Port Adelaide has dampened what was a momentous day for Carlton, with their 21-point victory preventing a fairytale finish for Kade Simpson’s 300th match.
The veteran defender was at his absolute best, finishing with 37 disposals in front of the Carlton faithful at the MCG.
Yet his efforts and those of the Blues weren’t enough the secure the four points, despite trailing by just two points at the final change, with the Power moving to fourth position on the ladder.
Robbie Gray did most of the damage with three goals for the afternoon, while Chad Wingard (two goals, 24 disposals) and Tom Rockliff (28 disposals) were destructive through the midfield.
Although a win had been widely written off irrespective of the celebratory occasion, the Blues defied expectations with five first quarter goals, three of which came from Charlie Curnow.
Continuing on his fine form from last week, Curnow slotted the opening goal just two minutes in to place the visitors under the pump from the get-go.
Robbie Gray found the response soon after for Port, but the Blues, led by through the middle by Marc Murphy, kept adding majors to their tally, with the skipper contributing with a goal of his own.
But again sloppy mistakes made by Carlton during their transitions forward allowed Port Adelaide to punish their lack of finesse, with Lindsay Thomas putting them back in their place.
The Power looked to kick into gear as Justin Westhoff followed up soon after, but consecutive majors to Curnow and another to Patrick Cripps saw the Blues take a surprising six-point lead at quarter-time.
Much like the first quarter the Blues came out firing, but were unable to nullify Port’s explosive five-goal second term.
Port Adelaide capitalised early where it mattered despite Carlton’s attack, with Gray securing his second to get the term underway.
The Power found their spark moments later with goals to Gray and Chad Wingard, the visitors looking increasingly dangerous as they continued to gather more momentum.
Thanks to the efforts of Wingard and Jared Polec, the duo assisted in driving the ball forward, ultimately allowing Todd Marshall and Westhoff to make it five consecutive Power majors.
Any efforts to convert for the Blues proved to be elusive, with a goal from Jarrod Garlett overturned after it was revealed to have touched teammate Jarrod Pickett on its way through the big sticks.
Losing momentum rapidly, the Blues struggled in the centre clearances and failed to string together clean ball use as the damage worsened.
A last-minute goal to Pickett allowed the Blues to save some face, with 19 points separating the two teams at the main change.
Carlton continued to rectify their second quarter performance in the third term, keeping the Power scoreless opposed to their wayward 2.5.
Curnow booted his fourth to get the Blues on the board, but the goals rapidly dried up with the next major being registered 20 minutes later.
As a stalemate ensued, with neither side able to penetrate the scores to great effect, the Power’s grip on the game began to falter.
Simpson played a vital role in keeping Port Adelaide scoreless for the term, gathering plenty of the ball and holding the back six together.
As Andrew Phillips put through another, Carlton trailed by just two points at the final change.
With the rain coming down in the fourth term, scoring once again was sparse to begin with, yet the Power’s five goal to two effort allowed them to notch up their 10th win.
Steven Motlop jagged the first after seven minutes of play, before Wingard and Charlie Dixon piled in the pain to rub the Blues out of the contest.
Despite putting in their hardest efforts and securing two goals through Paddy Dow and Matthew Kennedy, the Blues ultimately ran out of steam as the Power thrived.
As Travis Boak and Marshall put their names on the scoreboard, the Power finished as sound 21-point victors, despite several scares throughout the day.
Carlton will be hoping to break away from Brisbane - who also sit on just the one victory for the season - next Saturday at the ‘Gabba, while Port Adelaide will be intent on cementing their place in the top-four when they face St Kilda in a week’s time at the Adelaide Oval.
CARLTON 5.0 6.2 8.7 10.9 (69)
PORT ADELAIDE 3.6 8.9 8.9 13.12 (90)
GOALS
Carlton: C. Curnow 4, Kennedy, Dow, Cripps, Phillips, Pickett, Murphy.
Port Adelaide: R. Gray 3, Marshall 2, Wingard 2, Westhoff 2, Boak, Dixon, Motlop, Thomas
BEST
Carlton: Simpson, C. Curnow, E. Curnow, Cripps, Murphy
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Westhoff, Wingard, Rockliff, Marshall
INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
Port Adelaide: Nil
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