Port Adelaide dropped their first game of the season on Saturday night against Melbourne at the Adelaide Oval, going down 89-96 in slippery conditions.
In a tight game with the margin never getting out past 18 points for either side, it was the Demons who were better late to win, kicking five goals to three in the last quarter when the game was on the line.
While the Demons were clutch and made the most of their opportunities when it mattered, Port Adelaide will be bitterly disappointed to be 2-1 looking at the stat sheet as they dominated in many key categories.
Speaking on AFL.com.au’s The Round So Far, Kane Cornes and Riley Beveridge pointed out some stats that Port dominated and they felt teams shouldn’t lose games when holding sway so significantly in those categories.
The Power were +36 in disposals, +21 in inside 50s, +15 in clearances, +7 in marks inside 50, +11 in tackles but ultimately -7 in score.
Cornes: “The numbers were well and truly in Port Adelaide’s favour.
“You shouldn’t lose that.”
Beveridge: “You should not lose that game. You dominate in every statistical category but they couldn’t get over the line.
“You mention the composure late from Melbourne, that’s where it shows.”
Cornes: “They’re big numbers, +21 in inside 50 entries…
“Melbourne’s ability to finish (was the difference). Ben Brown kicked a couple of big goals including from the junction of the 50m (arc) near the boundary line in the third quarter.
“(Alex) Neal-Bullen was the same and we saw (Bayley) Fritsch there (kicking a nice goal).
“On the flip side, Charlie Dixon missed a couple, Willie Rioli missed one that he’d usually kick.
“Once again, Port Adelaide’s issues in front of goal is probably the difference in the game.
“But Melbourne have started the season really strongly.”
The Power’s final scoreline was 13 goals, 11 behinds for a score of 89.
The Demons were far more clinical in front of the big sticks, kicking 15 goals, 6 behinds for a score of 96.
The Power will hope to rebound during Gather Round when they host Essendon on Friday night while the Demons face the Crows in the round-opener also at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
