Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee has led a midfield mauling of the Western Bulldogs in a pivotal 48-point victory for the Power.
Rozee's sizzling 18-disposal opening quarter propelled Port to a 15.12 (102) to 8.6 (54) win on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
The skipper finished with 36 touches, seven clearances and one goal in a display lauded by coach Ken Hinkley.
"Connor started them up and there was plenty of people that joined in ... that is what good captains do," Hinkley said.
Rozee's vice-captain Zak Butters gathered 33 touches and also kicked a goal before being rested and substituted.
Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (30 disposals, nine clearances, one goal) also feasted to keep Port (10 wins, six losses) in fourth spot ahead of other games.
Power forward Mitch Georgiades kicked five goals and Jason Horne-Francis (20 disposals) booted three.
Rozee fired with an instant classic of a first term: 18 disposals at 83 per cent efficiency, five clearances and two tackles.
Butters (14 touches) and Wines (13) completed the on-ball domination - the Bulldogs didn't score until the 21st minute, and Port led 5.2 to 0.2 at quarter-time.
"They all played pretty well, clearly," Hinkley said of his midfielders.
"They started really well, which against the Bulldogs we know is incredibly important."
Bulldog captain Marcus Bontempelli - who had only eight first-half possessions and 21 for the game - broke his side's goal drought early in the second term.
But Port remained in control, with Georgiades slotting his fourth goal on the half-time siren for a 10.5 to 3.3 scoreline.
The Dogs' woes were compounded by the second-term loss of Aaron Naughton to concussion, the key forward hurt when blocked behind play by Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.
James O'Donnell also suffered concussion
But Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said "the horse had bolted" by then.
"They (Port) had a stranglehold on the momentum of the game when those things happened," he said.
Top Dog Bontempelli, Tim English and Rhylee West scored two majors each and Adam Treloar had a match-high 38 disposals.
But the ninth-placed Dogs could slip six premiership points outside the top eight by the end of the round ahead of fixtures against Carlton, Geelong and Sydney.
"It just reflects how difficult it is to maintain momentum for the whole year," Beveridge said of the ladder logjam.
"We can only focus on Carlton ... on paper or from ladder position, we have as difficult a stretch as most (can be)."
