Dan Houston has nailed one of many nice after-the-siren targets to present Port Adelaide a heart-stopping four-point win over Essendon on the MCG.
The Power secured a twelfth straight victory in extraordinary circumstances, with utility Houston roosting his kick from exterior the 50m arc on a tough angle.
Port gamers had been assured the ball had carried over the goal-line, however a rating overview was taken to make certain.
The AFL Review Centre made a fast choice, with replays exhibiting the ball clearly having the space as Port prevailed 11.12 (78) to 10.14 (74) on Saturday.
In a rollercoaster last quarter, Essendon took a nine-point buffer into the final time period, however the Power’s star-studded midfield kicked into gear.
Midfield stars and Brownlow Medal contenders Zak Butters and Connor Rozee kicked essential fourth-quarter targets to push Port out to a 16-point lead.
But the resilient Bombers got here once more, with Jye Caldwell and Kyle Langford goaling in fast succession.
Caldwell marked with 90 seconds remaining, slotting the objective to place Essendon again in entrance.
Darcy Parish snapped to seal the consequence for the Bombers however his shot went huge to present Port an opportunity of pinching it from the kick-in.
In a frantic last minute, Nic Martin tried to clear the ball out of Port’s forward-50 however the kick was marked by Houston.
The 26-year-old was the main possession winner on the bottom with 32 whereas Kane Farrell, Butters and Rozee had been all damaging for Port.
Port’s ruck plans had been thrown into chaos simply minutes earlier than the bounce when Scott Lycett failed a health check.
Lycett’s damage opened a place for Dante Visentini to make his AFL debut in distinctive circumstances, pulled out of the emergencies and was not even warmed up when the sport began.
Forward Jeremy Finlayson was pressured to tackle an even bigger load than regular within the ruck with Visentini battling exhausting, simply with out expertise.
It allowed Essendon’s Andrew Phillips to take management within the ruck because the Bombers’ midfielders lifted after quarter-time when Port led the clearances 7-1 on the first change.
Visentini was substituted out at first of the ultimate quarter for Jase Burgoyne as Port chased extra working energy.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
