, 1:10pm AEST.
It’s amazing that this far into the AFL season, a match between a pre-season premiership favourite and last year’s wooden spooner could be one between two teams next to each other on the ladder, as the Power sit in 12th and the Saints just one rung behind in 13th.
As it stands, the pre-season favourites Port are going to struggle to make finals, as they currently hold only seven wins.
With this being the first of just six games left in their season, they will need to win at least five and quite possibly all six of those games in order to make finals in 2015.
With matches against Hawthorn and Fremantle in that time, it just doesn’t seem that likely – though the Dockers match in the final round could be a gimme if Ross Lyon again decided to rest his players en masse before a finals campaign.
There’s no sense in looking too far ahead yet though, because before anything else Port need to clear this hurdle, a young upstart St Kilda team who have definitely performed above expectations this year.
The Saints have a tough home stretch to come, facing Fremantle, North Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney and West Coast in their last five games after today – all sides in the top eight.
So this might be their last legitimate chance to get a win in 2015, and it’s a chance they’ll want to take if so.
Their chance will be made all the more difficult by the absence of skipper Nick Riewoldt who is going to miss through calf soreness.
The Saints are also missing Jack Lonie and Sam Gilbert, with Tom Hickey, Dan McKenzie and Tim Membrey into the side.
Port have made two changes, dropping Jarman Impey and Angus Monfries for the likes of Jasper Pittard and Sam Gray.
Prediction
It’s not beyond the Saints to win this one, but I think Port’s knowledge that they really need to win will push them to victory.
Port Adelaide by 12 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 12:40pm Local, 1:10pm AEST.
Josh
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Josh
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Josh
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Josh
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Comfy win for the Power, 63 points in the end. They're still alive in the finals race, if only just barely. Chad Wingard's four goals the highlight.
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FULL TIME PORT ADELAIDE 17.10.112 ST KILDA 6.13.49
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GOAL ST KILDA Josh Bruce kicks his first goal of the day... after the final siren. PORT ADELAIDE 17.10.112 ST KILDA 6.13.49
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GOAL PORT ADELAIDE Four goals to Chad Wingard, he takes a great mark near the goalsquare and slots it. PORT ADELAIDE 17.10.112 ST KILDA 5.13.43
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Schulz tries to chip one in the forward line to Ryder but somehow kicks it out on the full.
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BEHIND PORT ADELAIDE Chad Wingard takes a snap but it's touched by Dempster. PORT ADELAIDE 16.10.106 ST KILDA 5.13.43
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GOAL PORT ADELAIDE Jake Neade snags his second goal of the day. PORT ADELAIDE 16.9.105 ST KILDA 5.13.43
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GOAL PORT ADELAIDE Port's Sam Gray goes for a courageous mark and is rewarded with a shot on goal. He sinks it - the Power lead by 56. PORT ADELAIDE 15.9.99 ST KILDA 5.13.43
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GOAL ST KILDA Tim Membrey snags a goal for the Saints. PORT ADELAIDE 14.9.93 ST KILDA 5.13.43
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GOAL PORT ADELAIDE Jay Schulz slots his second goal of the day from long range and not an easy angle, he puts the Power 56 points up. PORT ADELAIDE 14.9.93 ST KILDA 4.13.37
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BEHIND ST KILDA Leigh Montagna kicks a behind, margin an even 50 points. PORT ADELAIDE 13.9.87 ST KILDA 4.13.37
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GOAL PORT ADELAIDE Matthew Lobbe snags a goal to put the Power 51 points up. PORT ADELAIDE 13.9.87 ST KILDA 4.12.36
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BEHIND PORT ADELAIDE Travis Boak misses a shot on goal. PORT ADELAIDE 12.9.81 ST KILDA 4.12.36
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BEHIND PORT ADELAIDE Paddy Ryder misses a snap on goal. PORT ADELAIDE 12.8.80 ST KILDA 4.12.36
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Final term underway.
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Josh
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Power more than comfortable in the lead by 43 points at the final change. Won't lose it from here and will look to make this one a percentage-booster.