1. Charlie Dixon's time runs out
The game-changing moment in a Thursday night thriller came when Dixon took a strong mark inside 50 with less than four minutes remaining. With Port two points ahead he was a huge chance to kick the goal and put Port Adelaide clear. But as the shot clock ticked down, Dixon dithered and failed to start his run-up. Called to play on, he was swamped by Mitch Duncan and the chance was gone. It capped a forgettable night for Dixon, who floored Cats' skipper Joel Selwood with a bump at the start of the second quarter, then upset Port fans by missing a simple set shot in the same quarter.
2. Patrick Dangerfield is a freak
Everyone knows Dangerfield is a champion but sometimes we forget to credit his work. However his last quarter goal proved the match winner as he somehow scrambled a goal from a stoppage with a kick on his left foot near the goal line under enormous pressure. However that goal just tells part of the tale of his final quarter. With his energy levels low, he laid two enormous tackles as Port Adelaide threatened to break the game open in the middle to win free kicks and ended the quarter with five tackles. It wasn't his best game but his impact when it mattered was enormous.
3. Inaccurate in front of the sticks
Geelong kicked 12.0 from set shots against the Western Bulldogs but could not hit the side of a barn in the first half against Port Adelaide. It kicked 2.5 with Sam Menegola and Tom Hawkins missing two set shots apiece. It diluted the inside 50 advantage it had established over Port Adelaide. Port Adelaide got the yips too in the second quarter with Charlie Dixon missing a sitter and Justin Westhoff failing to convert on the half-time siren. In the end set shot kicking proved the difference with Port Adelaide's Jackson Trengove missing a vital set shot with seven minutes remaining while Mark Blicavs, in his 100th game, kicked a brilliant banana goal in the last quarter that proved important in the two-point win.
4. Joel gets the job done
The skipper caused a slight scare when he left the ground during the warm-up with the club's physio Mark Young but he led the team out moments after his 2007 premiership teammates had circled the ground in motorcade. And then he went to work wearing the No.14 for an AFL record breaking 239th time passing triple Brownlow medallist Bob Skilton. By half time he had 16 disposals and 10 contested possessions, laying three tackles and entertaining his flag-winning mates watching on.
5. Jed Bews earns his money
The former rookie landed the job on Robbie Gray, putting his hand up once again to take on the opposition's most dangerous small forward. He performed well on the Port Adelaide superstar, restricting him in one-on-ones and blanketing him at stoppages. Gray kicked three and was very handy but one of his goals came when Bews was off the ground with a corkie. He was also smart enough to leave the task of stopping Gray in the last minute to Tom Stewart who somehow managed to spoil Gray when contesting a mark inside an otherwise deserted Port Adelaide forward line.
