The GWS/Port Adelaide game neatly divides itself into three parts.
The first part saw Port Adelaide mentally stuck somewhere between Sydney airport and the ground, and GWS kicked eight goals to one by the middle of the second quarter.
The second part saw Port's comeback, kicking seven goals to two between the 15 minute of the second quarter and the 12th minute of the third.
The final part saw GWS dominate play again, kicking seven goals to two from halfway through the third quarter to the final siren.
The game was lost by Port, and won by GWS, in the second half of the third quarter, when a young GWS side were running out of legs and had seen a seven goal lead evaporate.
At 12.20 to go in the third quarter, Brad Ebert flattened Tom Scully with a completely legitimate bump and jogs the ball into an open goalsquare to goal and get Port within nine points.
A minute later, Lobbe taps the ball to Westhoff, who runs the ball through the center and passes to Daniel Steward, who misses.
Another minute later, a GWS turnover sees the ball switched to the center, and then Stewart kicks to Stewart, who kicks out on the full from 30 meters from goal.
The kickout from that sees Lobbe mark the ball for Port, and kick to the top of the goalsquare, where Davis spoils. GWS run the ball out, before kicking it out of the full trying to go down the line.
The ball is kicked back to a massive pack, where Davis again spoils. GWS try and run the ball out, and Ward is legged for a free kick. After a couple of passes down the line, Greene soccers the ball off the deck and into touch in Port Adelaide's side of halfway.
At about eight minutes to go in the quarter, Giles is dead on his feet and heads for the interchange for a breather.
The ball heads back down to near the GWS goal, and a Chad Cornes disposal error sees Pearce with the ball 20 meters out. He misses completely.
At seven minutes to go, Davis takes a diving mark to prevent a Port Adelaide goal.
At 6.10 to go, Buntine is called for legging his Port Adelaide opponent near the boundary line, just outside the 50m arc. The Port player chips short but misses his target and the ball goes loose.
The resulting ballup sees Port get the ball back, and kick to the mouth of the goalsquare. The kick is short and Thomas takes a brilliant mark in front of the pack, and has a kick from an angle ten meters out. He stands up, plays on, and screws the kick across his body to hit the woodwork for a point.
The kickout leads to a GWS disposal error, and the ball is kicked back in the 50, with Pearce getting a free kick in a marking contest against Davis near the boundary line at about 40m out. At about 4.43 to go, he sprays the kick for a point.
The lead is down to six points.
With 4.10 to go, GWS win a free kick on the wing, but it is reversed following a shove by Devon Smith.
Port Adelaide switch play to the opposite flank and lose possession after an innaccurate kick to a contest. Chad Cornes, having possession, fumbles the ball for Boak to pick the ball up, run towards goal and hit the post. At 3.33 to go in the quarter, the lead is down to five points.
At 2.35 to go, Brad Ebert has the ball in tiem and space, and kicks long into the Port Adelaide forward zone, hitting a hard-leading Sam Frost with an uncontested mark on the chest.
Sam Frost plays for GWS.
Frost kicks the ball forward, and GWS win a cheap free, and Tom Scully marks the resulting kick. He boots it long, and Coniglio marks above his head, just outside the 50. He kicks to the point of the goalsquare, and a Port player running back punches the ball through for a rushed behind. 6 point lead.
The ball is kicked back in, and Luke Power wins a free after being first to the ball on the ground. He makes a meal of a backwards kick, and after some messy play Sam Frost gets the ball and boots it back forward. The ball goes to ground, and Greene gets it to Hampton who gets it to Adams who kicks the ball deep, where it is marked cleanly by Port. They play on, and Pearce kicks long to a contest, where the ball goes to ground and is eventually grabbed by Ward, who shovels it forward to Giles, who gets it to Treloar, who kicks it long for Cameron to run with the flight of the ball, mark in the goalsquare and kick it through with 30 seconds left in the quarter. Lead is now 12 points.
In that period of domination, Port Adelaide had six clear-cut chances and three opportunities, that they turned into four points.
Thats when GWS were ready to roll over and die, and Port Adelaide were simply not good enough to make that happen.
