Source: Afl.com.au 
PORT Adelaide has won its sixth game of the season, but not without some resistance from young Fremantle in an intriguing contest at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night. The 24-point victory was set up by a six-goal third term – a considerable lift after it was held to seven in the first half – with the final scores reading 14.10 (94) to 11.4 (70). Minimising the influence of Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands was always going to dictate the outcome and Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan made ground as the game wore on.  But it took teeming rain to bring the best out of Port Adelaide, which had started the first two quarters sluggishly. On both occasions they had let Fremantle find the first two goals, but it was a different story for the third term when Marlon Motlop got the Power on the board. He snatched the lead with that kick, only for David Mundy to muster a reply through his side's persistent peppering of Port Adelaide's defence. Fremantle continued to show spirit, none more so than debutant Clancee Pearce's strong tackle on Lade, though it seemed the conditions were starting to get the better of the young charges.
When Danyle Pearce snapped around his body and David Rodan kicked his second goal after a textbook read of a contest, the Power were nine points ahead. Their lead had been pushed to 14 when Matthew Pavlich, enjoying a midfield tussle with counterpart Dom Cassisi, found himself one-out with Troy Chaplin. On the arc he drilled the goal, but when Kane Cornes and Rodan, who busted through two tackles to beat the three-quarter time siren, made it six for Port Adelaide for the period – their buffer was a handy 20 points. The sting was out of the game when Brett Ebert, ineffective for a lot of the evening, snapped truly with three minutes played. Toby Thurstans, one of the Power's best players in the win, could have capped a well-rounded performance with the nail in the coffin but was called for running too far. Fremantle – fielding nine players with 10 games' experience or less – looked comfortable and sometimes adventurous at an interstate venue it has had some rare success at. Led by Pavlich and Sandilands, it gave that sense from soon after the first bounce. Three-and-a-half minutes into the game the visitors were 13 points up and, if not for a reply from Warren Tredrea, would have slipped further behind when Scott Thornton kicked Fremantle's third. Continuing his emergence as a key defender, Chris Tarrant tightened the screws on Tredrea but Justin Westhoff, playing his first game since round two, started to break from his opponent. He marked and converted to cut the margin to 14 after Fremantle youngster Matt de Boer's effort. Play was disrupted after Sandilands cleaned up teammate Adam Campbell and the stretcher was called. Port Adelaide was better for the small break with a perfect crumbing goal coming from Rodan soon after, and could have snatched the lead if not for some dubious decision-making. A big build-up, almost overcooked, brought Fremantle the first goal of the second quarter – to Thornton – and after another, it took an untidy kick-in from Brett Peake for Port Adelaide to find its answer through Travis Boak. The Power had a whiff of momentum as Cornes' midfield battle with Paul Hasleby began to fall the home side's way and they were making good on transition from defence to attack. Westhoff and Lade proved that but Fremantle maintained its lead, albeit two points, after goals to first-gamers Michael Walters and Pearce. Port Adelaide 3.3 7.6 13.6 14.10 (94)
Fremantle 4.2 8.2 10.4 11.4 (70) Port Adelaide: Rodan 3, J. Westhoff 2, Tredrea, Boak, Lade, Chaplin, M. Motlop, Pearce, M. Westhoff, K. Cornes, Ebert
Fremantle: Thornton 2, Pavlich 2, Mundy 2, Solomon, de Boer, Ibbotson, Walters, Pearce |
