PORT ADELAIDEÂ 2.3 Â Â Â 6.4 Â Â Â 10.7Â Â Â 13.11Â Â Â (89)
GOLD COAST Â 1.4 Â Â Â 2.7 Â Â Â 7.10 Â Â Â 9.12Â Â Â (66)
GOALS Port Adelaide: R Gray 4, Schultz 3, Boak, Young, S Gray, Impey, Snelling. Gold Coast: Fiorini 2, Day 2, Rosa, Matera, Sexton, Macpherson, Lynch.Â
BEST Port Adelaide: R Gray, Wines, S Gray, Bonner, Broadbent, Boak. Gold Coast: Fiorini, Lynch, Miller, Martin, May, Rosa.Â
INJURIESÂ Port Adelaide: Austin (shin).
UMPIRESÂ Stephens, Hay, Wallace.
CROWDÂ 9213 at Metricon Stadium.
Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade said his side was mentally and physically cooked after last week's 71-point loss to Collingwood. They didn't look exhausted as they opened brightly against Port Adelaide at Metricon; the simpler problem was that they couldn't finish off their work.
And it was their biggest guns who were misfiring. Sam Day started the rot, kicking three behinds in the first quarter, the third of them a gift from 20 metres out. In the second quarter it was captain Tom Lynch's turn, missing three set shots. Then a fourth two minutes into the third quarter.
Eade couldn't blame fatigue for that sort of inefficiency. It was just bad finishing, and therefore bad football, the inaccuracy, and lack of confidence that goes with it, spreading like a virus through the team, with Port not doing much more than required to capitalise.
By that time, they had a 26-point lead, despite having half a dozen fewer entries into attack and just two marks inside 50, while Lynch, as usual, was catching flies at the other end. Robbie Gray, having a night out, shut the gate with his third goal; Jay Schulz, in his last game for the Power, seemed to have it locked a few minutes later.
At that point the game should have been in Port's keeping. But there was an overwhelming sense of stasis in this very dead rubber, of complacency, of an ordinary team that just wanted the season to be over and was happy to limp over the line. And in the end, that's pretty much what they did.
But they had to withstand a strong Suns push in the third quarter, the home side cutting a 39-point lead to 15 going into the last quarter, with four of the last five goals.Â
Jarman Impey kicked a steadier for Port three minutes into the final quarter, then Darcy Macpherson cut the margin once more to 15. It was as close as the Suns could get, and it was in this final part of the match that they really did look exhausted – not giving up, but not having the legs to make up for their earlier profligacy.
So, the Power won, but a lot was left to a few players to get them there. Both the Grays – Robbie and Sam – the former the difference between the sides for class, his perfect pass to Brad Ebert on the edge of the goal square sealing the game. Ollie Wines was tough as nails as always, and Riley Bonner was impressive on debut.
Others were good, in patches. "In patches" is how the Power play. Sure, they're missing Hamish Hartlett, Chad Wingard and Charlie Dixon. But there's an edge missing in this team outside of Wines that they need to address.Â
The Suns will be hurt by the loss of Jaeger O'Meara, his departure robbing the midfield of the extra class and dynamism they need.