The first part saw Port Adelaide mentally stuck somewhere between Sydney airport and the ground, and GWS kicked eight goals to one by the middle of the second quarter.
The second part saw Port's comeback, kicking seven goals to two between the 15 minute of the second quarter and the 12th minute of the third.
The final part saw GWS dominate play again, kicking seven goals to two from halfway through the third quarter to the final siren.
The game was lost by Port, and won by GWS, in the second half of the third quarter, when a young GWS side were running out of legs and had seen a seven goal lead evaporate.
At 12.20 to go in the third quarter, Brad Ebert flattened Tom Scully with a completely legitimate bump and jogs the ball into an open goalsquare to goal and get Port within nine points.
A minute later, Lobbe taps the ball to Westhoff, who runs the ball through the center and passes to Daniel Steward, who misses.
Another minute later, a GWS turnover sees the ball switched to the center, and then Stewart kicks to Stewart, who kicks out on the full from 30 meters from goal.
The kickout from that sees Lobbe mark the ball for Port, and kick to the top of the goalsquare, where Davis spoils. GWS run the ball out, before kicking it out of the full trying to go down the line.
The ball is kicked back to a massive pack, where Davis again spoils. GWS try and run the ball out, and Ward is legged for a free kick. After a couple of passes down the line, Greene soccers the ball off the deck and into touch in Port Adelaide's side of halfway.
At about eight minutes to go in the quarter, Giles is dead on his feet and heads for the interchange for a breather.
The ball heads back down to near the GWS goal, and a Chad Cornes disposal error sees Pearce with the ball 20 meters out. He misses completely.
At seven minutes to go, Davis takes a diving mark to prevent a Port Adelaide goal.
At 6.10 to go, Buntine is called for legging his Port Adelaide opponent near the boundary line, just outside the 50m arc. The Port player chips short but misses his target and the ball goes loose.
The resulting ballup sees Port get the ball back, and kick to the mouth of the goalsquare. The kick is short and Thomas takes a brilliant mark in front of the pack, and has a kick from an angle ten meters out. He stands up, plays on, and screws the kick across his body to hit the woodwork for a point.
The kickout leads to a GWS disposal error, and the ball is kicked back in the 50, with Pearce getting a free kick in a marking contest against Davis near the boundary line at about 40m out. At about 4.43 to go, he sprays the kick for a point.
The lead is down to six points.
With 4.10 to go, GWS win a free kick on the wing, but it is reversed following a shove by Devon Smith.
Port Adelaide switch play to the opposite flank and lose possession after an innaccurate kick to a contest. Chad Cornes, having possession, fumbles the ball for Boak to pick the ball up, run towards goal and hit the post. At 3.33 to go in the quarter, the lead is down to five points.
At 2.35 to go, Brad Ebert has the ball in tiem and space, and kicks long into the Port Adelaide forward zone, hitting a hard-leading Sam Frost with an uncontested mark on the chest.
Sam Frost plays for GWS.
Frost kicks the ball forward, and GWS win a cheap free, and Tom Scully marks the resulting kick. He boots it long, and Coniglio marks above his head, just outside the 50. He kicks to the point of the goalsquare, and a Port player running back punches the ball through for a rushed behind. 6 point lead.
The ball is kicked back in, and Luke Power wins a free after being first to the ball on the ground. He makes a meal of a backwards kick, and after some messy play Sam Frost gets the ball and boots it back forward. The ball goes to ground, and Greene gets it to Hampton who gets it to Adams who kicks the ball deep, where it is marked cleanly by Port. They play on, and Pearce kicks long to a contest, where the ball goes to ground and is eventually grabbed by Ward, who shovels it forward to Giles, who gets it to Treloar, who kicks it long for Cameron to run with the flight of the ball, mark in the goalsquare and kick it through with 30 seconds left in the quarter. Lead is now 12 points.
In that period of domination, Port Adelaide had six clear-cut chances and three opportunities, that they turned into four points.
Thats when GWS were ready to roll over and die, and Port Adelaide were simply not good enough to make that happen.
