Port Adelaide thrash St Kilda

Goalsneaks Steven Motlop and Orazio Fantasia feasted as Port Adelaide heaped more AFL misery on St Kilda with a 54-point trouncing on Sunday night.

The Power, with Motlop and Fantasia both booting three goals, were comprehensive 14.9 (93) to 5.9 (39) winners at Adelaide Oval.

The Saints have now suffered heavy losses in three of their past four games – to Port, Richmond by 86 points and Essendon by 75 points.

Orazio Fantasia booted three goals in the Port Adelaide Power’s AFL win over the St Kilda Saints Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Touted pre-season as potential contenders after being beaten semi-finalists last year, St Kilda slide to 16th spot.

“Our ability to score, which was a great strength of ours … has dried up,” Saints coach Brett Ratten said.

“We had 52 inside 50s each (team) but we just don’t get the scoreboard nourishment other teams are getting.”

But the Power are humming in outright third place with five convincing wins from six games.

The Power midfield dominated with best-afield Ollie Wines (36 disposals, nine clearances), Karl Amon (34 touches), Travis Boak (27) and Dan Houston (32) all prolific.

And Port’s defence, led by skipper Tom Jonas (26 disposals) and half-backs Hamish Hartlett (26) and Ryan Burton (28), was downright stingy in what coach Ken Hinkley described as a “strong performance”.

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“We controlled the game,” Hinkley said.

“We played a really calm and composed game of football.”

The lacklustre Saints, despite Seb Ross (31 disposals) and Jack Steele (27 touches) battling gamely, couldn’t find a multiple goal-scorer.

Port’s defensive mastery was a feature – they led by 15 points at quarter-time after the visitors failed to cash in on their attacking sorties.

St Kilda scored just one goal – a freakish left-footed snap from Jack Higgins on the boundary line – from 19 inside 50s for the term.

In stark contrast, the Power booted four majors from their initial seven inside 50s.

Port skipped ahead in the second quarter when Georgiades slotted two goals – the last after a brain-fade from the Saints’ co-captain Steele.

Georgiades was lining up a set shot from about 45 metres when Steele inexplicably ran through the mark and, realising his error, slipped over – and conceded a 50m penalty.

The visitor’s second goal came from their 24th inside 50 via Brad Hill, who was quiet again with only 10 disposals and finished the game with an ice pack on an Achilles injury.

Port were 34 points up at halftime and St Kilda’s Daniel McKenzie was reported for rough conduct in the third term when he collected Wines with a high bump after the Port playmaker disposed of the ball.

The incident came as Port extended their advantage to 49 points at three-quarter-time before cruising to victory in a tame last term.