In a low-scoring encounter at the Adelaide Oval, the Port Adelaide Power have taken victory by two points in the dying seconds over the St Kilda Saints.
Final score
Port Adelaide 9.9 63
St Kilda 8.13 61
After dropping out of the top four, the Port Adelaide Power will be keen to break their way back in, as they host the St Kilda Saints at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:35pm (AEST).
Port Adelaide is returning home after a disappointing loss to an impressive Melbourne unit last Saturday.
The Demons tore apart the Power for a majority of the match, and Port will be looking to come out with all cylinders firing against a struggling St Kilda outfit.
They only sit one game outside the top four, and with such a high percentage, the Power will be hoping to have a strong end to their season, as they only play one team inside the top eight in the last five games of the season.
The Saints themselves are making the second interstate trip in two weeks, as they are hoping to break their two-match losing streak, and rediscover the style of play which saw them demolish premiership hopefuls Richmond by 67 points.
The 11th placed Saints were on a four match-winning streak before losing the last two games against Essendon and Sydney, meaning that their slim finals hopes will need to be reignited this Saturday against the Power.
St Kilda have made three changes, with Tim Membrey, Brandon White and Maverick Weller coming into the team.
Those missing out are big for the Saints, with experienced stars Leigh Montagna (hamstring), Koby Stevens (groin) and Nick Riewoldt (managed) not making the trip to Adelaide.
Port Adelaide themselves have made four, as Jack Hombsch, Aaron Young, Karl Amon and Jasper Pittard all coming into the playing group.
Port have lost Chad Wingard (Ankle) after that nasty injury he suffered last week, whilst Logan Austin, Dan Houston and Joe Atley have all been omitted.
Players to watch
Port Adelaide: Travis Boak
The skipper of the Power, Boak was inspirational last week with his four goals, nearly lifting the Power to a remarkable comeback after they were 40 points down to the Dees. The captain will be hoping to have another big game to make a statement for the Power.
St Kilda: Tim Membrey
The Saints forward had a huge game against the Tigers, with five goals, but was suspended for two matches for his late hit on Dylan Grimes. The Saints lost those next two games, and Membrey will want to make it up to Alan Richardson and the players by leading St Kilda to a memorable win.
Prediction
After another loss to a top eight side, the Power will be looking to come out and get back on their winning ways.
They usually play well at home, and will fancy their chances against a St Kilda side struggling for consistency.
Expect them to be ruthless, and aggressive from the get-go after a tough week, and to come out comfortable winners.
Port Adelaide by 30 points
Will Port Adelaide force their way back into the top four? Or will St Kilda get back to their winning ways and make a push for finals?
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:35pm (AEST).
Brendon the 1st
Guest
St Kilda were OK, but the umpiring was absolutely atrocious, the saints were gifted two goals in the last quarter from crap decisions, I'm sure the saints fans can name a few dodgy ones that went against them as well, it was poor for both teams. Seriously, can someone explain the deliberate rule to me, or on a wet day how so many head highs that weren't there were paid, where's the common sense? In such a great season the one downside has been the standard of umpiring, it's been a joke. Glad Port won, but I really couldn't tell you who the better team was, this game was nearly decided by the whistle. Completely over officiated.
me too
Roar Rookie
Great match report Dylan. heartbreaking loss, but gee it's good to see Dunstan back to his best. Very unlucky for the Saints, but poor goal kicking generally gets punished. Unbelievable finish.
