Port Adelaide have made a huge statement in their season opener, producing a committed and skilled performance to topple last year’s grand finalists, the Swans, by 28 points at the SCG.
The Power seized upon their opportunities throughout a high quality contest, kicking with remarkable accuracy to beat a stunned Sydney 17.8.(110) to 12.10.(82) and register their first win at the SCG in 11 years.
Sporting three debutants and ruckman Paddy Ryder playing his first game since 2015, leaders Brad Ebert, Ollie Wines and Travis Boak - playing his 200th game - spurred Port to a famous win, just their second victory over Sydney in their past 15 meetings.
"I'm really proud that they stood up for the skipper, and you don't need milestone games to stand up, but it's pretty special for a bloke like Travis (Boak), who has over his journey made some courageous decisions to be a part of this footy club," Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said.
"I think he got a fair bit of payback today which is good."
The teams went toe-to-toe during the first half, but Port’s tenacity in pulling back Sydney’s two big streaks - a 19-point run in the first term and 20 points in the second - hinted at their intent.
Port’s gutsy four-point half-time lead, 9.3.(57) to 8.5.(53), was built on dominance in contested possession and clearances, traditional power-bases for the hosts.
Sydney’s potent forward line - under the recent tutelage of the great Tony Lockett - continued to offer hope for the Swans, but Port would not be intimidated.
Throughout the third quarter they made every post a winner. Port worked furiously in defence and punished Sydney’s mistakes to open up a 22-point lead. Light drizzle during the term made controlling the ball increasingly hard, adding to Sydney’s challenge.
Lance Franklin’s fourth goal, in the third minute of the final quarter, offered Sydney a lifeline, but Jared Polec’s flowing left foot strike back a minute later typified Port’s combination of effort and execution.
Hamish Hartlett’s goal in the 25th minute and Chad Wingard’s third two minutes later sealed a great win for Hinkley’s men.
“They kicked the last two goals just before halftime and then probably after half time they got a couple of really simple ones that they shouldn’t have been able to get, through missed tackles and just basic things that we didn’t get right,” Sydney coach John Longmire said.
“We didn’t have a lot of players win their positions, and that includes our experienced players. Maybe some of the younger kids struggled a little bit. But we didn’t have a lot of winners the whole game, really.”
SYDNEY 4.3 8.5 10.6 12.10 (82)
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 9.3 14.4 17.8 (110)
GOALS
Sydney: Franklin 4, Reid 3, Robinson, Kennedy, Jones, Tippett, Jack
Port Adelaide: Young 3, Wingard 3, Boak 2, Powell-Pepper 2, Dixon 2, Trengove, Byrne-Jones, Amon, Polec, Hartlett
BEST
Sydney: Kennedy, Franklin, Jones, Grundy, Parker, Reid
Port Adelaide: Wines, Boak, Ebert, Wingard, Powell-Pepper, Ryder
INJURIES
Sydney: Dan Robinson (shoulder)
Port Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hosking, Ryan, Mollison
Official crowd: 33,129 at the SCG
