THREE goals to Sydney Swans superstar Chloe Molloy in her 75th AFLW game propelled the Swans to an impressive 14-point win against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday.
Home fans were keen to celebrate Justine Mules-Robinson’s 100th- game milestone, but the visitors finally shook loose of the dogged Power with the only two goals of the last quarter to spoil the party.
Molloy’s return of three majors continued her rich vein of form, with the haul making it 10 goals in her past three matches.
With Sydney midfield dynamo Sofia Hurley absent after undergoing ankle surgery, Zippy Fish spent more time at the stoppages, and she took full advantage to finish with a team-high 26 touches.
Playing her 50th game, Port star Abbey Dowrick was on record pace with 10 tackles in the first half. She slowed in the second to finish with 12, but was influential throughout with a game-high 27 possessions.
The result made it back-to-back wins for the Swans, who improved to a 5-1 record, while the Power slipped to a third loss in a row and a 2-4 record.
Sydney was wasteful in front of goal early, but led by three points at the first break after superior pressure caused a turnover inside the Swans’ attacking 50.
Molloy pounced and sent a perfect handball over the top to Sarah Grunden, who slammed through her side's first major a second before the siren sounded.
Both sides continued to apply the pressure in the second term, but working in tight spaces didn’t bother Molloy, who sat her opponent down with a fierce 'don't argue' and opened her account with a superb goal to level the scores at the main break.
Each team managed a goal each in the first two quarters and the trend continued in the third, with Molloy’s second from a free kick answered by Gemma Houghton after she marked strongly.
Cynthia Hamilton’s goal early in the final term stretched the margin to double digits for the first time, and when Molloy coolly converted on the run soon after the gap was too great for the Power to reel in.
PORT ADELAIDE 1.1 2.4 3.5 3.9 (27)
SYDNEY 1.4 2.4 3.7 5.11 (41)
GOALS
PORT ADELAIDE: Scholz, Pope, Houghton
SYDNEY: Molloy 3, Grunden, Hamilton
BEST
PORT ADELAIDE: Dowrick, Scholz, Woodland, Moloney, Young, Brooksby
SYDNEY: Fish, Molloy, Ham, Morphett, Kennedy, McEvoy