Lycett in strife as Power thrash Crows

Forward Todd Marshall booted three goals in Port's 12.15 (87) to 5.8 (38) win in Saturday night's grudge match at Adelaide Oval.

But even Lycett's coach Ken Hinkley appears resigned to losing the ruckman to suspension for a dangerous sling tackle which concussed Adelaide's Ned McHenry in the first quarter.

"Concussion is the outcome, we don't want that (concussion) in the game, we don't need that in the game," Hinkley said.

"Scott will take what comes."

The Crows lost McHenry and fellow small forward Lachlan Murphy (ankle) inside 22 minutes of the game.

And Port's prolific ball-winner Dan Houston was subbed out with a shoulder injury in the third term.

Premiership fancies Port were largely untroubled by last year's wooden-spooners, with Marshall's scoring supported by two goals each to Charlie Dixon and Mitch Georgiades.

Celebrated Port trio Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Ollie Wines and winger Karl Amon were all influential in slippery conditions.

Boak gathered 28 disposals and six clearances while Gray (26 touches), Wines (24) and Amon (27) found plenty of the ball.

Port's defence ruled supreme with recruit Aliir Aliir (nine marks) and Todd Clurey blanketing a goal-less Taylor Walker for the Crows, whose only multiple goal-scorer was third-gamer Riley Thilthorpe (two goals).

Adelaide's Paul Seedsman (29 disposals, nine inside 50s) and Rory Laird (36 touches) battled against the tide after Adelaide's two early injuries.

McHenry wobbled off in the 12th minute after being slung by Lycett and just 10 minutes later Murphy's right ankle horribly twisted in a marking contest.

"Two injuries to the same style of player is really hard to manage," Crows coach Matthew Nicks said.

"Our fans would be pleased with the fight that we put up but disappointed that we weren't quite up to it, we were beaten by a better side."

Four minutes after losing McHenry and Murphy, Crows captain Rory Sloane, making his comeback from a four-game absence following surgery to fix a detached retina in his right eye, departed the field with a nasty cut above his left eye - but he returned to action.

Port led 2.4 to 1.0 at quarter-time and were 20 points up at halftime.

Adelaide showed some pluck to sneak within 13 points some 10 minutes into the third term but it was the closest they got thereafter as Port accelerated to victory, kicking seven of the last nine goals of the game.

Australian Associated Press