PORT Adelaide has punctured Greater Western Sydney's finals aspirations with a plucky 21-point victory in a spiteful Saturday stoush.
'With three games to play, the GIANTS could slip two wins outside the top eight after Port prevailed 16.15 (111) to 13.12 (90) at Adelaide Oval.
Port onballer Brendan Ah Chee produced a breakout three-goal game and Chad Wingard and Angus Monfries also kicked three as the Power came from behind at three-quarter time to triumph.
GIANTS forward Jeremy Cameron booted three goals and Rhys Palmer kicked five - and featured in an all-time blooper.
Eight minutes into the game, Palmer was running into an open goal with no Port player within 15 metres.
He bounced once, got to the edge of the goal square, then horribly fluffed another bounce attempt - the ball spilled, allowing Port's Matthew White to gather ground and apply a score-saving tackle.
In a fiery affair, Port's Jasper Pittard will be scrutinised for a block some 50 metres off the ball which felled Palmer in the second quarter.
And at the half-time siren, with Port leading by 10 points and GIANT co-captain Phil Davis already substituted with a thigh injury, both teams engaged in a prolonged push and shove.
The heightened aggression was in response to a call from Ken Hinkley to "play tough".
“We felt last week we weren't at that standard," star midfielder Robbie Gray said after the game.
"It was pretty disappointing, so we had a big focus on the contested side of the game and bringing a bit of physicality, and I think that went a long way to us winning the game."
Hinkley recognised the players' response to his demand for more aggression.
"I thought tonight was a really positive sign for us," Hinkley said.
"They challenged us and we haven't been able to respond to that challenge for most of the year and tonight we stood up really well."
Port stretched out to a 16-point advantage early in the third term only for the GIANTS to slot four of the next five goals to take a two-point lead at the last change.
But the Power, who have kept themselves a ‘mathematical chance’ for finals, kicked five goals to one in the final term to notch a ninth win of the season.
The GIANTS (10 wins) have home games against Sydney and Carlton before an away match against Melbourne to come, and coach Leon Cameron knows there is no chance to drop a game from here.
"The task next week is the Swans, so who knows what's going to happen, but we need to win," Cameron said.
"We know they're a top-four side when they're at their best … the challenge for us is to get up again after a big match.
"End of next week on Saturday afternoon, it tells me how resilient our players are at the back end of the year, right at the back end."
