BLUES’ PAIN ON SIREN

BY HIS own lofty standards, Robbie Gray had done little in six games this season and almost threw the game against Carlton away with one minute to go yesterday.

But there’s a reason you can buy a T-shirt with “The Goat” and Gray’s face on it at Port Adelaide and it’s because of what happened next.

With 20 seconds to go against Carlton at the Gabba, Gray marked the footy on the boundary and went back after the siren and slotted the shot with a drop punt that most players in the competition could only dream of kicking.

Moments earlier he unselfishly gave a handball to Todd Marshall at the top of the square only for the big man to miss it. But he totally redeemed himself and just his fourth goal for the year was the one that mattered most.

Port Adelaide’s incredible three-point win was another test of its resilience after yet another pre-dawn flight to Queensland and two men down (Ryan Burton and Steven Motlop) in the final term.

Gray was the hero but Port Adelaide’s big men reigned supreme — at both ends of the ground. Tom Jonas lost one one-on-one contest against Harry McKay and didn’t put another foot wrong for the rest of the game and it was his and Trent McKenzie’s intercept marking and spoiling that saved the game from getting away from them.

Despite nearly throwing the game away, Todd Marshall sprung to life after a quiet month with crucial lead-up play and pinpoint passes, and Charlie Dixon was the dominant forward on the ground.

It was a heartbreaking end for Carlton, but not a big-picture disaster. After blowing the Bulldogs away last week, they had to slug it out for three quarters just to stay with Port Adelaide and when Patrick Cripps stood up, at long last he didn’t have to do it on his own.

Sam Walsh and Sam Docherty both took courageous marks going back with the flight of the ball in defence and Walsh kicked an important goal, Michael Gibbons and Ed Curnow provided midfield support, Harry McKay kicked three goals and Jacob Weitering was awesome in defence.