Insipid Roos blow top-four finish
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Daniel Motlop kicked three goals for the Power (file photo). (Getty Images: Ryan Pierse, file photo)
North Melbourne wasted the chance to stitch up a top-four finish heading into next week's AFL finals series, bowing to Port Adelaide by 76 points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
It was an insipid performance from the Kangaroos, who would have secured a qualifying final against minor premier Geelong with victory.
Instead they could finish as low as seventh by the time round 22 is complete and will now sweat on the results of other matches.
The 23.10 (148) to 10.12 (72) shellacking was North's biggest defeat of the season and a huge disappointment for 300-gamer Shannon Grant, who had 19 disposals and two goals.
Last time Port graced the MCG it left with the biggest grand final defeat in AFL history.
This time it went in with nothing to lose and played like it, destroying the Kangaroos with slick use of the footy and authoritative finishing.
Peter Burgoyne had a mammoth 45 disposals, Kane Cornes 30 and Tom Logan and Danyle Pearce 28 apiece.
David Rodan booted five goals in an unblemished kicking performance while Robbie Gray, Toby Thurstans and Daniel Motlop pumped home three apiece.
"It's good to get the win, we're going into the preseason with a bit of confidence now," Motlop told Fox Sports.
"What we're doing is right and hopefully next year we'll come out and do the same."
Port ended the season with just seven wins and Motlop said the team never recovered from a poor start this season.
"We lost a lot of close games and we didn't have a lot of confidence behind us, we played a lot of hard teams early," he said.
Port Adelaide 23.10 (148) - D Rodan 5, R Gray 3, D Motlop 3, T Thurstans 3, D Cassisi 2, P Burgoyne, S Burgoyne, B Lade, T Logan, M Motlop, D Pearce, P Stewart
Kangaroos 10.12 (72) - D Hale 4, S Grant 2, M Campbell, L Harding, C Jones, D Pratt
