Port Adelaide has advanced to second position on the ladder after edging out St Kilda by 36 points at Adelaide Oval in an afternoon marred by inaccuracy.
The Saints were left to rue their woeful shots on goal, opening the game with five behinds and finishing the first term goalless before the Power hit their strides with five majors of their own in the 12.14 (86) to 7.8 (50) win.
Charlie Dixon finished with four goals - three of which were kicked in the final term - while Chad Wingard, Tom Rockliff and Steven Motlop were influential throughout the midfield all day.
The victory marks the seventh straight win over St Kilda, with the Saints failing to defeat the Power since round 16, 2011.
Jade Gresham played a sound game for the Saints with two goals and 17 touches, while David Armitage was hard at the ball all day and finished with three majors.
The Power and the Saints both came to play in the fast and free-flowing start, yet with 16 inside 50s apiece, both sides were fortunate the margin was far less at the first change.
While St Kilda missed numerous opportunities in front of goal and failed to register a major score for the quarter, Port Adelaide on the flipside were unable to punish the Saints' inaccuracy to the highest degree, and were lucky the visitors' kicking was ultimately wayward.
Picking off where the Power left the Saints last season, Paddy Ryder once again played the role of heartbreaker after dribbling through a miracle snap form the boundary to put the Port on the board.
Port Adelaide were unclean in moving out the ball out the back end in the game's early stages, yet St Kilda’s haphazard entries allowed the Power defence, spearheaded by Tom Jonas and Tom Clurey, to cut off their movements forward.
While the home side's defence became more and more resolute as the game wore on, as did that of the Saints' midfield, whose lifted work rate garnered repeat entries to put the Power under the pump.
But St Kilda squandered their opportunities in front of goal, finishing the term with five consecutive behinds much to Port's relief, whose sturdy defence ultimately saved them from humiliation on multiple occasions.
The Saints' wastefulness however opened the door for Jack Watts and Justin Westhoff, with the returning recruit and stalwart tall forward sandwiching a series of St Kilda minor scores.
Robbie Gray and Steven Motlop too were dangerous, with the latter's 10 first quarter touches and unrivalled speed threatening to break the Saints apart.
With the game wide open and moving quickly, the Power were caught in a style of play they weren't accustomed to and nowhere near the hardness and physicality they've become synonymous with, registering just five tackles for the term.
Although leading by 18 points at the first change, Port Adelaide's margin flattered them as the Saints remained firmly within the hunt.
Much of the inaccuracy from the first term carried well into the second, with Port Adelaide falling victim to poor set shot kicking while the Saints conversely inherited their opposition's accuracy in front of goal.
Early in the term however, the home side looked poised to obliterate the visitors, with ample shots on goal looking to extend the margin beyond reach.
Yet it was Port Adelaide's turn to be wasteful in front of goal, with four consecutive behinds keeping the Saints alive; the woeful kicking from the opening quarter proving to be contagious.
Gray finally snapped the poor execution in front of goal almost 14 minutes into the term, before Watts made it two goals within a minute to make it five consecutive majors for the Power.
With the margin at a game-high 31 points, the Saints finally pounced upon a rare Port defensive blunder, with a dinky Dan Houston kick across goal allowing David Armitage to intercept and snap the Saints' first of the game.
While the Power loomed ominous, they were unable to fully seize the opportunities presented to them, indicative through Justin Westhoff's presence yet poor kicking on goal and Ollie Wines' four touches at half-time thanks to a Jack Steele tag.
Armitage went back-to-back just moments later after winning a free kick 20m out from goal, restoring the quarter-time margin of 18 points at the main break.
St Kilda were unable to gain any ground in the third term, with Port Adelaide beginning to grow more menacing with three goals against the Saints' two.
Travis Boak gifted the Power the start they needed in the opening minute, before Westhoff added to the damage with his second major after overcoming a plague of inaccuracy.
While the scoreline suggested the Saints stood very little chance, their edge around the ball and constant haggling of the Power kept their hopes of a third consecutive win alive.
After a tight arm wrestle for control following the Power's initial blitz, a blistering run through Jack Newnes and Jade Gresham allowed Tim Membrey out the back to stroll into an open goal and register the Saints' first for the quarter.
The Power were dealt another blow after Jonas injured his left knee in a seemingly innocuos contest, with the defensive lynchpin sitting out the rest of the game on the sidelines.
Charlie Dixon finally managed to strike back with his first goal of the game, and as the inside 50 count ballooned out 19-7 in favour of the home side, it seemed as if one more goal would sweep the Saints away.
Gresham once again proved to be the man to deliver the ball inside 50, with his laser-like precision finding Luke Dunstan, who jagged the Saints' second to bring the margin to 30 points at three-quarter time.
Despite St Kilda being in with a sniff, four final quarter majors for the Power - three of which were kicked by Dixon - opposed to the Saints' three allowed them to comfortable run over their opposition.
Jared Polec helped keep the door ajar for the Saints, with a deplorable kick across goal floating into Gresham's hands, with the livewire duly converting the first of the term.
