ESSENDON, as the Port Adelaide game notes kindly reminded us, does not beat the Power that often. Six times out of 17 meetings overall, and only once in the past five meetings before yesterday.

That sorry record didn't get any better yesterday afternoon, the Power wining in a canter by 64 points. But few can have been as one-sided. This game was over as a contest virtually as soon as the first bounce had reached the top of its trajectory. Port conceded a rushed behind to the Dons when Peter Burgoyne stepped over the goal line, then proceeded to score the next three goals. Whatever the scoreboard said from that point on — and it mostly said Port was a long way ahead — the match was never again a contest.

The first of those goals was scored by Daniel Motlop, a strike that followed a left-to-right curve from just outside the near post to just inside it as it skittered goalwards. It was the start of an evening on which little went wrong for the small forward, whose career has followed an upward arc since he left the Kangaroos.

Motlop amassed seven goals for the game, and had as many different Essendon opponents as Matthew Knights searched fruitlessly for a defender who could shut him down. Henry Slattery and Andrew Welsh had two goes each, Nathan Lovettt-Murray had a go, Leroy Jetta opposed him briefly. Cruellest of all, perhaps, so, too, did first-gamer Darcy Daniher, who was a tall playing on a small, a forward playing on a forward whose three-minute stint brought two goals.

After losing their first four games, the men from Alberton have gone a long way towards restoring their season with strong wins in the past three games. Port remains one win away from balancing its season — and faces undefeated Hawthorn after the break — but its winning margin yesterday took its percentage over the 100 barrier for the first time this season.

It was hard to find poor players for Port in a game that, for long periods, resembled a training drill, so easily did the visitors sweep the ball down the ground. Usually, they won it themselves, dominating the clearances. When they did not, they waited for an Essendon turnover, then, as the Dons all streamed one way, took it back the other.

Shaun Burgoyne was the most prolific of the clearance winners, but if he didn't get it away, David Rodan, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak, or someone in black and teal, did. Warren Tredrea, who so often has monstered Essendon in the past, kicked only one goal before leaving the ground injured, but it scarcely mattered.

Robbie Gray chipped in with three goals as a mobile forward and Steven Salopek kicked three running forward from a midfield position.

Port had a lopsided 60-38 edge in entries into its forward 50, reflected in having exactly twice as many scoring shots, 38 to 19. As bad as it was, it really could have been a lot worse for the Dons.

Inarguably, Essendon's injury list is long — and contains perhaps its best three current players in Scott Lucas, Dustin Fletcher and Mark McVeigh — and it needs to develop a new style. But the manner, if not the margin of yesterday's loss, cannot be repeated too often before players are too demoralised to absorb the lessons.

Again, the Dons handballed considerably more often than they kicked, again, their major ball-winners were forced into using hands rather than feet. Bachar Houli, Angus Monfries, Jobe Watson, Welsh and Jay Nash — the top five possession winners — all handballed more often than they kicked. Andrew Lovett, one of their better players, was the only one of the top seven ball-getters on the ground to have more kicks than handballs.

Apart from the forward wizard Motlop, Salopek, both Burgoynes, Kane Cornes, Boak and Cassisi all have 20 and more possessions. Dean Brogan and Brendon Lade dominated the ruck hitouts.

Matthew Lloyd kicked five for Essendon from limited opportunities. Houli and Monfries got the ball a lot, though they gave it away a fair bit, too. Patrick Ryder battled hard in the ruck and Jay Neagle contested hard and did some impressive things in his first game of the season and second overall. David Myers, Daniher and Jarrod Atkinson all showed a bit on debut.

And there were no more injuries, though Adam McPhee is on report for a head-high bump on Boak in the final quarter.

PORT ADELAIDE 6.4 14.10 19.13 24.14 (158)
ESSENDON 2.1 8.1 12.2 15.4 (94)

GOALS Port Adelaide: Motlop 7, Salopek 3, Gray 3, S Burgoyne 2, Ebert 2, Tredrea, Boak, Rodan, Brogan, Cassisi, Chaplin, Westhoff. Essendon: Lloyd 5, Neagle 2, Lovett 2, Watson, Welsh, Hille, Ryder, McPhee, Hislop.

BEST Port Adelaide: Motlop, Salopek, S Burgoyne, P Burgoyne, Brogan, Chaplin. Essendon: Houli, Lloyd, Lovett, Nash, Watson, Myers.

INJURIES Port Adelaide: Tredrea (corked calf).

REPORT Essendon: McPhee by field umpire Ellis for allegedly making head-high contact with Boak (Port Adelaide) in the fourth quarter.

UMPIRES M Nicholls, Ellis, Mollison.

CROWD 28,409 at Telstra Dome.

THE UPSHOT Essendon and Port met with the same 2-4 win-loss ratios, but headed in different directions this year. The Power is capable of finals. The Bombers are not, and will be on the youth track.

TALKING POINT Daniel Motlop's highlight reel from last night contained flashes of Darren Jarman and Gary Ablett snr in their pomp: a hanger in the goal square, then two goals of the day.

HOT AND COLD Motlop and the Burgoynes were rampant, but amid the slaughter, Warren Tredrea managed only one goal despite an attractive match-up on Courtney Johns.