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IN A MATCH that had no bearing on the finals, Port Adelaide wizard Robbie Gray provided the magic and dragged them to a 23-point win over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.

Gray finished with 34 disposals and four goals – three in the third quarter – to steer the Power to a 13.11 (89) to 9.12 (66) victory. 

Port looked home and hosed when it skated to a 39-point lead early in the third term, but had to withstand a Suns fightback to hold on to victory.

Full match coverage and stats

Gold Coast kicked five of the final six goals in the third quarter to get within 15 points, but Gray moved into the midfield, steadied the ship and guided his team home in the last.

Jay Schulz kicked three goals in his final game for the club, while Sam Gray was prolific with 32 disposals, Ollie Wines a powerhouse with 30, and Riley Bonner impressive on debut with 22 touches.

The win was Port's 10th in a season that left them with as many questions as answers.

"It's a disappointing season, we're not happy with our performance over 22 games," coach Ken Hinkley said.

"We never really gave ourselves a chance throughout the year, we were what we were.

"I always say, you end up where you should after 22 games, you figure out what you are. And for us, we are that inconsistent model."

Five talking points: Gold Coast v Port Adelaide

The same could be said of Gold Coast, who started with so much hope but finished with just six wins after a plethora of injuries.

However, they could be proud of their final performance.

Following poor outings against Essendon and Collingwood in the previous fortnight, the Suns weren't rolling over in their final home game.

They got within 15 points during the last quarter, but couldn't get any closer.

"The worry tonight was Port … they've got five or six really good midfielders," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.

"With our inexperienced midfielder, that's what I was worried about, but the effort was terrific.

"The first quarter we dominated, unfortunately we lacked polish and lacked the ability to kick goals when we should have.

"I thought overall there was some really good signs."

Perhaps the best of those came from second-gamer Brayden Fiorini, who kicked two goals in the third quarter comeback and finishing with a team-high 32 disposals and 11 tackles.

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An uncharacteristic off-night with the boot from Tom Lynch was costly for the home team, with the star forward missing four set shots at goal – most of them easy.

He was his usual tireless self, finishing with 19 disposals and seven marks, but his only goal came from a brilliant running effort from 50m in the last term.

His forward partner-in-crime Sam Day also missed his first three shots – again, all very makeable – but got involved with two third quarter goals.

MEDICAL ROOM
Gold Coast: Forward Ryan Davis finished his season in a bad way, straining his hamstring in the second quarter. Davis hobbled off and did not return. Eade joked post match that Davis would miss two to three weeks. In fact Rocket, he'll miss 10 weeks before returning for pre-season training. 

Port Adelaide: Young defender Logan Austin was the only casualty for the Power, limping off in the third quarter with a sore ankle. Austin was involved in a marking contest with Tom Lynch and came off second best. The coaches were in a jovial post-match mood, with Hinkley saying he would miss a week. 


GOLD COAST       1.4   2.7    7.10     9.12 (66)
PORT ADELAIDE   2.3   6.4   10.7   13.11 (89)

GOALS
Gold Coast: Fiorini 2, Day 2, Rosa, Matera, Sexton, MacPherson, Lynch
Port Adelaide: R. Gray 4, Schulz 3, Boak, Young, S. Gray, Impey, Snelling, Ebert 

BEST 
Gold Coast: Miller, May, Hallahan, Lynch, Fiorini
Port Adelaide: R. Gray, Wines, Bonner, S. Gray, Ebert, Broadbent 

INJURIES 
Gold Coast: Davis (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Austin (lower leg) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stephens, Hay, Wallace

Official crowd: 9213 at Metricon Stadium