Port Adelaide have fought past the Western Bulldogs to surge to their 10th consecutive victory with an exhilarating 22-point win.
The Bulldogs kept Port accountable all night and burst from a 19-point deficit at three-quarter-time to trail by just eight points midway through the fourth.
But Jason Horne-Francis kicked a wonderful steadying goal to settle the Power’s nerves and help deliver a 16.11 (107) to 13.7 (85) win in front of 23,110 fans at Marvel Stadium.
The Bulldogs were condemned to a third-straight defeat while skipper Marcus Bontempelli could come under scrutiny for a high bump on Port Adelaide’s Dan Houston early in the second quarter that drew a free kick.
Power gun Zak Butters starred with 31 disposals, 11 score involvements and a goal, Horne-Francis kicked two crucial goals and had bursts of brilliance, while Charlie Dixon marked his return from injury with four goals.
Port big man Scott Lycett had the better of in-form Bulldogs ruck Tim English, while Aliir Aliir largely kept Aaron Naughton quiet.
Tom Liberatore was everywhere for the Bulldogs, racking up 34 disposals, 21 contested possessions and 11 clearances, while Caleb Daniel (29 touches) and Bontempelli (31 touches, nine clearances) were also excellent.
Dixon opened the scoring inside the first 20 seconds with a quick-thinking snap and monstered Josh Bruce, booting three goals for the term.
The opening period proved a see-sawing affair with multiple lead changes and 10 goals between the two sides.
Bulldogs dynamo Cody Weightman exploded back into top form, booting three goals in the first quarter along with taking a spectacular mark over Kane Farrell.
But the Bulldogs were again plagued by inaccuracy as Port took an eight-point advantage at quarter-time.
In the second term, the Bulldogs managed to slow down Port’s ball movement and keep Ken Hinkley’s charges to two goals while kicking three themselves.
Midway through the third quarter, the Power booted three consecutive goals to get the upper hand.
The Bulldogs came out of the final break fired up, Jack Macrae cutting the deficit to eight points to set up a hectic finish.
But after a magical burst from Butters sent the Power inside-50, Horne-Francis pulled off a wonderful ground-ball pick-up, burst away and kicked truly to settle things.
There was a late controversy when Weightman thought he had booted a fourth to return the deficit to eight but Oskar Baker was penalised for blocking out Ollie Wines on the goal line.
Port quickly took it down the other end, with Sam Powell-Pepper nudging the lead out to 20. They did not look back.