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It’s a case of deja vu for Port Adelaide who have had a win stolen from them by West Coast after the siren at Adelaide Oval for the second time in 12 months.
All Australian defender Jeremy McGovern went into attack late in the match and kicked the winning goal after the siren after a late drive forward from the visitors.
It was a dramatic twist in the tale not just for the match itself but for McGovern, who’d had a frustrating day up until that point.
Port’s fresh inclusion Aidyn Johnson – one of three new faces in the team this week – was giving him trouble early, keeping him out of the game in a defensive forward role and kicking three goals in the first half.
It was Port who dominated the first term, kicking five goals to one and leading by 24 points at the first change. A lacklustre second quarter then brought the margin back to 18 at the long break.
Port were able to keep things in check in the third term with West Coast only stealing back three more points in the margin, but a series of crucial injuries set them up to struggle in the final term.
Paddy Ryder (hip flexor) went down first and then there was as significant break in play as both Charlie Dixon (ankle) and Dan Houston (concussion) needed to be helped off the ground.
All three were forced to ride the bench in the final term of the game, and while Port Adelaide started that one brightly, they weren’t able to land a goal.
West Coast then wrested control of the match, peppering the goals, but after a long shot from Liam Ryan landed them within two goals of the lead, they seemed to find every way known under the sun to burn the opportunities to follow.
It looked like it was going to be too little too late for the Eagles when Mark Lecras popped through a goal in the final minute that brought the margin back to just two points.
The centre bounce then shortly led to a throw up with 30 seconds on the clock still inside the centre square – West Coast won the clearance and drove forward to McGovern.
McGovern cooly slotted the set shot from a spot not too far distant to where Luke Shuey broke the hearts of Port Adelaide fans in September last year.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Robbie Gray, who missed two fairly gettable chances to score a sealing goal in the final term and kicked 2.4 for the day, will be just one of a host of Port Adelaide players rueing missed opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have all but secured a top two position, while Port Adelaide are no guarantee to make finals as they face tricky match-ups Collingwood and Essendon in the final two weeks of the home-and-away season.
Port Adelaide Power 9.4.58
West Coast Eagles 9.8.62