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Emerging forward Todd Marshall has kicked four goals to help Port Adelaide pip a gallant Gold Coast by two points in an AFL thriller.
The Power triumphed 13.15 (93) to 13.13 (91) in a gripping Sunday twilight fixture at Adelaide Oval.
Port, after losing their initial five games of the season, are now just one win outside the top eight in 12th spot.
The Suns, seeking a maiden finals berth, are 11th with the same amount of wins – seven – as the Power.
Marshall’s goal-scoring was instrumental in Port’s victory while teammates Riley Bonner (30 disposals), Dan Houston (30 touches) and Ollie Wines (27 possessions) were chief ball-winners.
Gold Coast’s Touk Miller was superb with 30 disposals and 10 tackles, co-captain Jarrod Witts had 41 hitout, and Izak Rankine and Mabior Chol both kicked three goals.
Chol also was involved in two second-term flashpoints when he celebrated two goals only for those scores to be overturned on review when audio evidence showed both kicks brushed a goal-post.
Port’s Kane Farrell was also denied a goal in the second quarter when a long-range attempt when the ball, as shown by video replays, just failed to entirely clear the line created by the goal-post padding.
Port were up by 18 points at quarter-time and by five at halftime, stretching their lead to 11 early in the third term when Charlie Dixon slotted a brilliant left-foot snap from near a boundary for his 300th AFL goal.
But the Suns rapidly rattled on four of the next five goals – the last in the spree, a clever Rankine major on the run from a tight angle, gave the visitors a seven-point buffer.
That advantage disappeared when Port’s Connor Rozee scored two goals in two minutes – the Power hit the front again in the fourth lead change in a pulsating 15 minutes of action.
Port’s Jeremy Finlayson and Marshall converted late goals to increase their side’s advantage to 13 points at three quarter-time, 12.11 to 10.10.
The Power only added one more goal – another from Marshall – in a frantic final term as the Suns scored three majors.
The last goal from Gold Coast’s Nick Holman put them two points down with a tick over two minutes remaining but Port held on for a vital victory.
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