With the Saints in the stages of mounting a final quarter comeback, Boak soured the moment with a retaliatory goal to put the Saints agonisingly out of reach.
Gresham's goal sense once again proved invaluable as he snapped his second through the space of just a few minutes, but despite the visitors gathering repeated entries, the Power's double-teaming in defence prevented any more goals from being scored.
As Dixon kicked three in a row for the Power before Armitage slotted his third to stem the flow, Port ran out as 30-point victors, moving into second position on the ladder after receiving more than they had expected against the Saints on their home deck.
Port Adelaide will have eight days to prepare for their clash against Fremantle at Optus Stadium, while St Kilda will hope to find themselves on the winners list when they face Carlton on Friday night at Etihad Stadium.
PORT ADELAIDE 3.1 5.6 8.12 12.14 (86)
ST KILDA 0.5 2.6 4.6 7.8 (50)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dixon 4, Westhoff 2, Watts 2, Boak 2, Ryder, Gray
St Kilda: Armitage 3, Gresham 2, Dunstan, Membrey
BEST
Port Adelaide: Wingard, Rockliff, Dixon, Motlop, Byrne-Jones, Ryder, Westhoff
St Kilda: Gresham, Armitage, Steele, Dunstan, Geary, Ross
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Jonas (knee)
St Kilda: McCartin (foot)
TALKING POINTS
1. SAINTS AND POWER BLOW CHANCES IN OPENING HALF
A solid start was fundamental for both sides, yet the Power and Saints couldn't fully capitalise in front of goal in the game's opening half.
It's been a common theme with St Kilda this season, and once again the Saints weren't able to fully pounce upon the opportunities presented to them, registering 0.5 in the first quarter and seeing them trail by 26 points at the first change.
While tidying up their act in the second term with 2.1, the Power meanwhile had the chance to completely bury their opposition, but errant kicking in front of goal allowed the Saints to remain in touch.
Kicking 2.5 for the quarter, the Power certainly had numerous chances to give the visitors a monumental task going into the second half, but were unable to squeeze their shots in-between the big sticks.
The woeful set shot kicking resulted in a pulsating contest, yet a much greater margin could have been possible for either side.
2. POWER DEFENCE UNDER THE PUMP
While performing soundly in recent weeks, Port Adelaide's unsung backline will be placed under immense pressure given the potential absence of Tom Jonas for the next few weeks.
After returning from a hamstring strain this week, Jonas will once again find himself on the sidelines after tweaking his knee in the third quarter.
Jonas leads the Power for marks (109) and is behind only Shannon Hurn in the league for the total number of grabs this season (118), with his importance to the Power defence often overlooked.
While the extent of the injury is yet to be determined, Port's defence - already absent of Jasper Pittard and Hamish Hartlett - will be put to the test next week against Fremantle, who boast the lofty Brennan Cox and thrifty Michael Walters.
Having missed two games through injury this year against the Western Bulldogs and Carlton, Port will be crossing their fingers in the hopes their star defender won't be out for long.
3. PORT ON THE PROWL TOWARDS SEPTEMBER
Despite the possible loss of Tom Jonas today, the Power in good stead to have a red-hot crack come September.
Now sitting in second position on the ladder, Port can hang on to their spot should Collingwood and West Coast both lose this week against Essendon and Greater Western Sydney respectively.
Leading the league for clearances and tackles, Port Adelaide's brute strength throughout the centre of the ground has served them well this season, with their dynamism and explosive passages of play the foundation of their aggressive style of play.
Losing just the one game at Adelaide Oval in round four, and with another four games to play at their home turf this season, the Power have the potential to hold onto their top-four position.
Should they lock in a qualifying final at Adelaide Oval, watch out.
4. GRESHAM A GUN, AGAIN
Week after week, Jade Gresham is becoming more of a focus for opposition defenders, with the lively small forward packing more than a punch over the past month.
Kicking four goals against Melbourne last week, six against Richmond and securing the match-winning major for against the Gold Coast, Gresham's improvement has stood marked, with his form skyrocketing in parallel with his side's resurgence in the second half of the season.
Gathering much more of the ball and helping set up several St Kilda entries today, the 20-year-old finshed with 17 disposals, two goals and seven score assists.
Although ineligible for the Rising Star award due to the number of games played (55), Gresham is already a star in his own right, and will be a major player in the Saints' line-up for many seasons to come.
5. A LITTLE BIT OF PADDY MAGIC
There's nothing more damaging than an agile ruckman, and there's nothing more disheartening than when he kicks a miraculous goal to open the game.
Upon seizing the ball from the stoppage, Paddy Ryder slammed the ball on his right boot and dribbled the ball through the big sticks at an insanely acute angle, getting Port Adelaide off to a perfect start and kickstarting their three-goal opening term.
Although well known for kicking one of the biggest benders of all time from long-range, Ryder showed his ability to be damaging close to goal, giving the St Kilda defenders - and Billy Longer - a lot to worry about.
An All Australian and a John Cahill and Anzac medallist,the Power ruckman could soon find himself adding a Goal of the Year award to his list of accolades.
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