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North Melbourne's miserable start to the season has continued with a 16-point loss to the Power at Adelaide Oval.
- Port Adelaide sits in provisional third position on the ladder following the win
- North Melbourne has lost five of its six matches this season
- The Kangaroos were without Shaun Higgins, who was a late scratching because of illness
The Power's Sam Gray kicked four goals in the 12.16 (88) to 11.6 (72) win on Friday night, the home side's fourth of the season.
Last-placed North Melbourne slumped to a fifth loss in six matches, with stalwart Luke McDonald hobbled by a knee injury.
McDonald limped from the field in the second quarter but returned with his right knee strapped and in clear discomfort in the last half.
The Power jumped the Kangaroos early, booting five goals to two to take a 17-point quarter-time lead.
The hosts, with Gray slotting three first-half goals, extended their advantage to 28 points at half-time before a brief Kangaroos fight-back.
The Kangaroos booted the opening two goals of the third term to reduce the deficit to 16 points before the Power again kicked away.
The Power held a 41-point lead 11 minutes into the final term before a belated charge from the Kangaroos, who scored the last five goals of the match.
Ex-Power captain Travis Boak was superb in his club's fourth win of the season, gathering a match-high 38 disposals including 11 clearances and nine inside 50s.
Boak also scored a goal and, with his midfield partners Tom Rockliff (27 possessions) and Ollie Wines (26 touches), created a decisive advantage around the packs.
By half-time, the Power had won 26 more contested possessions than the Kangaroos. By match end, the home side were plus-23 in the key statistic.
The Power's parochial 36,099-strong crowd booed Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard at every disposal, the pair having joined the Kangaroos from the South Australian club at the end of last season.
Polec (17 possessions) kicked a stunning goal from the boundary line in the second quarter but, like Pittard (23 touches), had minimal impact.
The Kangaroos' third-gamer Nick Larkey kicked three majors and captain Jack Ziebell (24 disposals) booted two, while Ben Cunnington (35 disposals) and Jed Anderson (26 possessions) were prominent.
But Kangaroos spearhead Ben Brown was held goalless by Tom Clurey, given the task in the absence of co-captain Tom Jonas who was a late withdrawal because of a calf injury.
Kangaroos playmaker Shaun Higgins (illness) was also a late scratching.
AAP/ABC
Topics: sport, australian-football-league, adelaide-5000, port-adelaide-5015, north-melbourne-3051
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