Port Adelaide forward Jay Schulz flies high on his way to kicking four goals. Picture: David Clark Source: Gold Coast Bulletin
PORT Adelaide keeps answering every challenge this season with last night's 38-point win over Gold Coast completing its best ever start to an AFL season.
While the significance of last week's win over Adelaide was beating a top-four side, last night was about winning under the weight of expectation.
The Power has suddenly grown up and after years of breaking supporters' hearts with false promise, a more mature Port Adelaide has learnt to win when it is expected to.
They overcame a sluggish first quarter which hinted at a Showdown hangover to explode with a nine goal to one second term and never looked back.
Hamish Hartlett was outstanding in continuing his progression to elite midfielder while former captain Dom Cassisi - playing his first game for the season - showed his value to the team with a superb job on Gary Ablett.
Ablett had 15 touches on Kane Cornes and Cam O'Shea in the first quarter before Cassisi restricted him to just two touches in the second term and got plenty of the footy himself.
The other shining light for Port was the combined defensive pressure of Jasper Pittard, Tom Jonas and Campbell Heath while Jackson Trengove dominated Gold Coast forward Sam Day who was eventually moved into defence on Jay Schulz.
Port kicked the first two goals of the game which included Chad Wingard's miracle left-foot snap from the boundary before Gold Coast hit back through Ablett and Jarrod Harbrow's work in the midfield.
Brandon Matera was causing havoc in the Suns' forward line and his late goal put the home side seven points up at quarter time.
Ken Hinkley then gave Cassisi the game's toughest assignment in standing Ablett and the move was a masterstroke.
As Ablett went quiet, Port's intensity lifted all over the ground and it was fourth-gamer Jake Neade leading the way.
Hartlett imposed himself with three goals for the quarter while Justin Westhoff and Wingard inflicted similar damage to give Port a 43-point lead at half time.
The only shining light for the Suns in the second quarter was teenager Jaeger O'Meara who tried to lift his side but Port had all the answers.
Gold Coast showed some early resistance after half time and got the first goal through Rory Thompson before Schulz got involved.
He kicked a goal from 30m then took a hanger over Day in the goal square which resulted in his second major and the result was beyond doubt.
Schulz finished with four goals for the game as Hartlett, Wingard and Westhoff chimed in with three.
After three competitive weeks, the Suns fell away but weren't helped by serious injuries to Joel Wilkinson and
Matthew Warnock.
The positives meanwhile kept coming for the Power as Robbie Gray was subbed in during the third quarter in his return from a knee reconstruction.
Port Adelaide held its collective breath as with his first involvement in the game Gray lunged horizontally at Andrew Swallow and had his legs taken out in mid-air but bounced straight up, showing he had lost none of his competitive instinct.
The soft-draw argument still cannot completely be dismissed when assessing where Port Adelaide ranks in relation to the rest of the competition.
But there is no denying the side has significantly improved physically and mentally because the Power of 'old' would have been prone to dropping at least one match against Gold Coast, GWS and Melbourne.
But not this unit. Under Hinkley, Port now has a steely resolve and while it's too soon to talk finals, those credentials will be put to the test in the next month.
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