Port Adelaide midfielder Jared Polec has his kick smothered. Picture: Kym Smith Source: Kym Smith / News Corp Australia
A BRAVE Greater Western Sydney have been mugged by reality, with Port Adelaide continuing their strong season.
If there was a consolation for the Giants in a chilly Canberra before of just 6549 fans, it was that Port Adelaide's 35-point winning margin was not enough to keep the Power on top of the AFL ladder once Hawthorn thrashed St Kilda by 145 points.
The GWS result was a significant improvement on last year's 75-point thrashing by Port but a long way from the euphoric and unexpected victory over the Power in 2012.
It was a fourth consecutive loss for the Giants after winning two of their first three matches, reinforcing the reality of a fledgling club in just their third AFL season.
Port Adelaide midfielder Brad Ebert in action. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images
Jeremy Cameron ended up with the biggest dose of reality when the All Australian full forward was moved to the back line after half time as the Giants trailed by 32 points.
The agile big man kicked 62 goals last season to finish third in the 2013 goalkicking behind Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead (72) and Collingwood's Travis Cloke (68).
However Cameron barely touched the ball in the first half despite kicking one of the Giants early goals.
With the Giants' formative years as much about learning as winning, coach Leon Cameron took the opportunity of sending his most potent forward to school in defence.
There is much learning to be done by the fledgling Giants, who have an average age of under 21 and gave away the winning margin with goals conceded during time on in each quarter.
Port Adelaide full forward Jay Schultz was the major beneficiary kicking six goals, including four in the last quarter.
GWS are desperately short of key defenders, with co-captain Phil Davis missing as he recuperates from a long term kidney injury.
Cameron in defence left the Giants' first number one draft choice, Jon Patton, as the sole key forward and he enjoyed the extra responsibility, kicking two fine goals in the third term.
Matt Buntine flies over the pack to spoil. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images
The first was a wonderful kick on the angle from outside 50 metres and the second came from a strong pack mark 22 minutes into the third term, reducing Port's lead to just 20 points.
It was as close as the Giants managed to get in the second half.
There were moments early in the match when the Giants may have believed that the monumental upset of two seasons ago was a chance of being repeated.
The Giants kicked three of the first four goals as they dominated play and should have scored more given the first quarter opportunities.
Then Angus Monfries snapped a goal midway through the first quarter, kicked another from a free kick after a clumsy Heath Shaw tackle, and Port were on the way to seven goals in a row.
Monfries had three goals to half time, exposing Shaw, who lost the balance between attempting to set up play as the Giants' most experienced defender and minding his man.
The Giants have clearly drafted another superstar, with current number one pick Josh Kelly, a polished midfielder, managing 21 possessions in just his fifth game and kicking a goal.
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