Stuballz
Guest
Saints need to learn ta kick straight, josh bruce needs to learn how to mark and stop handballing to players under extreme pressure..... then the saints will make the top 8. Hopefully next year
Chancho
Roar Rookie
What a final quarter!!! I really thought Port had blown it!! Credit to Saints for clawing their way back into that game. Just one thought I've had; there have been some cracking games and all have been low scoring. Who says you need to have >100 score lines? Thanks for blogging the game Dylan, much appreciated
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
Match Report: A Robbie Gray goal in the dying seconds at Adelaide Oval has seen Port Adelaide break St Kilda’s hearts in a heart-thumping victory on Saturday evening. Both sides were desperate for a win coming into this clash, with Port Adelaide making four changes, and St Kilda making three. It was slow early on, with rain and immense pressure from both sides stemming the flow of goals, with Port Adelaide taking an early lead going into half time, with only five goals kicked between either side. St Kilda began to dominate the third quarter, but were unable to find a goal until the last ten seconds, when a Blake Acres mark and goal on the siren only put the Saints seven points down going into the final term. In a complete switch to the first three quarters, the fourth quarter saw a frantic pace, and explosion of goals, as the Saints came from nowhere to grab the lead through a Luke Dunstan snap, and then extended their lead through Tim Membrey on the boundary with less than two minutes to play. Port Adelaide refused to keep coming though, and despite various supporters deciding to leave the ground, an Aaron Young snap put the Power only four points with less than a minute left to play. In a chaotic bit of play, Paddy Ryder was able to get a tap down to Robbie Gray from the boundary, where the Port Adelaide star charged through the 50 and booted a monster goal to put the Power up by two, with only seven seconds on the clock, and break St Kilda hearts. In the final passage of play, Port were able to hold the ball up in the center of the ground as the siren rang out, where wild celebrations ensued as they got back onto their winning ways. It was an important win for Port Adelaide, who continued their push into the top four, and a spot in a qualifying final. For St Kilda, this devastating loss was their third in a row, and their finals hopes remain hanging by a thread. The Power’s best were Robbie Gray, with 27 touches, as well as Jared Polec and Paddy Ryder. For the Saints, Luke Dunstan (one goal, 27 touches) and Seb Ross (31 touches) were outstanding, as was Tim Membrey with three goals. Port Adelaide will now face off against the top of the ladder Adelaide Crows next Sunday night in the derby clash, whilst St Kilda will return home to host the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium, also on Sunday. There were no injuries or reports from this match. Final Score: Port Adelaide 9.9.63 St Kilda 8.13.61
Sammy
Guest
Never seen worse umpiring???..you only need look back to last week when geeling got an armchair ride against the crows also at Adelaide oval
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
END OF THE MATCH Port Adelaide 9.9.63 defeats St Kilda 8.13.61 by 2 points Incredible. Absolutely incredible. The game dragged for three quarters, then exploded in the fourth. The Saints came from nowhere to get the lead by 11 points, but then Aaron Young and Robbie gray kicked incredible goals to get the win for the Power. That is huge for Port, they re-enter the top four for now. Heartbreak for St Kilda, they came from the depths to get in front. They'll be ruing their inaccurate kicking, but that last bit of play from Ryder to Gray will be replayed all season. On a side note, heaps of Port fans left very early that game. Note to all the kids out there, never leave the game early. Never know what can happen. Predictive Brownlow: 3 votes: Robbie Gray 2 votes: Luke Dunstan 1 vote: Patrick Ryder What a game. This season is the best AFL season ever in my opinion. Thanks for joining us, been a blast! Match report will be out soon!
Rachael
Guest
Does this mean that Port gets two chances in the finals now or do they still have to win more games first? Plus Bloody Awesome game tonight guys, well done, Be Proud you all deserve it! So happy for the club and supporters too :)
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Two minutes that just ruined St Kilda's chances of finals.
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
Robbie Gray. Superstar.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Oh. My heart just broke for St Kilda. They've got themselves to blame, though. Horrendous inaccuracy in the first three quarters did them no favours.
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
GOAL POWER GRAY GRAY GRAY!!!!!! ROBBIE FREAKING GRAY HAS KICKED THE MATCHWINNER WITH SEVEN SECONDS ON THE CLOCK!!!!!!!! WHAT A GOAL, 50 OUT ON THE RUN!!!!!!!!!! ROBBIE BLOODY GRAY YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE STAR!!!!!!! Port Adelaide 9.9.63 St Kilda 8.13.61 Q4 0.07
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
BLOODY HELL
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
ITS NOT DELIBERATE! UMPIRE, HOW?!
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
Stoppage inside Power 50. 32 seconds left
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
No way. And it's game on, still! Port fans leaving early will be kicking themselves now!
Dylan Carmody
Roar Guru
GOAL POWER YOUNG !! YOUNG!! HE SNAPS AND SCORES!!!!! Holy hell, what a game!!! Power have 54 seconds to find a score! What a finish, here we go!!! Port Adelaide 8.9.57 St Kilda 8.13.61 Q4 0.54
Joel Erickson
Roar Guru
Anyone got a free kick count for the last quarter?
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Hahaha, Port fans are scrambling for the exits. Understandably so?
Kaiden
Guest
Never seen worse umpiring in my life. This is the most one sided crap I've ever seen. And it's a port home game!